ANISG

The conference and short course will be held at the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Hamilton Centre, situated on a 1,100 hectare farm 9 km south of Hamilton, Victoria, on Mt Napier Road.

Formerly known as the Pastoral and Veterinary Institute, this modern architecturally designed Centre is home to DPI Hamilton science, research and extension activities, the Department of Sustainability and Environment and the Rural Industries Skills Training (RIST) Centre which is one of Australia's leading rural industries training providers.

The Theatrette contains modern conference facilities and can seat up to 150 people. The instrument exhibition, poster displays, lunches and morning/afternoon teas will be held in the adjacent large pavilion which has its own separate kitchen and toilet facilities.

Hamilton is the centre of Victoria's famous Western District, 290 km west of Melbourne, in a landscape dominated by the spectacular Grampians mountain range, ancient volcanoes, tranquil rivers and waterfalls and undulating pastoral land dotted with majestic red gum trees. The city of 10,000 people is the administrative hub of the Southern Grampians Shire and has been the centre of a wealthy pastoral industry for over 160 years. It has grown to become a thriving city, exhibiting style and quality, with excellent shopping, diverse architecture, an outstanding art gallery and stunning botanical gardens. While other major cities in Victoria were built on gold, Hamilton was built on wool and the finest of its type in the world. A fifty kilometre radius around the city yields more sheep per hectare than anywhere else on the planet, previously earning Hamilton the title "the wool capital of the world".

A wide range of accommodation is available in Hamilton and the surrounding district, which can be seen on the following web page:

www.sthgrampians.vic.gov.au/Page/page.asp?Page_Id=127&h=0

This is part of the website of the Southern Grampians Shire Council, which contains lots of other useful local information. Delegates are responsible for booking their own accommodation and paying the motel directly.

Note that no accommodation will be available in Hamilton itself on the night of Monday 7th April ONLY, due to another local event. This will not affect delegates arriving on Tuesday 8th April for the Conference on 9th and 10th April. Participants in the Short Course staying for the Conference will be leaving Hamilton on the night of Monday 7th April, and returning late on Tuesday 8th April. Arrangements have been made for this (refer to the Short Course section of this website). We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

It is suggested that those travelling with large suitcases make arrangements with their accommodation venue in Hamilton to leave their suitcases in a safe place and take a small overnight bag for the stay in Port Fairy on the night of Monday 7th April.

Hamilton can be accessed from Melbourne by air, train and bus, and of course by car. Sharp Airlines, a Hamilton-based company, runs daily flights from Melbourne (Essendon Airport) to Hamilton and return. Their website is: www.sharpairlines.com.au

Please note that flights on Sharp Airlines for the month of April will not be able to be booked on-line until approximately the end of January 2008.

V/Line runs a daily service from Melbourne (Southern Cross Station) to Mt Gambier via Hamilton and return. The service is by train from Melbourne to Ballarat and then bus from Ballarat to Hamilton. The website is:

www.vline.com.au/timetables/timetables/alltimetables.html#western
(click on the Mt Gambier-Melbourne pdf file)

The Conference Organising Committee will organise local travel during the Conference, for those without their own transport. A local bus company will provide a shuttle service between Hamilton motels and the conference venue for the first two days of the Short Course, and for the two days of the Conference. This will also extend to the evening events on Sunday and Wednesday. A bus will take Course Participants from Hamilton to Port Fairy on Monday evening, and return them to Hamilton on Tuesday following the Course activities for that day. Transport to and from Hamilton Airport (10 km north-east of Hamilton) will also be possible for those requiring it.

The cost of this travel will be included in the registration fees, but it is essential for delegates to indicate on the registration form what local transport they require, and the times of arrival and departure of their flights.