Melbourne/Australia in Brief Tourism Websites
Information for Overseas Travellers

Melbourne - In Brief

Known as the "Garden City", Melbourne is famous for its cultural, sporting, financial, fashion and special events. It is a vibrant and cosmopolitan city that is
host to a multitude of activities including the Australian Formula One Grand Prix,

Melbourne City from Southbank Click on Picture for Closer View

the Australian Open Tennis Grand Slam, International One Day and Test Cricket matches at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), and the world famous Melbourne Cup.

City centre boutiques and specialised shopping streets offer visitors exciting local and overseas fashions. Melbourne is also renowned for its range of restaurants offering cuisine from around the world.

Melbourne was recently voted the world's most liveable city'.

Australia - In Brief

Australia is located in the Asia Pacific region, and occupies an entire continent of approximately 7.7 million square kilometers (nearly 3 million square miles). Australia has a population of approximately 19 million. The majority of Australians live in coastal areas.

The nation is a stable democracy that maintains strong links with the United Kingdom and the USA. Federal Parliament consists of the Senate (Upper House) and the House of Representatives (Lower House). There are six State Governments and two Territory Governments. They have responsibility for providing serivces such as education, power supply and health care.

Local Government represents the third tier of Government, and has responsibility for planning and development and the provision of local services.

The climate ranges from temperate in the South to tropical in the North. In May, many parts of the country usually experiences mild autumn (fall) weather Melbourne at this time of the year has an average overnight minimum of 8° Celsius (46°F) and an average top temperature of 17° Celsius (63°F).

Tourism Websites you should visit

Start your exploration of Australia now by visiting these websites.

Welcome to Australia

The Official site of the Australian Tourism Commission provides detailed information in several languages. Go to Welcome to Australia here.

Lonely Planet Guide to Australia

An abbreviated on-line form of the world famous Lonely Planet Guide to Australia. Go to Lonely Planet here.

Tourism Victoria

The official website for the State of Victoria - home to the Congress venue. Go to Tourism Victoria here.

The Age Newspaper

A good way of getting to know Melbourne is to look at our daily newspaper. Go to The Age Newspaper here.

Information for Overseas Travellers

Passport

All visitors are required to have a valid passport and may need entry visas. (Please check with your travel agent) Visas can be applied for, and issued from, the Australian government representatives in major cities throughout the world.

Currency

The official currency of the Conference is the Australian dollar. The currency in Australia is decimal, with the dollar (AUD$) as the basic unit and 100 cents to the dollar

As the rates are subject to fluctuation over time, it is strongly recommended that delegates check the current exchange rates.

For current information on exchange rates you may want to visit the following website: http://www.excite.com.au/travel/tooIs /currencyrates

Vaccinations

Vaccinations are required if travelling to Australia from a yellow fever infected area. This is most likely to affect delegates travelling to Australia from certain regions in Latin America or African countries.

Voltage

240v power is standard throughout Australia. 110v is available at hotels for electric shavers and hairdryers.