Friday 26 – Sunday 28 November 2010
Bundanoon Soldiers Memorial Hall, Bundanoon, NSW 

Online bookings are now open at http://bundanoon.weebly.com

Join us for our fourth annual BASH (Buenos Aires in the Southern Highlands) Tango Weekend Retreat with two practicas, two milongas, a beginners’ tango workshop, a tango film, live music, tai chi and more all in the beautiful environs of Buenos Aires in the Southern Highlands (Bundanoon, NSW). 

The BASH Tango Retreat is co-presented by Tango Synergy Sydney and the Tango Social Club of Canberra. It's a great weekend for dancing with your favourite dancers as well as making new tanguero amigos (and tanguera amigas) from across the borders. Last year over 120 people from Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Bowral, Perth and Canberra attended - we expect nothing less this year! 

Bundanoon is just 90 minutes drive along the Hume Highway from both Sydney and Canberra. If you're flying from interstate, the train leaves from Sydney airport and drops you right outside the milonga door - or you can get a few friends together and hire a car. Take the Mittagong/Bowral turnoff if you’re traveling from Sydney, or the Tallong/Bundanoon turnoff just after Marulan if you’re traveling from Canberra and follow the signs. 

One of the attractions of Bundanoon as a destination is that it's a very small town so it's a great place to get to know other tangueros/as both on and off the dance floor - over coffee in one of the local cafes, at after-milonga parties by the fireside or with impromptu dances in the kitchen at breakfast-time ....  

DRAFT PROGRAM  

Friday 26 November

Saturday 27 November

Saturday morning workshop, 11.00-12.30pm
Start the day with some physical exercise to limber you up for a full weekend of tango! We’ll let you know soon what the class will be– in the meantime, gear up to learn a new, fun activity that will complement your tango skills! 

Beginners tango lesson, 1.00-2.00pm
If you’ve never danced tango before, or want to bring a non-dancing partner or friend then come to this beginners’ lesson and stay on for practica. Southern Highlands residents are welcome, free of charge! 

Welcome practica, 2.00-4.00pm
Come and warm up before the big night and meet some tangueros/tangueras from around Australia. DJ TBC 

Saturday night dinner, 6.00-9.00pm
Dinner has been reserved for 100 people at the Bundanoon Hotel. Choose from the set menu (3-4 choices, including vegetarian) and pay the hotel direct. Prices range from $10 for entrees to $25 for mains. There is no set time for dinner- just head to the dining room between 6.00-8.00pm. Your order will be taken when your table is full so that's incentive to make new friends by sitting at half-full table of people you don't know!  

Saturday night milonga, 8.00pm-12.30am
This is your chance to dress up and join us for 4 ½ hours of non-stop dancing to live music and classic tango selections. Seating will be allocated to encourage mingling across state borders (don't say we didn't warn you!). DJ and live band details coming soon. Champagne and a light supper provided. 

Sunday 28 November

Tai Chi with Callum 10.00-11.00am
Get your muscles working again after yesterday’s strenuous day of tango. Callum’s tai chi class will help you improve your balance, relax and limber up for another fine day of tango. This class will be held outdoors, weather permitting. BYO loose comfortable clothing (PJs ok) 

Recovery practica 11.00am-3.00pm
Recover from the night before, and have a last tango in Bundanoon with newfound tango amigo/as to classic and some newer tango selections. DJ TBC 

ACCOMMODATION

There are lots of places in stay in and around Bundanoon from hotels to B&Bs, romantic cottages, backpackers and camping grounds. BASH ‘accommodation central’ is the Bundanoon Hotel, just across the railway line from the Soldiers Memorial Hall where all thep  program events are held. Group reservations have been made at both the Bundanoon Hotel and the Bundanoon Country Inn Motel. Contact the hotel direct to book your own room and give the code 'Tango Retreat' to ensure your booking is successful. Rooms will not be held after 31 October so make sure you book well ahead of time!  

