General Info - Mungalli Falls Student Village and Wilderness Retreat

OUR STAFF are a total of 20, but vary depending on the in-house guest levels. We have five live-in staff at Mungalli Falls ensuring that we are on hand 24/7 to attend to the needs of our guests.

All of our staff have blue-cards. A mandatory government and police check for all staff working in an environment with children. In addition to the blue-cards, all of our activities officers have their senior first-aid certificates.

In 1992 the Trout Family bought Mungalli Falls. It is the only free-hold world heritage listed waterfall in Australia. Dropping a majestic 100 metres in to the Beatrice River, the Trout's proudly protect the sensitive ecology of the waterfall and the surrounding 500 acres that is the Mungalli Falls Student Village & Wilderness Retreat.

Peter Trout the company Chairman and his son, Michael also own Blazing Saddles Adventures in Cairns and have been involved in eco-friendly tourism and hold a personal interest in further developing Education based tourism to Far North Queensland.

Prior to this, the Trout family owned a number of large Cattle Stations, spanning many decades, all in Queensland. Both Peter, Michael and many of the Trout family still hold active roles in Mungalli Falls & Blazing Saddles, ensuring that either company does not lose that welcoming hospitable service that you would expect to find in a family coming from Outback Queensland.

Andrew is a long time friend of the Trout's. He comes from a predominantly tourism background, starting with the Hyatt Hotel group, where he had postings in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney and on the Sunshine Coast.

Recently Andrew has worked in Far North Queensland, a place he has called home for a number of years now. He has held positions in Down Under Tours, Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas, Big Cat Green Island Reef Cruises and Australian Tours Management - an inbound travel agency, servicing the Asian markets. Prior to this, Andrew completed a Bachelor of Arts Asian studies.

Andrew speaks conversational Japanese and also currently heads up the sales and marketing function for Mungalli Falls.

Deb is a long time serving member of the company and personal friend to the Trout family. She has been involved in tourism most of her life, and currently controls the finances for all of the Trout Family business interests. Deb works from our Cairns office.

We are happy to include Margie as the Food and Beverage Manager at Mungalli Falls Student Village & Wilderness Retreat. Margie, a local with 25 years of experience in the Hospitality Industry on the Tablelands is well in tune with the natural produce and seasonality of some of the tablelands delights, including our famous next door neighbour, MUNGALLI CREEK DAIRY!. Margie's local knowledge & experience enables her to make sure that the Mungalli Falls catering runs like a well tuned engine.

At Mungalli Falls Student Village and Wilderness Retreat we have a wide range of activities available, ranging from abseiling to archery. To supervise and coordinate these activities we have another highly skilled Mungalli Team member, Mark

Mark is an accredited trainer and supervisor for all our activities and leads a staff of equally qualified Activity personnel. They all make sure that your stay at Mungalli is fun as well as exciting and safe.

With our increasing levels of Japanese business, Taito has recently joined us! Known to the Aussie staff and his Aussie mates as SPUD,Taito san is a live-in, hands on member of our team, and is fluent of course in Japanese, but also English! He is also responsible for additional part-time working holiday staff that we regularly employ at Mungalli Falls to accommodate larger Japanese groups.

Spud finished his studies in Canberra and now lives at Mungalli Falls, his primary role in ensuring all Japanese guests are comfortable and thoroughly understand the Mungalli Mission!

Spud is also competent in building websites and web design, and created our latest super popular activities, Treasure Hunt & Photo Opportunity Fascinatingly, Spud is also an expert Trombone player, and on regular occasions, is seen sitting around the camp-fire with Japanese groups playing the trombone!

JAY REILLY - EXPERT INSTRUCTOR

Jay Reilly is a 33 yr old Mountain Guide, living in Cairns, QLD who makes regular trips to Mungalli Falls to update our Activities Officers and ensure their safety and instructional proceedures are sound. Cairns sounds like a strange place for a mountain guide to live, but when you work where Jay does, it's nice to come home to some warmth!

In addition to his work at Mungalli, Jay currently spends 2 seasons per year guiding in the Himalaya for US based company - Summitclimb.com and has been doing this since 2002. He also heads up the exclusive Leader in Training Program for - Summitclimb.com?f, where prospective guides are given training on how to lead Himalayan High Altitude Expeditions.

Jay's love of high places has taken him climbing and guiding in many parts of the world including New Zealand, the USA, Europe, the UK, and the tough Central Asian Range - the Tien Shan. He's also rock climbed extensively throughout Australia's many fine climbing areas.

Jay holds Lead Climbing Instructor Qualifications through the Professional Association of Climbing Instructors in Australia, and memberships with both the American Alpine Club and British Mountaineering Council making him the perfect hands-on expert instructor for Mungalli Falls' most challenging activities such as Abseiling, Rock-climbing and Low-Ropes courses. Jay is spending time in 2005 between Himalayan seasons, in obtaining UIAA affiliated Guide Qualifications through the UK's Mountain Leader Training Board. Oh - and plenty of climbing!!

Jays climbing achievements:

- 3 expeditions to Ama Dablam(6856m) - Nepal, 2002, 03 & 04

- 2 expeditions to Pumori(7161m) - Nepal, 2003 & 04

- 1 expedition to Pik Pobeda(7504m) - Krygstan, 2004

- 4 seasons climbing and guiding in New Zealand's Southern Alps.

