The conference will be held at the Sydney Nanoscience Hub (SNH: building code A31, Physics Rd, The University of Sydney NSW 2006), located behind the Physics Building on the Camperdown Campus of the University of Sydney. The talks will primarily take place in the Messel lecture theatre. The theatre can be found by going through the main entrance from the exterior staircase outside the teaching wing of the building. The theatre is directly to the left upon entering the building.
Internet Access
There will be guest WiFi available inside the conference venue. Login details will be announced prior to the conference.
Internet access via eduroam is available throughout the entire University of Sydney campus using the login provided by your institution. For Windows 10 users having trouble connecting, try to forget the existing network and reconnect again
Getting around
To the SNH building
The embedded Google Map below shows the location of the SNH building. If the embedded map is not working, please follow this link.
There are several good public transport options for getting to the University of Sydney.
For train travel, the SNH building is approximately a 20 minute walk from Redfern station or a 25 minute walk from Central station.
There are also a large number of bus routes travelling along City Rd and Broadway/Parramatta Rd which straddle the Camperdown campus on the southern and northern edges respectively. Also note that several bus routes directly connect Central station and main campus.
The best option for using public transport in Sydney is to purchase an Opal Card, which can be loaded with money to pay for public transport fares. For people arriving from outside Sydney, there are several vendors at either airport terminal which can be found here. Single trip tickets are available for purchase , but are more expensive, and may not be available during peak hours or at all on some bus routes.
Other transport options to the venue include:
Taxi/Uber (generally more expensive than public transport)
Driving: free all-day street parking is notoriously scarce within a 3km radius of campus, and on-campus carparks charge a flat rate of $24 per day with a limited number of spots.
Cycling: depending on your location, there are several suitable bike routes to access the University, and plenty of bike racks on campus for securing your bike during the day.
An 8-seater accessible bus for people with a disability is available on the main campus – please call Campus Security on (02) 9351 3487. Further information on getting to The University of Sydney can be found here.
Transport from the airport
Sydney Airport (SYD) serves all of the Sydney metropolitan area and its surrounds for both domestic and international travel. There are several options for escaping the airport:
Train: follow signs to International or Domestic Airport station, depending on your terminal. The trip from International Airport is ~15 minutes to Central station, and slightly shorter from Domestic. Note that a station access fee of $13.80 applies to travel to and from Sydney Airport from either terminal.
Taxi/Uber: fares are generally around $30 from International Airport to Central station. Plenty of taxis are available for pick-up from either terminal. Information on catching an Uber from the airport can be found here
Transport to the airport from University of Sydney
Sydney airport is located approximately 9 km (6 miles) from the University of Sydney. Travel options include:
Taxi: Depending on traffic conditions, a trip from the University of Sydney to the airport can take 20 minutes and should cost around AUD $35. Taxis can be easily flagged down on Parramatta Rd or City Rd. Additionally, you can order a taxi from Taxis Combined (tel: 133 300), be sure to mention that the pick-up point is outside the School of Physics on Physics Rd at the University of Sydney.
Train and Buses: There are train stations at both the International and Domestic terminals of the Sydney airport. Trains run from Central station every 10 minutes and the journey takes about 13 minutes. Adult one-way fares to the airport are approximately AUD $19. Buses to Central station run frequently on Parramatta Rd and City Rd. The trip can take 10 - 15 minutes. You can plan your public transport trip here.
Accommodation
We suggest the following accommodation options if you are visiting Sydney for SALF IV:
Please note that we are not offering any special discounted rates on the accommodation options listed above.
Weather
Sydney weather in December is generally warm and pleasant, with average daily lows of ~18°C (65°F) and highs of ~26°C (79°F). There is an average of 11 rainy days in December, with a monthly average of ~80mm (3.1 inches) of rain.
Local information
There are many restaurants close to the University of Sydney. King St in Newtown (south-west of campus) provides a large array of restaurants from a number of cuisines. Glebe Point Rd in Glebe (north of campus) also has a very good selection of restaurants. There are also a number of restaurants along Broadway and George St heading toward Central Station.
Follow this link to Google Maps for a list of recommended local restaurants. Note that some of the further restaurants are more than a 20 minute walk from the Physics Building, so catching a bus down King St or up Broadway may be more practical in these cases.