Travel & Accommodation

How to reach Brisbane

Brisbane's airport is within 15 km from the city and symposium venue. It services over 20 international destinations, and all major Australian cities.

International airlines: Qantas, American Airlines, United Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Thai Airways, JAL, Air New Zealand, plus many more (33 in total).
Domestic airlines: Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin Blue, and several regional airlines.

Have a look at Brisbane Airport's route mapper. Entering the names of the cities at the top is the easiest way to get some initial information on possible routes.

Many international flights come in to Sydney and can be combined witha domestic flight to Brisbane.

Looking for a good deal? Check out the "cheap flights" discussion on the seaturtle.org forum

What you can't bring into Australia

To protect our unique flora and fauna and our rural and tourism industries Australia has very strict quarantine laws. Be aware they may be quite different to those you are used to in other countries. For example all food, plant and animal products must be declared. Please do the right thing and visit the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service to download and read the "What can't I take into Australia?" brochure.

Ground transport

From the airport: Taxis, shuttle buses and rental cars are available at the airport, but we strongly encourage you to catch the Airtrain. It is fast, cheap, environmentally friendly, and has stops both in the centre of the city and at the door of the venue. Perfect if you choose an accommodation option nearby. We will be organising a special Airtrain discount for symposium delegates.

Have a play with the interactive map on the Airtrain website. The symposium venue is located next to the South Brisbane station, while both Central and Roma Street are city stations.

Click here for information on public transport services in Brisbane.

Accommodation

A wide range of accommodation options exist within the immediate vicinity of the symposium venue. We encourage people to stay as close as possible to the venue. To help you do this we will link you to accommodation styles from budget through to luxury.

Tours & adventures

• Click here to find out about tours
• Click here for some ideas from us locals (including transport, destinations and water safety)
  
• Click here for some useful websites about Brisbane, Queensland and Australia.
• Click here for cross cultural tips (including indigenous cultural protocols)
  

Visas

Immigration law requires all visitors who are not Australian citizens to have authority, in the form of a visa, to travel to and stay in Australia. Some applications can be made online, but if in doubt travel agents can assist. At the bottom of this article is a PDF from the Department of Immigration & Citizenship (DIAC). It contains a summary of relevant information on business visas and those for accompanying persons. N.B. We make no warranties as to the accuracy or currency of this item at the time you view it... it was given to us in June 2008.

We have registered the symposium as an international event with the DIAC International Event Coordinator Network. This will assist delegates from Electronic Travel Authority (ETA)-ineligible countries by helping them demonstrate they are genuinely visiting Australia for a particular event. If your country is not on the ETA list, then once you have paid your full registration fees we can

1. Give your details to DIAC to forward to their overseas offices, e.g. in your country
2. Provide you with a "confirmation of registration" receipt to include with your Business Visa application. You should download this receipt from within the registration portal - just under the pink spot "3 - Payment" heading there is a link titled "Print Receipt", this is what you want.
   

The PDF below contains information and weblinks for applications forms for ETAs/visas (business and tourist).