Goulburn Valley Fly Fishing / Booking terms
Reservation & Cancellation Policy
Local guiding dates, workshop places and international trips all involve commitments made in advance. Some are easy to move. Others require us to prepay guides, accommodation, vehicles and overseas suppliers months before you travel.
The terms below explain what applies to each type of booking. Please read the section relevant to your trip before paying a deposit or balance.
At a glance
Local guiding
A$100 deposit
Balance normally payable on the day.
Beginner workshops
Full payment
Your place is confirmed when payment is received.
Hosted trips
Usually 50% deposit
Balance dates and cancellation terms depend on the destination.
Local bookings
Guiding, lessons & drift boats
This section applies to private fly-fishing lessons, streamcraft tuition, guided bank-and-wade fishing, fishing drift boats and scenic or wildlife drift trips.
Deposit: A$100 is required to secure the booking.
Balance: The remaining balance is normally payable on the day of your trip unless another arrangement has been confirmed.
If you cancel
| Notice | What applies |
|---|---|
| More than 14 days | Your deposit is non-refundable. If we are able to rebook your original date, the amount paid can be transferred to another available date. |
| Within 14 days | The full trip fee is payable and non-refundable. If we successfully rebook your place, the amount paid may be transferred to another available date. |
| Day-of cancellation or no-show | The full trip fee is payable and is not transferable. |
If fewer people attend than were originally booked, the price of the reserved guide, boat or session does not change.
Beginner workshops
Two-day workshop bookings
Beginner Workshops require full payment when you book. We deliberately keep the groups small and commit instructors to the weekend regardless of whether every place is filled.
If you cancel, we will try to rebook your place. If we successfully fill it, your payment can be transferred to another available workshop. If the place cannot be filled, the payment is forfeited.
A no-show or cancellation on the day is non-refundable and non-transferable.
Weather & river conditions
A poor forecast is not necessarily poor fishing
Local trips proceed in most weather. Rain, cloud, cool temperatures or an ordinary-looking Melbourne forecast are not in themselves reasons to cancel.
The Goulburn is a regulated river, so we also consider releases from Lake Eildon, river access, water clarity, wind and the section being fished. We may change the meeting point, start time, river section or fishing method when doing so gives you a better or safer day.
We do not operate through unsafe conditions such as lightning, dangerous flows or circumstances in which we consider the activity unsafe.
International / Southland
New Zealand
A 50% deposit confirms your place. The remaining balance is due on 1 November before the coming Southland season. Bookings made after that date require full payment when confirmed.
| Cancellation timing | Southland terms |
|---|---|
| 120 days or more before arrival | Amounts paid are refundable less a A$300 administration charge. |
| 90 to 119 days before arrival | The deposit is forfeited. |
| Less than 90 days before arrival | Payments are non-refundable unless we are able to resell your place. If the place is successfully resold, amounts recovered will be refunded less A$500. |
International / Montana
United States
Montana departures require substantial advance commitments to local guides, accommodation and transport providers. A 50% deposit confirms your place. The remaining balance is due by 1 April for the coming northern summer season, unless your booking confirmation specifies otherwise.
Payments are non-refundable. If you cancel and we are able to resell your place, the amount recovered may be transferred as a credit towards another GVFFC hosted trip, generally for use within 24 months. If the place cannot be resold, no refund or credit is available.
This reflects the fact that much of the trip cost has already been committed overseas before the departure begins.
International / Patagonia
Trevelin, Argentina
A 50% deposit secures your place on the Trevelin hosted week. The remaining balance is due 90 days before departure.
Patagonia bookings involve advance commitments to Patagonia River Guides and other overseas suppliers. The cancellation terms applying to your departure will be provided with your booking confirmation and invoice before payment.
Those trip-specific terms take precedence because supplier commitments and payment dates may vary between departures.
Travel insurance
We strongly recommend comprehensive travel insurance for every international trip, purchased when you pay your deposit rather than shortly before departure.
Appropriate cover should be considered for cancellation, illness or injury, medical expenses, travel disruption, missed connections and lost or delayed baggage. You are responsible for checking that the policy you choose provides the cover you require.
If we need to change or cancel your booking
River levels, weather, access, guide availability and circumstances beyond our control can occasionally require changes to a trip. Where practical, we may alter the fishing location, start time, itinerary or guide rather than cancel the booking.
If GVFFC cannot provide the booked local service, we will contact you to arrange an appropriate alternative, transfer, credit or refund as applicable.
International itineraries may also need to change because of weather, river conditions, transport, supplier decisions or other operational circumstances. We will work with the relevant suppliers and guests to make the most appropriate arrangements available.
General booking terms
- Cancellation requests should be made in writing by email or text so there is a clear record of the request.
- A booking is not confirmed until the required deposit or full payment has been received.
- Where a booking confirmation, invoice or trip-specific agreement contains more specific terms, those terms apply to that booking.
- Payments cannot automatically be transferred to another person or departure without GVFFC approval.
- Changes caused by weather, river conditions or operational requirements do not necessarily constitute cancellation of the service.
- Nothing in these terms is intended to exclude, restrict or modify any rights or remedies that cannot lawfully be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law.
Unsure which terms apply?
Contact Anthony before making payment. It is much easier to clarify a booking, departure date or cancellation question before money has been committed to guides, accommodation or overseas suppliers.