• Bundanoon Hotel www.bundanoonhotel.com.au ; Ph 02 4883 6005 (Twin and double rooms from $65-$85 per person per night, including breakfast)
• Bundanoon Country Inn Motel www.countryinn.com.au ; Ph 02 4883 6068 (Twin, double and triple rooms from $105-$140 per room, breakfast not included)

Travelling alone or as a group?
If you’re travelling alone, why not make some new friends? Multi- share rooms are available at both the Bundanoon Hotel and the Bundanoon Youth Hostel. Multi-share rooms must be booked for both Friday and Saturday nights, single night bookings are not available. Groups of 3-4 are also welcome to book out one of the multi-share rooms at the Bundanoon Hotel. See below for booking details. 

• Bundanoon Hotel – Multishare rooms, $70 per person per night including breakfast (2 night minimum). Ensuite rooms with double bed and 2-3 single beds. Book through BASH website http://bundanoon.weebly.com
• Bundanoon Youth Hostel – Multishare rooms, $31 per person per night, or $75 per double (2 night minimum). Share bathroom, breakfast not included. Book online at http://www.yha.com.au/hostels/nsw/southern-highlands/bundanoon/.or phone 02-4883 6010 . You must give the code words ‘tango retreat’ to ensure you are accommodated in the rooms reserved for our group.

 For other accommodation options in Bundanoon, check out www.bundanoon.com.au - Places to Stay. 

Weather warning!
While temperatures in Bundanoon at this time of year should be quite mild (high teens to early 20s during the day), be prepared for extremes. It could be very, very hot like last year - or it could be very, very cold like the year before! Pack a jumper or several along with your change of t-shirt and your swimmers. The hall is heated, so standard milonga wear will be fine in the evening, with a coat for when you step outdoors. 

COSTS

• Friday, Saturday and Sunday - $50 members, $60 non-members
• Saturday and Sunday only - $40 members, $50 non-members
• Saturday night milonga only - $30 members, $40 non-members

BOOKINGS

Bookings and payment by Friday 19 November are essential in order to ensure adequate seating and catering. Online bookings and payments are now available at http://bundanoon.weebly.com

Your personal BASH mission........
should you choose to accept it, is to dance with at least 5 people you've never danced with before. With over 100 dancers from all over Australia in one small town and over 12 solid hours of dance time the opportunities have never been better. This is your chance to discover a beautiful new tango romance (at least on the dance floor), experience how people from 'across the border' dance or just get to know someone new. And if you need any more incentive - there will be a prize for the first person to dance one full tanda each with 30 people of the opposite persuasion (leader/follower)! 

For those of you who like statistics, 12 hours represents approximately 60 tandas (of 12 minutes each) and as there will be approximately 120* people at BASH, you could dance at least one tanda with everyone there! So, be adventurous, ask someone new for a dance - and followers, that applies to you as well! 

* Remember, only about half those 120 people will be leaders, the other half followers. 

Other local attractions
If you’ve had enough of tango, or have friends or family who want to do something other than dance, why not:

• Browse the local craft shops and art galleries
• Have coffee and cake at one of the many cafes and tea rooms
• Go to the Mittagong Markets on Saturday or the Southern Highlands Country Fair at Moss Vale on Sunday
• Hire a bike and take a ride on the wild side
• Check out the Bundanoon Museum
• Take in the spectacular views at a Fitzroy Falls lookout
• Cool down after the milonga with a walk to the Glow Work Glen
• Go wine tasting at one of the excellent local wineries

Bundy on tap
Bundanoon has taken the exciting initiative of becoming Australia's first bottled water-free town. This means you can no longer buy bottled water in Bundanoon - instead you can pick up a 'Bundy on Tap' reusable sports bottle for about the same price as you'd pay for a single bottle of water, and refill it for free at chilled water stations in the main street. So, get with the flow and help Bundanoon fight the environmental costs of producing bottled water. In addition you get a bonus souvenir to take home with you - you'll have everyone at work wondering what you're drinking out of that 'Bundy on Tap' bottle! For more information, see http://www.bundyontap.com.au/