COVID-19 Vaccination & International Travellers
Please be advised that international travellers must be vaccinated in order to travel to Australia.
Travellers must provide proof of vaccination, complete an Australia Travel Declaration, and conduct Pre-departure testing. For more information on these requirements, visit the ‘You need proof of vaccination’ and ‘Travelling to Australia’ sections at https://www.health.gov.au/health-alerts/covid-19/international-travel.
As you may be aware, travel to Australia for international travellers has been restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Information regarding travel and border requirements for international travellers wishing to travel to Australia is available at https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/coming-australia
Information regarding what international travellers need before travelling is available at https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/before-i-travel
Information regarding the current travel restrictions for international travellers available at https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/travel-restrictions
As of 15 December 2021, fully vaccinated eligible visa holders can travel to Australia without needing to apply for a travel exemption. The list of eligible visa subclasses can be found here: https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/vaccinated-travellers. Anyone seeking to enter Australia who does not hold an eligible visa will still need to apply for a travel exemption.
Information regarding the Australian travel declaration is available at https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/australia-travel-declaration
Accessibility Melbourne
Melbourne is one of Australia’s oldest cities but accessibility for people with special mobility needs is improving all
the time. Find out about accessible accommodation, activities and attractions and the best ways to get around in
Melbourne and Victoria.
SUBJECT | OVERVIEW | LINK |
Mobility Map | Download a mobility map of the centre of Melbourne, courtesy of City of Melbourne. The map shows useful accessibility information such as street gradients, toilets, parking and public transport stops. |
Click here |
Public Toilet Map | Download a Public Toilet Map to locate accessible toilet facilities in Melbourne. | Click here |
Melbourne Airport | Melbourne Airport has disabled access in a variety of areas around the airport, including within the terminals, as well as in the car parks and pick up/drop off zones. For a comprehensive guide to disabled access at Melbourne Airport, download the Disabled Access Facilitation Plan. |
Click here |
Accessible Accommodation |
Many major hotels in Melbourne’s central city offer wheelchair-accessible rooms and apartments. This list is a small selection of hotels providing accessible accommodation in the central city. |
Click here |
Public Transport | Public transport in Victoria is being made more accessible to support the needs and aspirations of people with disabilities. To help you plan your journey, Public Transport Victoria’s (PTV) website contains general information about public transport accessibility for people with a disability including information on using mobility aids on trains, trams and buses, and using trains, trams and buses with a vision or hearing impairment. |
Click here |
Travellers Aid | Travellers Aid can assist travellers with special requirements to travel independently so they can fully participate in their life activities. Services are accessible, available to everyone and include disability support, companion services, mobility equipment hire and more. |
Click here |
Accessing Recreation, Entertainment and Cultural Venues |
Melbourne is renowned as the arts and sporting capital of Australia. We want accessible venues, services and amenities throughout the city. A key goal is to ensure all events are fully accessible for people with a disability. Lonely Planet’s Accessible Melbourne Guide is free and includes up-to-date advice on what to see, wheelchair-friendly restaurants and shops, and recommendations for travellers with special needs. |
Click here |
Accessible Outdoor Activities |
Parks Victoria and some local governments provide all-terrain wheelchairs, or TrailRiders, in several parks and some towns for visitors to explore the great outdoors. Chairs are suited for sandy and semi-rough tracks, trails and beaches. Parks Victoria provides a range of other accessible facilities, including boating aids, beach wheelchairs, a Stairclimber to access Buchan Caves and modified cabin accommodation. |
Click here |
Arts Access Victoria | Arts Access Victoria provides access, engagement and professional development in the arts and cultural life across Victoria for people with a disability. | Click here |
Accessible Beaches and Sport |
The closest accessible beaches to the centre of Melbourne are St Kilda and Port Melbourne beaches, but there are many more across Victoria. AAA Play has compiled an exhaustive list of these as well as places where you can take part in inclusive sports activities. |
Click here |
Access Ability Australia |
Access Ability Australia has produced a library of Access Keys, which are customised accessibility guides for a range of venues and attractions in Victoria and central Melbourne. They include details about a venue’s layout, parking, amenities, accessibility features and more. |
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Banking and Currency
Decimal currency is used in Australia with the dollar as the basic unit (100 cents = $1) Notes come in $100, $50, $20, $10, and $5. Coins come in 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, $1 and $2 denominations. Currency exchange facilities are available in most banks, hotels and airports and operate normal business hours. Credit cards are accepted at most restaurants and shops, the most widely used being Mastercard, Visa, American Express and Diners Club.
