Travel Information

General

Cairns has an international airport meaning participants can fly directly into the city or arrive at Cairns via another Australian hub (i.e., Sydney, Brisbane).  If you are travelling from overseas please pay careful attention to departure and arrival dates as you may cross the international dateline during your travels.  This means a departure from Los Angeles on Wednesday will see you arrive in Cairns on Friday rather than Thursday.  Be sure to factor this into your travel planning.

The conference venue is a short taxi ride from the airport, or a shuttle is available.  Airport shuttle service is $10 per person one way or $20 per person return and can be booked online as part of your online accommodation booking, or by emailing the Rydges Esplanade with your flight number and arrival time.  Complimentary secure undercover parking is available for guests if you hire a rental car. 

Visas and other documents

You are responsible for all travel arrangements including procurement of visas.  A valid passport and visa are required for entry into Australia. Information on how to obtain a visa is at http://www.immi.gov.au.  Information on how to obtain an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) is at http://www.eta.immi.gov.au/

A formal letter of invitation for the meeting can be provided if needed to help acquire visas.  Please contact sharksinternational@gmail.com if you need an invitation letter. 

Other useful information

Currency

Australian Dollar
Breakdown
•    coins $2, $1, 50c, 20c, 10c, 5c
•    notes $100, $50, $20, $10, $5

Credit Cards

All credit cards area accepted in Australia

Business Hours

As a general rule business hours are between 9.00am & 5.30pm including most shops. However, some convenience stores are open in the evenings and the Cairns Night Markets are open from 5pm (www.nightmarkets.com.au)

Banks

Opening hours 9.30am to 4pm Monday to Thursday, and 9.30am to 5pm Friday.
ATMs are located at all banks, shopping precincts and in many hotels.

Electricity

The standard electrical current is 240 volts. Plugs are 3 pronged. If travelling from overseas it will be necessary to purchase a plug convertor.

Tipping

This is an optional expense in Australia and is usually given as an acknowledgment of good service.

Smoking

Smoking is prohibited within all enclosed public spaces including all licensed premises (i.e., bars and restaurants). Most hotels will have a designated smoking area.

Contacting home

We recommend you purchase an international calling card for phoning home after you have arrived in Australia.  There are many brands of phone card and they can be purchased at most newsagents.  These cards allow you to direct dial a local number, enter a PIN code and then dial the destination phone number.  The rates on these cards are a fraction of what you will pay for direct dial home.  Check the various brands before purchase as they often have different per minute rates for different countries.

Internet access

Rydges Esplanade offers internet access in some rooms and in the conference area.  However, access rates are quite high.  Workstations with email access for delegates will be set up in the conference area, but we also strongly encourage you to join the Rydges Club (http://www.rydges.com/priorityGuest/rpgLogin.asp) if you intend to sign up for internet access with your own computer.  Rydges Club is a free membership offer which gives you a discount on meals and internet rates at the hotel.

Greening the meeting and carbon offsets

In an attempt to host an environmentally responsible meeting the organising committee is taking several actions.  Where possible all communication will be handled electronically to reduce the amount of paper exchanging hands.  Conference documents will all be printed on recycled paper.  The conference venue is Green Globe certified ensuring environmentally friendly practices are used.  The conference will be as carbon neutral as possible with carbon offsets purchased for food, electricity and keynote speaker travel. As part of their registration delegates also have the option of purchasing carbon offsets to reduce the environmental impacts of their travel and accommodation in Cairns.

* Photography courtesy of John Rumney