Location and Dates
The 2008 SuperDARN Workshop will be held at Noahs on the Beach, Newcastle, Australia, from Sunday June 1st to Friday June 6th, inclusive.
Newcastle
Newcastle, Capital City of the Hunter Valley is Australia’s sixth largest city and one of its oldest. Located 162 km 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.
With its bustling harbour, maritime heritage, pristine beaches and burgeoning cultural assets, Newcastle is a city of surprises.
Accessible within a 30 minute drive of Newcastle are the surrounding areas of Lake Macquarie, the Hunter Valley wine country and breathtaking holiday destination of Port Stephens.
The Venue
Noahs on the Beach is a 4 star rated hotel and is bookended by the Pacific Ocean and Newcastle Harbour foreshore (map).
Noahs is centrally located just two minutes' walk to Newcastle's CBD, shops, theatres, galleries, museums and cafes. All rooms are non-smoking and have balconies. From May to November Whales can be viewed from the hotel as they journey along the coast.
Climate
Newcastle has a sub-tropical climate with temperate weather conditions throughout the year.
June is the start of winter in Australia so expect cooler but relatively mild temperatures.
The June climate statistics for Newcastle:
- mean maximum temperature 17.5 °C
- mean minimum temperature: 9.6 °C
- Mean rainfall: 117.5 mm
- Mean number of days of rain > 1 mm: 9.0
For more information see www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_061055.shtml
The Workshop
The Workshop program
The workshop will commence on the evening of Sunday 1st of June with an Icebreaker in the evening and will
conclude at lunch time Friday 6th of June. Details of the program will be made available soon.
Registration Fee
To be advised.
Accommodation
Workshop delegates need to organise their own accommodation in Newcastle. We recommend the following:
- Noahs on the Beach (Workshop Venue).
- www.noahsonthebeach.com.au
- We have organsied special room rates for workshop delegates:
- Standard room rate: $147.00 AUD (15 rooms available at this level)
- Harbour View room rate: $161.00 AUD (10 rooms available at this level)
- Ocean View room rate: $171.00 AUD (45 rooms available at this level)
- All these rates include broadband internet access.
The contact person at Noah's is Renae Nixon
email: functions@noahsonthebeach.com.au
Tel: +61 2 49295161 (Ext 4)
Fax: +61 2 49265208
To reserve your room: Email, phone or fax Renae and inform her that you would like to reserve a room for
the Newcastle Radar Conference in June.
Information Renae requires is: Name of guest(s). How you intend to pay (credit card, cash or cheque), room type you would like, dates you wish to reserve. (arrival and departure dates/times).
Noahs will release any unreserved rooms to the public at the start of May - so please make sure all your accommodation bookings are completed by the end of April.
- Hotel Novocastrian
- www.novocastrian.com.au
- Hotel Novocastrian is located one block away from the workshop venue.
- No special arrangement or rates have been made with this hotel.
- Rates listed on internet from $155.00 AUD.
- Individuals who wish to book accommodation can contact the hotel via the website link above.
- Note: The Hotel Novocastrian will be undertaking a refurbishment program from January to July 2008. See hotel website for more information.
- Terraces for Tourists
- www.terracesfortourists.com.au
- Consist of eight one, two or three bedroom self-contained apartments. Seven of the apartments are located within 500m of the workshop venue most within two city blocks.
While the eighth "Portofino" is approximately 2.5km away, roughly a 30 minute brisk walk along the foreshore.
- No special arrangement or rates have been made with this hotel.
- Rates listed on the internet vary depending on the apartment, number of guests and nights. For example for two persons staying five nights rates range from $112.00 to $162.00 AUD.
- Individuals who wish to book accommodation can contact the hotel via the website link above.
Money and Credit Cards
Currency:
The official currency for the workshop will be the Australian Dollar (AUD$). Exchange rates are determined by the international money markets and fluctuate daily. In mid-January 2008 exchange rates were:
AUD$1.00 = US$0.89
= 0.60 Euro
= 0.45 GPB
= 97.16 Yen
XE.com - Currency Guide
Credit Cards:
Nearly all Australian business accept VISA and MasterCard credit cards. Most will also accept at least one of American Express or Diner's Club.
Banking:
24hr Automatic Banking Machines are widespread so money can be easily obtained at any hour of the day either by credit card or direct from a bank account linked to international access card (e.g. Maestro). Over the counter bank hours are generally 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday
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Travel To Australia
Sydney is the closest international airport to Newcastle and Australia’s major international gateway. Newcastle airport is well connected with direct flights to Sydney as well as Melbourne and Brisbane international airports.
Visas:
All visitors to Australia other than Australian and New Zealand citizens require a visa, however in most instances, if you travel to Australia by a major airline, the airline will automatically obtain your visa in the form of an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA).
An ETA is an electronically stored authority for travel to Australia. Passport holders from over 30 countries are eligible for an ETA
The list of countries using the ETA system can be found at www.immi.gov.au/visitors/tourist/976/eligibility.htm.
If the ETA system is not available for your country (e.g. China, South Africa, Russia) you will need to contact your nearest Australian diplomatic office. It may then take several weeks to process your visa application.
For more information on Australian visas please see the Department of Immigration and Citizenship web site - www.immi.gov.au/immigration.htm
Customs:
Australia, as an island, is fortunate that many diseases and pests are not present. Strictly enforced customs regulations prohibit the importation of a range of goods - particularly food and animal products as well as untreated wooden items.
Be warned! It is highly likely that all your luggage (both carry on and checked) will be x-rayed on arrival in Australia, and heavy fines apply if prohibited items are found.
For more information we recommend you view the Australian Customs web site.
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Travel To Newcastle
By Air:
Newcastle Airport is located 30 minutes from Newcastle city centre. There are direct flights to/from Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, the Gold Coast and Canberra. For a current flight timetable see www.newcastleairport.com.au.
By Bus / Coach:
Newcastle is serviced by coach companies with regular connections to and from various locations. For further information visit the Buslines Australia www.buslines.com.au website.
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. If you are considering travelling by rail there is a highly recommended rail link between Sydney Airport and downtown Sydney, including Sydney Central Station. There are also rail connections to Melbourne and Brisbane see www.countrylink.info.
By Road:
South Eastern Australia has an extensive network of sealed roads, good signage and services - of an equivalent standard to North America and Western Europe. Newcastle is 2 hours drive north of Sydney (~160km). Alternatively, if you are interested in including a few days of sightseeing you could drive from Melbourne (~1000km) or Brisbane (~850km). For driving directions to Newcastle visit www.whereis.com.
By Shuttle from Sydney Airport:
Several companies offer door to door transport by limousine or mini bus from Sydney airport to Newcastle destinations.
Note, as Newcastle is located over 160km from Sydney Airport this is unlikely to be the cheapest option.
- Novastar (+61) (2) 4976 3991
>
- email: happycabby@novastar.com.au
- Always Travelling (+61) (2) 4960 0300
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Call for Papers
Titles and Abstracts will be submitted via an electronic form to be available online shortly.
Due dates to be advised shortly.
Organising Committee
The organisiing committee consists of the following people:
- A/Prof. Colin Waters - Chair
- Prof. Peter Dyson - Principal Investigator
- A/Prof. Fred Menk
- Prof. John Devlin
- Dr. Pasha Ponomarenko
- Mr. Jim Whittington
- Mr. Mark Gentile - Webmaster
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