Conference Venue

MMSP 2008 will be hosted at the Shangri-La Hotel, Cairns, Queensland, Australia. Located in the heart of Cairns, Shangri-La Hotel overlooks the Marlin Marina, Trinity Bay and surrounding mountain ranges. This convenient inner-city location is just a short 10-minute drive to the Cairns International Airport, a 5-minute walk to the Cairns Convention Centre, and a short stroll to the Esplanade Lagoon, Pier Shopping Precinct and Great Barrier Reef Departure Terminal.

For more information about the venue please visit the web site of Shangri-La Hotel, Cairns.

Transportation

The Shangri-La Hotel, Cairns is approximately 10 minutes by road from the Cairns International Airport. Taxis, minibuses, and limousine services can be found on the ground floor of the domestic and international arrival halls.

Tourism in Cairns

Cairns in Queensland, Australia is the only place in the world where two World Heritage-listed sites -- the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics Rainforest -- lie side by side. In parts of the far north, the rainforest touches the reef, reaching right down to sandy beaches from which you can snorkel the reef. Cairns is the gateway to these natural attractions, as well as man-made tourist destinations such as the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. It's also a

stepping-stone to islands of the Great Barrier Reef and the grasslands of the Gulf Savannah.

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system, composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for 2,600 kilometers over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometers. The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in northeast Australia. The Great Barrier Reef supports a wide diversity of life, and was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981. It was labeled as one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The Queensland National Trust has named it a state icon of Queensland.

More information about Great Barrier Reef Day Tours can be found on the following websites
Quicksilver
Great Barrier Reef Online

For more information about Cairns, please visit the website of Cairns and Region Convention Bureau

Weather

Cairns has a tropical climate with even, warm temperatures throughout the year. Temperatures range from 21C to 32C (69F to 89F) during the Oct-Jan summer months and 16C to 28C (61F to 82F) during the Jun-Sep winters. Rainfall is distributed evenly throughout the year. The latest weather information in Cairns and other cities in Australia can be found in the website of Bureau of Meteorology, Australia

Visas

All travelers to Australia must have a valid visa before boarding their plane; they cannot apply for a visa on arrival. The only exception is New Zealand and Norfolk Island passport holders who will be issued a visa on arrival in Australia and normally do not need to lodge a visa application prior to their departure, unless there are character or health concerns.

More Visa information are obtained from the website of Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Australia.

You can also contact the Australia overseas visa office in your country for further information.

Currency

The unit of money is the Australian Dollar (AU), made up of 100 cents. Credit cards are accepted in major hotels as well as shopping malls. 24-hour automated teller machines (ATMs) are widely available.

A currency converter is available here

Electrical Appliances

Electricity in Australia is 220-240 volts AC. If you bring electrical appliances that use 110 volts instead, directly plugging them into an Australian socket will burn them out. Transformers are therefore required, and these are probably best bought abroad.

A lot of electronic devices with battery rechargers, such as laptops, handhelds, digital cameras and mobile phones, come with a transformer that works over 100 to 240 volts. In that case, you will simply need an adapter plug for Australian sockets.