Townsville is a regional city in the Australian state of Queensland. It is located on the coast adjacent to the central section of the Great Barrier Reef and is 2,400 km (1,500 miles) north of Sydney, 1,380 km (855 miles) north of Brisbane and 350 km (220 miles) south of Cairns. Further details for visitors to Townsville are available at the Life in the Tropics web site.

Despite the best efforts of the IPMEN’08 conference committee, we have been unable to obtain group discounts for delegates who choose to fly to Townsville. As a result, IPMEN’08 conference delegates will need to make their own travel arrangements to get to Townsville. All international IPMEN’08 conference delegates, other than New Zealand citizens, will also need a passport and a valid visa or authority to enter Australia for immigration clearance upon arrival in Australia (see below for details).

All IPMEN’08 conference delegates should aim to arrive in Townsville on Thursday October 16. As international IPMEN’08 delegates would most likely fly to Townsville via Brisbane, Sydney or Cairns, they should look carefully at connecting flights to Townsville to make sure they arrive on October 16. International delegates travelling from central or the eastern Pacific should also factor in crossing the International Date Line.

Finally, as part of the IPMEN’08 conference committee’s plans to “walk the (environmental) talk” we will be asking all delegates who fly to Townsville to consider opting for an airline that offers carbon offsets. The overall aim is to run a carbon neutral conference and delegates can assist us in achieving that aim (please go to Walk the Talk for details).