Melbourne
Melbourne prides itself on being a great city. It's hardly surprising, with its spectacular combination of old and new architecture, elegant streetscapes, ethnic communities and lavish parks and gardens. Add Australia's best eating, an excellent transit system and a packed events calendar boasting sporting spectaculars and exuberant events, and you have all the ingredients for one of the most enlightened and liveable cities in the world.

Australia's second-largest city and capital of the state of Victoria, Melbourne has a lively passion for eating and drinking, which is reflected in thousands of restaurants serving up gastronomic experiences from around the world.

What's more, everywhere you look you'll find an array of fashionable cafés, where you can enjoy Melbourne's fantastic coffee culture to the full.

Known as the "Garden City", Melbourne is renowned for its culture, festivals, gardens, wide boulevards and sporting events. It is a vibrant and cosmopolitan city that is host to a multitude of international sporting events including the Australian Open Tennis Grand Slam, the Australian Formula One Grand Prix, International One Day and Test Cricket matches at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and the world famous Melbourne Cup.

Melbourne was recently voted "the world's most liveable city" and is a modern, progressive city.

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).

       
Australia
Australia is a vast country of nearly three million square kilometres, stretching from the tip of tropical Cape York Peninsula in the Coral Sea down to the cold wilderness at South East Cape in Tasmania, from the beautiful beaches and semi-tropical forests of Cape Byron to the arid Steep Point in Western Australia by the Indian Ocean. Most Australians live on the coastline of Australia, between the forests and the beaches, where the climate is warm in the summer and temperate in the winters. In the interior Australia is a vast desert, home to the 'Red Centre' and some of the most dramatic and barren country on Earth.

If you have never visited Australia this Conference provides you with the perfect opportunity. Be sure to set aside at least a few weeks to see some of our wonderful country. From the magic of the city of Sydney and its Opera House and Harbour Bridge, to the spiritual heartland of native Australia at Uluru and the Olgas in the 'red centre'. From the Tuscan like hills and vineyards of Victoria to the cultural, entertainment and gastronomic capital of Melbourne. From the breathtaking beauty of the wilds of Kakadu in the north, to the pristine white sands of the surf beaches of the central and northern coasts of Australia, the Whitsunday Islands and the famous Great Barrier Reef. There is too much of Australia to enjoy on a single visit so we encourage you to start your love affair with our country now!

For more information on Australia visit:
Australian Government www.australia.gov.au
Australian Government Immigration www.immi.gov.au
Australian Customs www.customs.gov.au
Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade www.dfat.gov.au