Driving License

International Driving Licenses are recognized throughout Australia. Car rental companies ask for a valid driving license.

Insurance

Delegates are strongly advised to secure appropriate travel and health insurance. Delegate Registration Fees do not provide any such insurance coverage. The Organising Committee and the Conference Office accepts no responsibility for any loss in this regard.

Transportation

Melbourne International Airport is located approximately 25 minutes from the city centre. Once in Melbourne, there are many transport options including taxi, train and tram. For more information on getting around Melbourne, click here.

Travellers Cheques

Travellers cheques a safe and convenient way to carry funds. Brands like American Express and Travelex are widely accepted in Melbourne, and can be cashed at banks, foreign exchange brokers, larger hotels and restaurants, and for car rental. Passport ID is required when you cash travellers cheques. Fees for changing travellers cheques sometimes vary from bank to bank.

Vising Australia

Australia is a vast country of nearly three million square kilometres, stretching from the tip of tropical Cape York Peninsula in the Coral Sea down to the cold wilderness at South East Cape in Tasmania, from the beautiful beaches and semi-tropical forests of Cape Byron to the arid Steep Point in Western Australia by the Indian Ocean. Most Australians live on the coastline of Australia, between the forests and the beaches, where the climate is warm in the summer and temperate in the winters. In the interior Australia is a vast desert, home to the 'Red Centre' and some of the most dramatic and barren country on Earth.

Australia became known as the 'lucky country' during the twentieth century owing to seemingly endless supply of natural resources including iron ore, copper, gold and natural gas together with cattle and sheep that were so numerous that people said Australia moved forward “on the sheep's back”! The excellent educational opportunities in Australia has ensured Australia's success in scientific and cultural achievements, boasting Nobel Prize winners, Booker Prize winners, Academy Award recipients and everything in between.

The accommodating weather and striking landscapes has made Australia a favourite destination for international and domestic holiday-makers, ensuring Australia 's tourism industry is a vital part of the local economy. The fine weather and high standard of living is also responsible for Australia 's love affair with sports of all kinds.

If you have never visited Australia this Conference provides you with the perfect opportunity. Be sure to set aside at least a few weeks to see some of our wonderful country. From the magic of the city of Sydney and its Opera House and Harbour Bridge, to the spiritual heartland of native Australia at Uluru and the Olgas in the 'red centre'. From the Tuscan like hills and vineyards of Victoria to the cultural, entertainment and gastronomic capital of Melbourne. From the breathtaking beauty of the wilds of Kakadu in the north, to the pristine white sands of the surf beaches of the central and northern coasts of Australia, the Whitsunday Islands and the famous Great Barrier Reef. There is too much of Australia to enjoy on a single visit so we encourage you to start your love affair with our country now!

Visiting Melbourne

Forever known as the "Garden City" owing to its picturesque botanic gardens and parks, Melbourne now claims the privilege of being the "the world's most liveable city". Melbourne is renowned for its festivals and sporting events, staging an exciting variety of entertainment each year including the Formula One Australian Grand Prix, the Australian Open Tennis, the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the Melbourne Film Festival, the Boxing Day Test Cricket, the AFL Grand Final, the Heineken Golf Classic, and the Spring Racing Carnival.

Melbourne is situated on the Yarra River where it enters Port Phillip Bay. The recent Docklands development has seen Melbourne city embrace the beauty of the Bay, converting old port authority sheds west of the city into a vibrant residential, business, sporting and entertainment precinct by the water.

For the night cats, Melbourne has the most live music venues in Australia and a burgeoning number of chic and groovy inner city bars for every level and style of socialising imaginable. Melbournians are also spoilt by the quality and range of gastronomic delights available to them. And for the shop-a-holics Melbourne fashion is the envy of many, from the Paris end of town in ritzy Collins Street to the urban cool of Chapel Street in South Yarra. World smash hit theatre productions such as 'The Producers' and 'The Lion King' come to Melbourne regularly as do art exhibitions like The Impressionists at the National Gallery of Victoria.

Take a drive for about one hour out of the city and depending on the direction chosen, you might be forgiven if you thought you were suddenly in Tuscany at any of hundreds of wineries in the Yarra Valley or Mornington Peninsula regions. Toward the south west there's the Great Ocean Road and the picturesque seaside towns of Queenscliff, Anglesea, Lorne and Apollo Bay. A longer drive is rewarded at historic Port Cambell by the magnificent natural grandeur of the 12 Apostles. To the south east you'll find the fairy penguins and seals at Phillip Island, the famous surf of Portsea and Cape Woollami, and further on the wild natural parks of Wilson's Promontory. A short trip north leads to the salubrious spa country at Daylesford, historic country towns like Castlemaine, Kyneton, and Ned Kelly's Glenrowan and the mighty Murray River at Echuca. Just beyond Mansfield is the Victorian high country where ski bunnies have recently enjoyed bumper snow seasons at Mt Buller and Mt Hotham come wintertime.

For more information About Melbourne, click here.