Airport Transfers
Melbourne Airport is located 20 km or 25 minutes from central Melbourne.
Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine)
SkyBus operates from two locations at Melbourne Airport right outside arrivals at:
- Terminal T1 – serving Qantas Domestic, QantasLink and Jetstar Domestic.
- Terminal T2 – passengers arriving at the international terminal can catch SkyBus kerbside at T1 or T3, which are only a few steps away.
- Terminal T3 – serving Virgin Blue Domestic, Tiger Airways, Regional Express, and all International flights
- Terminal T4 – passengers arriving on Tiger Airways can catch SkyBus kerbside at T3, which is only a few steps away.
Melbourne City/Southern Cross Station
The SkyBus city terminal is located undercover at Southern Cross Station, near the corner of Bourke Street and Spencer Street. www.skybus.com.au
Alternatively, a taxi ride from Melbourne City to the Airport will cost approximately A$50.00- A$60.00.
Business Hours
Banks and post offices generally open from 09.30 – 16.00 hours from Monday to Friday. Business office hours are 09.00 – 17.00 hours from Monday to Friday.
Climate and Clothing
Spring (Sep-Nov): 11-24 ºC (52-75 ºF)
Summer (Dec-Feb): 17-26 ºC (63-78 ºF)
Generally Australians are informal dressers. We suggest you bring a jacket and tie with you for special occasions. A light jacket is recommended for evenings for summer/spring.
Please refer to the information on the social program for dress at social functions organised as part of the Congress, as some of these may require formal evening dress.
Eating Out
Bistros, restaurants, cafes and coffee shops offer varied menus, prices and decor. Local specialties such as seafood and Australian wines are worth trying. At some restaurants you can keep the liquor bill down by taking your own wine or beer. These are called BYO restaurants, an abbreviation for “bring your own.”
Electricity
Electrical current is 240/250V, AC 50Hz. The Australian three-pin power outlet is different from that in many countries, so you will need an adaptor. If your appliances are 110V, check if there is a 110/240V switch. If not, you will need a voltage converter. Universal outlets for 240V or 110V shavers are usually found in leading hotels
Free City Tram
The Free Tram Zone in Melbourne’s CBD was introduced on 1 January 2015, making it easier for commuters and tourists to move around the city. The principal boundaries of the Free Tram Zone are Spring Street, Flinders Street and La Trobe Street. Additionally, the tram routes along Victoria Street, William Street and Elizabeth Street that surround Victoria Market are also included as well as the Docklands area.
Download the Free Tram Zone on the Maps page.
All stops within the zone are clearly marked and tram drivers will make regular announcements when approaching the zone boundaries. Zone boundaries are signed and free tram zone maps are across the network.
If your tram journey is exclusively within the zone, travel is free, meaning you do not need to touch on with a myki.
Getting Around Melbourne
The Congress venue is within easy walking distance to most hotels in the Melbourne central business district (CBD). Although it is rapidly expanding, the geographic area of the Melbourne central business district is around 5kms x 5kms.
The Melbourne CBD (and its suburbs) is one of a few cities in the world that has a low cost electric tram network, as well as an underground train system. There is a free-of-charge historic tram that runs regularly around the perimeter of the Melbourne CBD. This free historic tram is designed for visitors to Melbourne and has high-quality maps and tour guides on board – a most recommended means of getting around the Melbourne CBD.
The city and suburbs are also well-serviced by taxis and buses, or for something a little different, catch a water taxi along Melbourne’s famous Yarra River and docklands area. One of the reasons that Melbourne is regarded as one of the world’s safest and most liveable cities, is because it is quite safe to walk and travel around Melbourne, day and night.
Melbourne is well serviced by trains, trams, buses and taxis both in the city and surrounding suburbs. For more information about the transport network, go to VicTrip
Goods and services tax (GST)
GST or Goods and Services Tax is a 10% tax applied to most items in Australia.
The Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS) enables travellers departing Australia to claim a refund for the GST and Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) paid on goods purchased in Australia. For detailed information on the TRS please refer to the website of the Australian Border Force.
Insurance
Registration fees do not include insurance of any kind. It is strongly recommended that at the time you register for the congress and book your travel you take out an insurance policy of your choice. The policy should include
- loss of fees/deposit through cancellation of your participation in the congress,
- or through cancellation of the congress,
- loss of international/domestic air fares through cancellation for any reason,
- loss of tour monies through cancellation for any reason including airline or related services strikes within Australia,
- failure to utilise tours or pre booked arrangements due to airline delay, Force Majeure or any other reason,
- medical expenses (including sickness and accident cover),
- loss or damage to personal property,
- additional expenses and repatriation should travel arrangements have to be altered.
