Venue and Travel
Venue
NEX | Newcastle Exhibition & Conference Centre
309 King Street, Newcastle NSW 2300
Located in the heart of the Newcastle West precinct, NEX is within close proximity to the new transport interchange at Wickham, accommodation, the CBD, Restaurants and Bars.
Newcastle, Australia
The Visit Newcastle website has a number of maps and guides to help you plan your stay.
Australia's second-oldest city, bound by a working harbour and glorious surf beaches, was forged from coal, timber and sweat but has moved on from that rough-and-tumble era to embrace a new outlook.
Clever repurposing has transformed heritage buildings. Former railway workshops house Newcastle Museum; a sandstone bank is now a French-inspired bar sparkling with chandeliers; a brewery's 19th-century grain and keg warehouse now showcases craft beers.
Arts projects, festivals and events have transformed five inner-city precincts. Come and explore Civic, Cooks Hill, East End, West End and the harbourside Honeysuckle development. Their makeovers are all part of a 25-year plan to revitalise Newcastle, shoring up its position as a vibrant regional centre and gateway to Hunter Wine Country.
A top ten city in Lonely Planet's 'Best in Travel 2011', this is where bohemian culture coexists with surf culture; where hip cafés and award-winning restaurants flank an industrial port; where the land meets the sea.
This is Newcastle – a city of contrast, change and endless possibility.
History
In 1770, Captain Cook noted a distinctive islet – Nobbys Head – on a map as he sailed by, yet it wasn't until 1797 that Lieutenant Shortland, searching for convicts who'd nicked a ship, discovered a "very fine coal river", naming it after Governor Hunter. The fledgling Sydney colony drew on the area's coal and timber resources before using it as a satellite penal settlement for the very worst offenders. At Limeburners Bay on the Stockton peninsula, bone-weary convicts were set to work making lime.
When military rule ended in 1823, a pioneer town blossomed. Throughout the 1900s, Newcastle's fortunes were tied to the steelworks. A deadly earthquake struck in 1989, and the steelworks' closure ten years later also rocked the city to its foundations. But Newcastle's port remains the world's biggest coal export terminal. Today, even as Newcastle embraces its indigenous, colonial, maritime and industrial past, it is busy looking to the future as a regional capital of creativity and cool.
Accommodation
Rydges Newcastle
Properties a short walk to the conference venue |
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Holiday Inn 514 King St, Newcastle NSW 2302 |
Rydges Newcastle Cnr Merewether Street & Wharf Road, Newcastle |
Ibis Newcastle 700 Hunter Street, Newcastle |
Travelodge Newcastle 12 Steel Street, Newcastle |
Quest Apartments 575 Hunter Street, Newcastle |
Chifley Apartments Newcastle Cnr Wright & Settlement Lanes, Newcastle |
Properties close to the beach and a 25 minute walk to the conference venue |
Novotel Newcastle Beach 5 King Street, Newcastle |
Quality Hotel NOAH's On the Beach Cnr Shortland Esplanade & Zaara Street, Newcastle |
VISA
Under Australia's universal visa system, all visitors to Australia must have a valid visa to travel to and enter Australia. For more information, see the following fact sheets:
- VISA Options (PDF, 264KB)
- VISA Application Requirements (PDF, 306KB)
If you require an invitation letter as part of the documentation for your visa, please request a letter via email. Letters will only be sent on request.
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.