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General Info
Decimal currency is used in Australia with the dollar as the basic unit (100 cents = $1). Notes come in $100, $50, $20, $10, and $5. Coins come in 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, $1 and $2 denominations.
Currency exchange facilities are available in most banks, hotels and airports and operate normal business hours. Credit cards are accepted at most restaurants and shops, the most widely used being MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Diners Club.
Banks generally open from 9.30am - 4.00pm Monday - Friday. General office hours are 9.00am - 5.00pm Monday - Friday. Post Offices operate during these hours; however stamps are often available from hotels.
All major car hire companies, including Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Thrifty, operate in Australia and vehicles may be hired at Sydney Airport. Parking is available at the Conference venue.
Check with your cell phone service provider regarding using your existing cell phone and sim card when travelling in Australia. If your phone is not roaming equipped (calls able to be placed when travelling outside of the country) you may need an international cell phone with an Australian Sim.
The Australia prepaid SIM chip is a quick and easy way to convert your existing world phone into a prepaid Australia cell phone for Australia and can be more economical then a Australia cell phone rental.
An international cell phone is classified as a GSM mobile phone that operates on the GSM 900 and GSM 1800 frequency. An international cell phone with the appropriate sim card, will provide coverage in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Pacific Rim including Australia. A world cell phone with the GSM 1900 frequency will expand coverage to include the United States, Canada and a growing part of South America.
For more information click on this link: http://www.telestial.com/getting_started.php
Active Kids @ World Square can arrange day care for your child (ages 6 weeks - 5 years). Active Kids are located on George Street in Sydney City which is a 15 minute walk from the Sydney Convention Centre. You can contact Centre Manager, Jodie Teran, on +61 0 419 464 223.
Bistros, restaurants, cafes and coffee shops offer varied menus, prices and decor. Local specialties such as seafood and Australian wines are worth trying. At some restaurants you can keep the liquor bill down by taking your own wine or beer. These are called "BYO" restaurants, an abbreviation for "bring your own".
Electrical current is 240/250V, AC 50Hz. The Australian three-pin power outlet is different from that in many countries, so you will need an adaptor. If your appliances are 110V, check if there is a 110/240V converter switch. If not, you will need a voltage converter. Universal outlets for 240V or 110V shavers are usually found in leading hotels.
Getting to and from the Airport
The central business district is 10km north of the International Airport and takes approximately 20 -30 minutes to reach by car. A taxi costs approximately A$30.
Train - Trains run approximately 6-8 times per hour and the duration from the Airport to Town Hall station is 13 minutes. The cost of a single ticket is A$12.80.
Bus - The green and gold AIRPORT EXPRESS bus provides a fast, comfortable connection between the International Terminals and the City. Route 300 picks up passengers for Sydney City. The service operates daily, from approximately 5am to 11pm. Ticket price is A$7.00 one way. Note: this service is not recommended for those with large amounts of luggage.
Hotel buses - The Kingsford Smith Transport / Sydney Airporter service operates to all places of accommodation, such as hotels, bed & breakfasts and backpackers, in the Kings Cross, City and Darling Harbour areas. If you wish to book this service call Phone +61 2 9666 9988, Fax +61 2 9666 7099, Email: airporter@kst.com.au. Cost: Adult one-way A$8.00. Frequency: every twenty - thirty minutes.
The official language for the Meeting is English.
All travellers to Australia, other than those holding New Zealand passports, require a valid entry visa prior to travel to Australia. For many nationalities an Electronic Visa or Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) can be obtained from your travel agent or airline when making your travel arrangements. Please see your travel agent or airline for further details.
We strongly recommend you additionally check the latest information on the Australian Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs website.
The Conference Secretariat comply with the Australian "Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act 2000" which is designed to protect the right of the individual to privacy of their information. Information collected in respect of proposed participation in any aspect of the Meeting will be only used for the purposes of planning and conduct of the Meeting and may also be provided to the organising body or to organisers of future events. It is also usual to produce a "Delegate List" of attendees at the Meeting and to include the individual’s details in such a list. Consent for publication of the individual’s information may be withheld when completing the Registration Form for the Meeting. Individuals are also entitled to access the information held by written application to the Conference Secretariat.
Sydney's Central Business District is serviced by trains, buses, taxis, monorail and light rail services. To gather information on Sydney buses and trains please call the Transport Info line on 131500 or alternatively visit www.131500.com.au to be directed to their website.
Taxis in Sydney operate under 2 pricing structures. From 6.00am to 10.00pm the standard fare applies. On the left hand side of the taxi meter, above the word ‘rate’ you should see the number 1. From 10.00pm to 6.00am, a 20% night tariff applies. During these times the meter should be set on rate 2. Please check the meter is set correctly when you begin your journey. Taxi rates are reasonable by international standards.