The congress managers cannot take any responsibility for any participant failing to arrange their own insurance. This insurance is to be purchased in your country of origin.
Language
The official and most widely spoken language in Australia is English, and is also the official language for the Congress.
Parking
Parking is available at the Congress venue at the rate of A$48 per day.
Further information on parking can be found on the MCEC website.
Passport and Immigration
All visitors to Australia must have a valid visa to travel to and enter Australia. Welcome letters can be requested following completion of Programme registration by emailing the Congress Managers via hair2022@arinex.com.au. For visa information please refer to the website of the Department of Home Affairs.
Please note – it is strongly recommended that Australian visa applications are lodged at least two months prior to departure from your point of origin.
Photography
The Congress hosts and organisers have arranged for photography onsite throughout the Congress. The images may be used for post-Congress reports, case studies, marketing collateral and supplied to industry media if requested. If you do not wish for your photo to be taken, please inform an Arinex staff member at the registration desk onsite.
Planning your travel
Because of time change and jet lag the Organising Committee suggests you consider arriving in Australia by Thursday 21 April 2022. This will enable you to relax and familiarise yourself with your hotel and its surrounds before the start of the Congress.
Privacy
CAustralia operates under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), as amended, and the Privacy Amendment (Notifiable Data Breaches), 2017. The objective of these is to protect the right of the individual to privacy of their information.
Europe operates under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (Regulation (EU) 2016/679), a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy for all individuals within the European Union. The GDPR aims primarily to give protection to citizens over their personal data. The legislation was adopted on 27 April 2016.
The Congress Managers comply with these legislations and are committed to protect the right of the individual to privacy of their information.
Arinex will not sell your personal information to third parties. If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please email us and we will promptly correct the information. You may also withdraw your consent for use of your information by advice to us in writing.
Why do we wish you to provide your information?
We require your information to facilitate provision of information to you regarding the Congress and to facilitate your participation in the Congress. Information collected in respect of your proposed participation in any aspect of the Congress will be used for the purposes listed below. You can give or withhold your consent for each or all of these uses. Please indicate your preferences when completing your registration form but please note that we will be unable to forward any information relating to the Congress or to communicate with you regarding your registration if you select ‘no’ to point 1.
What we will do with your information?
- Planning and conduct of the Congress including arrangements for your participation (e.g. accommodation booking);
- In the Delegate List published for the Congress;
- May also be provided to organisers of future occurrences of this Congress;
- May be used to provide you with information of other relevant events in your area of interest.
Important Notes:
- The parties who will have access to your information (subject to your preference selections on above points) are the Congress Managers, the Congress host organisation (points 1 and point 4), delegates, sponsors and exhibitors of the Congress(point 2) and any future organisers of the Congress (point 3).
The parties mentioned above will rely on your above consent indications for the purposes of compliance.
- You may withdraw your granular consent at any time by notice in writing to the Congress Managers.
- You are entitled to access the information held by written application to the Congress Managers.
For further information please see our detailed corporate Privacy Statement at link
Quarantine
Australia is free from many plant and animal diseases prevalent in other countries. Very strict quarantine rules apply to the import of animals and plants which cannot be brought into the country without prior application. Animal and plant products are also restricted.
For more information please refer to the ‘Travelling to Australia’ section on the website of the Department of Agriculture.
Shopping
Shops in Melbourne open from 9.00am to 5.30pm during the week with late night shopping on Thursday and Friday nights. On Saturday, most shops open from 9.00am to 5.00pm. On Sunday shops are open from 10.00am to 5.00pm
Tipping
Tipping is not as widespread or regulated in Australia as it is in other parts of the world. Tipping is your prerogative, a reward for service. It is customary to tip hotel porters and a gratuity of about 10 % is usual in restaurants if good service is received. Tips for taxis are regarded as optional.
Time
Sydney is 10 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.
Melbourne is 10 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.
Brisbane is 10 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.
Adelaide is 9:30 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.
Perth is 8 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.
Darwin is 9:30 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.
Cairns is 10 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.
Alice Springs is 9:30 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.
Express Your Interest
Fill in the expression of interest form to be kept up to date with information on World Congress For Hair Research 2022.