CEIEC 2009 Conference

Conference Venue & About Melbourne

About Melbourne

With a population of some 3.5 million, Melbourne, the capital of the state of Victoria, is Australia’s second-largest city. With its multicultural and multilingual population, and a reputation as a vibrant centre for arts, culture, dining and shopping, Melbourne is a popular and exciting travel destination.

For more information about Melbourne and Victoria, visit the following websites:
Visit Melbourne - www.visitmelbourne.com
Australian Tourism Commission - www.australia.com

Getting Around

To get from the Melbourne Airport (www.melbourneairport.com.au) to the CBD you can either catch a taxi which will cost you approx $50-$60 AUD or pre-book on one of the shuttle bus services:
www.jetbus.com.au
www.skybus.com.au

Domestic travellers arriving at Avalaon airport (www.avalonairport.com.au) should allow at least 1 hour for travel to the CBD. Taxis, buses and trains are available with details on the Avalon airport website.

Around Melbourne

The conference venue is easily reached by train or tram from all over the city.
For tram and train timetables see www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au
For public transport trip plans see www.connexmelbourne.com.au
Road and street maps: www.whereis.com or maps.google.com.au

The free Melbourne City Tourist Shuttle (red bus) stops at key tourist attractions and destinations in and around the city of Melbourne. Hop on and hop off the bus at any of the stops at key city destinations including: The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Museum and Carlton Gardens; Queen Victoria Market; Melbourne Aquarium; Immigration Museum; Southbank; the Shrine of Remembrance; Royal Botanic Gardens and Chinatown. The shuttle runs between 10am and 4pm daily. The complete trip takes approximately 50 minutes, listen to the informative on-board commentary as you travel around Melbourne. For more information about the Melbourne City Tourist Shuttle, download a copy of the brochure from the website listed below, or pick up a copy from Melbourne Visitor Centre at Federation Square.

The free City Circle tram travels the perimeter of Melbourne’s central business district, taking in many of Melbourne’s landmarks every day of the year except Christmas Day and Good Friday. Services operate every 12 minutes between 10am and 9pm from Thursday to Saturday, and between 10am and 6pm from Sunday to Wednesday.

Accommodation

Accommodation in the vicinity of the Parkville Campus can be found here.

Time Zone

There are several time zones in Australia. Australian Eastern Standard Time (Melbourne) is GMT plus 10 hours. www.timezoneconverter.com

Visas

If you are not an Australian citizen you will need a valid visa or Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) to enter Australia. With the exception of New Zealand citizens, all foreign nationals must obtain a visa/ETA before travelling to Australia. New Zealand citizens are issued with a visa on arrival in Australia.

If the country your passport represents has ETA Business Access, you may be able to obtain authority to enter Australia at the same time as you book your travel arrangements. Please check visa regulations very carefully, and make visa arrangements well in advance.

For more information, see http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/index.htm
Australia has strict customs and quarantine regulations. For more information, please visit: http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=4224