- Winter mountaineering and ice climbing in Northern USA.

- Winter mountaineering in Germany and Austria.

- Winter mountaineering in Scotland, England and Wales.

Q How many people can you accommodate at one time?
A Maximum capacity at any one time is 400 pax

Q Does the waterfall ever run dry?
A Never. There is less water in drier months, but there is always a good flow of water.

Q What does Mungalli mean?
A It is an aboriginal word meaning meeting place and although it is convenient to leave it at that, in actual fact it is given this name as it is where 3 water-ways all merge in to one before entering the Beatrice river, thus getting the name, "Mungalli Falls"

Q Where is the nearest doctor?
A Nearest doctor is 10 minutes away by car in MILLAA MILLAA, and the nearest hospital is at Atherton, approximately 45 minutes drive from Mungalli Falls.

Q Do you cater for young children?
A We have had pre-school children (4-5 years) on day excursions right through to University students and indeed executive management of large corporations

Q Are parents welcome when their children are on camp?
A Of course. Mungalli sets no parameters on this subject, however individual schools may have their own policy in relation to this subject

Q Do you do other groups?
A We handle Camp Quality,we run weekend camps and school holiday camps, not to mention accommodating athletic teams, army reserve groups, SES groups, church groups, sporting clubs and special needs groups.

Q Do you have lockers in rooms and lodges?
A No. But if you have valuable items that you want locked, we have the facility to do this and it is simply a matter of talking to our on-site staff.

Nearest Doctor: Millaa Millaa 10 minutes by car
On-site staff: There is always at least one staff member on site that has a senior first aid certificate
Nearest Hospital: Atherton 45 minutes by car
Major Hospital: Cairns 1.5 hours by car
Most common incident: sunburn!

I am writing to express my thanks to you and the staff at Mungalli Falls Student Village (MFSV) after my recent stay with the agent famil from Japan.

The recent improvements to Mungalli the new accommodation lodges, the extended restaurant etc. We have enhanced the appeal of the property and I am sure that the participants on the famil were equally impressed with not only the natural setting of MFSV but the quality of the facilities as well.

I am sure that in the Japanese market, the profile of MFSV as a provider of a quality Australian nature experience will continue to grow, especially in 2006, the designated Year of Exchange (YOE) between Australia and Japan.

Thank you once again for your warm hospitality and if there is anything I can do to assist MFSV in this market, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Firstly, I would like to express my personal appreciation for your support of the recent visit to Mungalli Falls. Tourism Queensland and travel agents indicated to us that they have continued involvement with the education/student market for Cairns. This contribution will make more exposure of your facility and to its increasing success.

For the last couple of years, Cairns and the region is maturing as a destination for Japanese. Also the education/student market has been very strong in Cairns. A recent survey indicated that Australia ranked second international destination in terms of the number of Japanese junior high and high schools and ranked No1 in terms of the number of the students operated in 2004. Japanese travel agents are expecting to increase their business in the student market and its market is becoming one of the major segments for the region and we, the local industry, need to modify products and provide more programs to suit to the market.

I am sure that Mungalli Falls Student Village will cater to the demand made by Japanese students and schools for their school excursions and provide an authentic Australian nature experience to them. The fundamental strength of your facility remains the nature based programs which are appealing to the education/student market. These nature activities and experiences are necessary to the market and will bring more business in the near future.

Once again thank you for all your support for Cairns and the region, and your hospitality when we visited Mungalli Falls in January and April. If there is anything we can do to assist Mungalli Falls and the education/student market, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Haruhiko (Harry ) Niihori
Business Development Manager- Japan
Tourism Tropical North Queensland

"Hot,tasty food, fantastic activities, friendly helpful staff" - St.Therese's School

"All activities were motivating and challenging, an enjoyable camp for all" - St Joseph's Townsville

"Heaps of healthy food, fun & safe activities, friendly staff - we'll book for next year!" - Middlemount Community School

"Great access to walks and activities, plenty of food, everyone loved it" - Bloomfield River School

The principals of Success With Attitude are motivational speakers, Bram Collins and Trevor Tim, two Cairns businessmen dedicated to re-shaping people's lives with their unique brand of positivity and lifeskills. Harnessing the will to succeed that lies in each one of us, Bram and Trevor re-kindle a positive attitude to life and its complexities. Their aim is to empower people to awaken the potential they have within - showing them ways of focusing on their strengths that will enable them to realise their goals.

Audiences from school students to sporting clubs and corporate groups have all shared Bram and Trevor's motivational presentation, acclaiming it as a life changing, inspirational hour. Each Success with Attitude session can be tailored in length and content to fit a given brief.

"It's your attitude not your aptitude, that will determine your altitude in life."

To provide young people, families and corporate groups with life-changing outdoor learning experiences that build confidence and cooperative skills through:

Mungalli Falls works closely with a number of bus companies to ensure that all activities that we conduct off-site and set out simultaneously, even for group movements as large as 250 people.

We regularly transport school groups to and from their school for both day-visits and week long camps. We offer a pick-up and drop off service to both domestic and international airports, as well as to any school in Queensland. (prices upon application or can be incorporated in to a quotation)

For all bookings, please contact Shaun Taylor or Isla Schmidt at Mungalli Falls:

Mungalli Falls and associated companies all carry both public liability and private insurance. For further details or copies of our insurance policies, please don't hesitate to contact our General Manager, Andrew Sumner