Venue:

Venue: Newcastle City Hall
The Hunter Room and the Newcastle Room
Located in the heart of Newcastle’s Civic Precinct, the City Hall is one of Newcastle’s most popular venues. The Symposium will be based in the Hunter Room, which occupies all of level 3 of the building and includes a verandah and plenty of adjoining foyer space. Concurrent sessions will be held in the Newcastle Room on the ground floor. There is lift access between the two levels.
The Hunter Room seats a maximum of 150 so space is strictly limited.

The venue is directly opposite parklands and Newcastle Region Gallery and is only a short walk from hotels, beaches and Civic railway station.

The City of Newcastle:
Newcastle is Australia's sixth largest city and one of its oldest. With its bustling harbour, maritime heritage, pristine beaches and burgeoning cultural assets, Newcastle is a city of surprises. Located 165 kilometres north of the capital of New South Wales, Sydney, it is a city graced with some of the most spectacular beaches and waterways in the world. Newcastle is the gateway to the Hunter Valley and is now a very different place to the time when steel and coal industries were the major source of employment. Today, whilst industry continues, the city features elegant restored buildings, picturesque parks and gardens - some with panoramic ocean views. It also attracts surfers worldwide to this unique part of Australia 's coastline. Accessible within a 40 minute drive of Newcastle are the surrounding areas of Lake Macquarie , the Hunter Valley wine country and breathtaking holiday destination of Port Stephens.

Newcastle CBD is surrounded by superb beaches and, as Australia's second oldest settlement, is rich in cultural heritage. Newcastle has many historic buildings including the magnificently restored Civic Theatre, Customs House, Station Master's Cottage, the Court House as well as quaint rows of iron-laced terraced houses, a fine gothic style Cathedral and Fort Scratchley - Australia's only fort that went to war. Museums, art galleries, restaurants, theatres, a magnificent harbour foreshore, picturesque parks, bushland reserves and a wide variety of excellent sporting facilities all add to the surprises. You can find out more about the city of Newcastle at the visitnewcastle  website

Access to Newcastle:
Newcastle is a comfortable two hours drive north from Sydney on the F3 freeway; thirty minutes by air or two and a half hours by a regular train service. There are also direct flights from Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and other NSW regional centres. Train services also travel direct to regional centres in Northern NSW and connect via Sydney with Southern and Western NSW. Several coach companies service Newcastle daily on their journeys north, south and west.

Arriving by Air
The region's major airport is Newcastle (Williamtown) - a 30-minute flight from Sydney and just over 1 hour from Melbourne and Brisbane. Newcastle Airport offers passenger services direct from the airport to and from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Coolangatta, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie and Tamworth via Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane for all other domestic and international arrivals.

Sydney Seaplanes
The most delightful way to arrive in Newcastle is via the regular seaplane service with daily flights between Sydney Harbour and Newcastle Harbour. There are eight flights per day on weekdays and two flights per day on weekends and public holidays. Harbour to harbour direct Flights are the quickest and most scenic way to travel between New South Wales’ two largest cities.  Flight time  is just under 30 minutes, offering by far the fastest and most convenient link available. Visit http://www.seaplanes.com.au/Content_Common/pg-sydney-newcastle-daily-flights.seo for fares (which start from $99) and timetables.

International Delegates: Please visit http://www.immi.gov.au/ for Visa and travel information to Australia .

Transfer options from the airport
Taxi: Taxis are available at the airport for transfers to Newcastle CBD. The one-way fare from Newcastle Airport is approximately $40.00 to the Newcastle CBD. Cabcharge is accepted.
Bus: There is a regular scheduled coach service from Newcastle (Williamtown) Airport into the Newcastle CBD, operating between 7am-7pm (Mon-Fri) and 9am-4.30pm (Sat & Sun). The fare is approximately $16.00 each way.

Travelling by Car
National Highway 1 (F3 Freeway) is the main access route from Sydney to the Hunter, while the Pacific and New England Highways are the main routes from Queensland.

Travelling by Rail
Newcastle is part of the New South Wales City Rail network. There are frequent return services daily from Sydney. For timetables and fares visit www.cityrail.info or call 131 500.

CountryLink trains and coach network connect Newcastle via Broadmeadow station to Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and other NSW country centres. For timetables, fares and online bookings visit www.countrylink.info or call 13 22 32.