Canberra
Weather in July
Crisp and cool with frosty mornings clearing to blue skies.
Sunrise 7.10am, sunset 5pm.
Average daily maximum 11°C (overnight minimum 0°C).
Bring a heavy coat.
Maps and directions
ANU (The Australian National University) is located in Acton, just
west of the Civic Centre of Canberra, on the north side of Lake Burley
Griffin.
-
For those arriving by plane, it's best to take a taxi from the airport;
it should be about 15 minutes and cost $15.
-
The
Murrays
coach and Greyhound bus
from Sydney arrive in the Jolimont Centre on Northbourne Avenue. From here
various parts of ANU can be reached by taxi or by a
a 10 to 15-minute walk.
Here you can download the
ANU Campus Map.
- John Dedman Mathematical Sciences Building: building 27, map reference G3.
- University Accommodation Services (for Liversidge check-in on weekdays 2-5pm):
building 77, map reference D2.
- ANU Security (for after-hours Liversidge check-in): building 45, map reference
E4.
- Liversidge Court Apartments: map reference C2.
- City Walk Hotel: just below H1, see
hotel map.
- Burgmann College: map reference D5.
- Argyle Executive Apartments: see
this map.
- The restaurants and shops around the Civic Centre and Northbourne Avenue
are a short walk from ANU campus: map reference G1 and further east.
Tourism and cultural activities
These are a few suggestions for what to do on weekends or the free afternoon;
for more, consult a local.
- If the weather is fine, Canberra is a beautiful city for walking,
especially around Lake Burley Griffin.
- The National Gallery of Australia has, among other things,
the world's best collection of Australian Aboriginal artworks. Open daily 10am-5pm.
- The National Museum of
Australia exhibits Australia's history and culture in occasionally
controversial ways. Open daily 9am-5pm.
- Federal Parliament will not be sitting during the conference week, but
those of a political bent may still find it interesting to visit
Parliament House,
the focal point of the nation's capital. Open daily 9am-5pm, free tours
every half-hour.
- See Canberra CitySearch
for more info on restaurants, bars, cinemas, arts, etc.
Sydney
Weather in July
Cool mornings and evenings, mainly sunny days but with a chance of rain.
Sunrise 7am, sunset 5pm. Average daily maximum 17°C (overnight minimum 7°C).
However, this June has been unusually
wet and cold, so it would be wise to bring a heavy coat.
Maps and directions
The University of Sydney (main campus) is located in Camperdown,
a short distance to the south-west of the city centre.
-
For those
arriving by plane, the University and nearby hotels should be
a $20 taxi ride from the airport.
-
The Murrays
coach and Greyhound bus
from Canberra arrive at Central railway station, from which
the University can be reached by taxi or bus.
Here you can download the
University of Sydney main campus map.
- Carslaw Building, containing the School of Mathematics and Statistics
and the conference room (and currently surrounded by construction sites):
map reference L19.
- Oakford Apartments: roughly map reference I1.
- Rydges Camperdown Hotel: just off the left edge of F1, across Missenden Rd
from Sancta Sophia College.
- Hotel UniLodge: roughly map reference D27.
- Sancta Sophia College: map reference F1.
- The closest restaurant strip is King St: map reference S10 and extending much
further west into the trendy suburb of Newtown.
- Buses to and from the city centre (about a 15-minute trip if traffic is light)
run on both sides of campus: bus numbers 42x along King St and City Road
and bus numbers 43x along Parramatta Rd, joining at map reference E26 and
continuing in to the city, via Central and Town Hall railway stations.
See the "STA bus stops" marked on the map.
Tourism and cultural activities
These are a few suggestions for what to do on weekends or the free afternoon;
for more, consult a local.
- Circular Quay, on Sydney Cove, is the historical
focal point of Sydney (take a bus from the University and stay on until the end).
-
A short walk around the eastern side of Circular Quay brings you to the
Sydney Opera House,
the city's best-known building. Tours can be booked online.
If you do nothing else in Sydney, you must
come here and gaze out on the harbour and the Bridge.
Performances during the conference week, which can also be booked from the
SOH web-page:
- Opera Australia: Il Trovatore, July 7,11; The Barber of Seville, July 10,14;
The Abduction from the Seraglio,
July 13; all at 7.30pm.
- Bell Shakespeare Company: Othello, July 9 at 6.30pm, July 10-14 at 7.30pm.
- Sydney Symphony Orchestra: Mahler 6 (cond. Yannick Nézet-Séguin),
July 7 at 8pm.
-
Continuing to walk east along the harbour,
you will reach the Royal Botanic Gardens and Mrs Macquarie's Chair, which
has the postcard view.
-
Taronga Zoo,
the best place in Sydney to see native Australian
fauna, can be reached by ferry from Circular Quay.
-
Another classic Sydney experience is the ferry from Circular Quay
to Manly, a pleasant beach-side suburb.
The trip takes about half an hour and offers great harbour views.
-
Bondi Beach is the most famous of Sydney's many ocean beaches.
To get there directly, take the train from Town Hall to Bondi Junction
and then bus or walk to Bondi Beach. Alternatively, take the 370 bus from
the University to Coogee Beach, and then the spectacular ocean walk
to Bondi.
-
There are three major national parks offering excellent bushwalking,
all accessible by train from Central Station: to the south (50 minutes),
the Royal National Park; to the north (50 minutes), Kuring-Gai Chase
National Park; to the west (2 hours), the Blue Mountains.
- See Sydney CitySearch
for more info on restaurants, bars, cinemas, arts, etc.