General Information

The Host City - Melbourne

Melbourne, the capital of Victoria has ranked 1st & 2nd respectively over the last 2 years as the World's Most Liveable City by The Economist Intelligence Unit. Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, known as Australia's Garden State, is situated on the picturesque tree-lined banks of the Yarra River. It is a thriving cosmopolitan city with a unique balance of graceful old and new architecture surrounded by parks and gardens. Melbourne has a wealth of culture, is Australia's leader in theatre, sport and fashion, and has some of the finest restaurants in the country.

Things to See and Do in Melbourne

The central business district of Melbourne is based around the delta of the Yarra River at the top of a large bay. The city area contains some of Australia’s finest parks, gardens and historic buildings, all within walking distance. Melbourne is also Australia’s entertainment, sporting and cultural capital. Nearly every cuisine is represented in the many hundreds of Melbourne’s very reasonably-priced restaurants and cafes.

Places of interest include:

• Melbourne Zoo, recognised as one of the world’s best.
• The observation deck of the Rialto (southern hemisphere’s tallest building) for a bird’s-eye view.
• The sporting precinct which includes the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), scene of the Melbourne 1956 Olympics and still one of the world’s great stadiums, as well as Rod Laver arena (venue of the Australian Tennis Open).
• Many waterfront promenades and cafes along the Yarra River or docklands precinct.
• Some of the finest examples of historic gothic architecture (used as backdrops in many major movies).

Melbourne and Victoria visit:  www.visitvictoria.com

Venue

A consistent winner of many prestigious 'Awards for Excellence', the Melbourne Exhibition Centre is renowned for providing delegates with the highest standards of personal service and conference facilities under one roof. For more information visit: Melbourne Convention Centre

Weather

Melbourne has a temperate climate with mild winters. For the city as a whole, the warmest months are generally January and February. Average daily maximum and minimum temperatures at this time of year are 26 and 16 degrees C (79 and 60 degrees F) respectively. Monthly average rainfall for January/February is 50 mm.

Planning your travel

Because of time change and jet lag the Organising Committee suggests you consider arriving in Australia by 29 January 2008. This will also enable you to relax and familiarise yourself with your hotel and its surrounds before the start of the Conference.

Getting around Melbourne

The Conference venue is within easy walking distance to most hotels in the Melbourne central business district (CBD). Although it is rapidly expanding, the geographic area of the Melbourne central business district is around 5kms X 5kms.

The Melbourne CBD (and its suburbs) is one of a few cities in the world that has a low cost electric tram network, as well as an underground train system. There is a free-of-charge historic tram that runs regularly around the perimeter of the Melbourne CBD. This free historic tram is designed for visitors to Melbourne and has high-quality maps and tour guides on board – a most recommended means of getting around the Melbourne CBD.

The city and suburbs is also well-serviced by taxis and buses, or for something a little different, catch a water taxi along Melbourne’s famous Yarra River and docklands area. One of the reasons that Melbourne is regarded as one of the world’s safest and most livable cities, is because it is quite safe to walk and travel around Melbourne, day and night.

Melbourne is well serviced by trains, trams, buses and taxis both in the city and surrounding suburbs. For more information about the transport network visit: VicTrip

Local Transportation

Melbourne Airport is located 20 km or 25 minutes from central Melbourne. A taxi fare is approximately A$40.

A shuttle bus, SkyBus, operates 24 hours a day between the Airport and the city centre. The service runs approximately every 30 minutes at a cost of A$12 each way. Drop off points are located throughout the city centre close to hotels and facilities. Phone: +61 3 9670 7992

For more information on Melbourne and its surrounding regions, please visit the following websites:

Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau (MCVB)
Tourism Victoria
CitySearch
Melbourne Diner's Guide
Melbourne Airport
The Age Newspaper
Bureau of Meteorology
Visit Victoria
Melbourne City Council