The workshop will be held in the School of Physics on the University of Sydney's Camperdown campus. All talks will be in the Slade Lecture Theatre, which is on the ground floor of the Physics building. See here for the exact coordinates of where we will be. There are signs throughout the building directing to this lecture theatre, and we will also put up signs saying “CYGNUS workshop” to help.
On Thursday evening we will go to dinner at 7 pm at the Nag's Head Hotel in Glebe
Public transport
The international and domestic terminals of Sydney Airport are served by a regular Ariport Train service that is connected to Sydney's suburban train network. Take the train from the International Airport Station or Domestic Airport Station to Redfern Station. A single trip will set you back about $18. To use the train service, you can either pay with an Opal Card, a reusable smartcard ticket valid on all forms of public transportation in Sydney, or any other form of contactless payment. More on this below.
Taxi
About $30 to $50, depending on traffic and time of the day. There is absolutely no need to tip your driver. Payments by credit card/debit card/EFTPOS incur a 10% surcharge. Uber is also available throughout the city.
Getting around
Public transport
Sydney's public transport system features a network of trains, buses, ferries, and light rail (trams). Official timetables can be found on the Transport Info website, but Google Maps also does a very decent job.
Opal Card and contactless payment on public transport
Contactless payments are the only acceptable forms of payment on Sydney's public transport system. You can either use an Opal Card, your own credit/debit card with contactless payment enabled, or a smart device. See here for more information on contactless payments.
Unlike some other smartcard systems in the world, contactless payment on Sydney's public transportation system is a two-step process: you tap the card/device on the card reader once when you get on (tap on), and once more when you get off (tap off). The latter action is required to calculate the correct fare for the distance travelled. You will be charged the maximum fare for your trip if you don't tap off. Note also that you must tap on and tap off with the same card/device.
Each passenger must have a separate valid card/device to travel. Persons travelling together cannot use the same card/device.
Opal Cards can be purchased at the ticket windows at the International Airport and Domestic Airport Stations, at Transport Customer Service Centres at major train stations (including Central Station), and at many retailers such as newsagents, post offices, supermarkets, and convenience stores (e.g., 7-eleven). There is no deposit on the Card: what you pay is the actual value loaded on the Card. You can top up the Card at the same places that sell them, or using a top-up machine at select train stations.
When leaving Sydney you can in principle request a refund of the balance on your Opal Card. However, the refund is made either by bank transfer to an Australian bank account, or by cheque sent to an Australian address. So best not to overload your Card too much.