Shops in Sydney are open from 9.00am to 5.30pm during the week with late night shopping on Thursday evenings. On Saturday, the majority of shops open from 9.00am to 4.00pm. On Sunday shops are open from 10.00am to 4.00pm.
The Queen Victoria Building was a purpose built shopping centre opened in 1898 celebrating Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. Today the QVB is one of the most stunning examples of Victorian architecture in Sydney. The Centre now houses a superb collection of 190 designer label and specialty stores and excellent eateries.
The Strand Arcade was opened in 1892 and today houses some of Australia's top designer labels, jewellers, boutiques and beauty salons.
David Jones is Sydney's oldest department store and one of the world's only department stores still trading under its original name. After refurbishing the George Street store in 1877, David Jones boasted the city's first hydraulic lift and now stocked furniture and furnishings. Today the store still stands by its founder's original commitment, to sell "the best and most exclusive goods" and to carry "a stock that embraces the everyday wants of mankind at large."
At the southern end of Pitt Street Mall you will find Centrepoint Tower which houses over 130 specialty stores and forms the foyer to the 305 metre high AMP tower.
Paddington is renowned for its fashionable lifestyle, boutiques and specialty shopping - follow Oxford Street all the way to Woollahra for young designers, home wares, accessories and good bookshops. Paddington also has Sydney's largest selection of Antique, second hand and new bookstores specialising in the fields of literature, classics, the arts, juvenilia, travel, private press, limited editions and Australiana. Berkelouw Books, Bibliophile Books, and Ariel just to name a few.
The Rocks area has little streets with shops full of Australiana - great for souvenir hunting. The Rocks Market held each Saturday and Sunday specialises in arts and crafts.
Double Bay is Sydney’s ultrachic shopping centre. This exclusive suburb located on the harbour is famous for its cosmopolitan cafe society, designer shopping and European ambience. This upmarket village atmosphere features a good choice of fashion, shoe and accessory shops, bookshops and home wares. Hat lovers will enjoy shops such as Jane Lambert.
The Australian winter is surprisingly mild with the average temperatures in New South Wales ranging from 11 - 25°C (52 - 77°F). The average rainfall in Sydney in August is between 25 - 100mm or 1 - 4 inches. It is recommended that delegates bring a rainproof jacket, a thick sweater and a warm jacket. There is no need for ski jackets unless you are travelling to the Snowy Mountain Region on the border of Victoria and New South Wales. Please visit the Bureau of Meteorology for daily weather forecasts in Sydney.
Sydney, Australia's gateway city and the capital of New South Wales, is built around one of the largest, most beautiful harbours in the world with miles of golden beaches stretching north and south of the city on the shore of the Pacific Ocean.
With a population of over 4 million, Sydney is a vigorous, cosmopolitan city, a major industrial, business and commercial centre and is endlessly fascinating in its variety and its beauty. It has a very mild climate in August.
Perhaps the most famous of Sydney's landmarks is the spectacular Sydney Opera House with its graceful 'sails'. The Opera House has become Sydney's cultural centre, offering opera, ballet, drama and film. The historic 'Rocks' area, site of the original European settlement, is nearby, and this part of the harbour foreshore is a hub of activity for both local residents and visitors. Souvenir hunters should visit the Rocks Market which is open every Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm.
The Powerhouse Museum is Australia's largest and most popular museum. It is located in Darling Harbour, near the Conference venue. Its unique and diverse collection of 385,000 objects spans history, science, technology, design, industry, decorative arts, music, transport and space exploration. Nearby, too, is the National Maritime Museum. Take a ferry from Circular Quay across the harbour to Taronga Zoo, with its collection of about 340 species and over 2600 individual animals of Australia and around the world, including the Australian sea lion, koala, kookaburra and platypus (a burrowing egg-laying mammal). Also well worth a visit are the Australian Museum, the Museum of Sydney and the Art Gallery of New South Wales, which has fine collections of Australian art including Aboriginal art, Asian art and Western (international) art.
The beaches and harbour play a major role in the leisure and sporting lives of Sydneysiders - yachting, surfing, sail boarding, swimming, boating, fishing and waterskiing are all popular activities.
Many national parks and protected areas of natural bushland surround the city and the beautiful Blue Mountains are a short journey to the west.
For more information on Sydney and its surrounding regions, please visit the following websites:
www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
Tourism New South Wales: www.visitnsw.com/
Sydney.com.au: www.sydney.com.au
Sydney is 10 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.
Tipping is not as widespread or regulated in Australia as it is in other parts of the world. Tipping is your prerogative, a reward for service. It is customary to tip hotel porters and a gratuity of about 10 per cent is usual in restaurants if good service is received. Tips for taxis are regarded as optional.
A current valid international certificate of inoculation against yellow fever is required if passengers come from, or travel through, infected areas. Check this carefully with your airline or travel agent.
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