Handy “Down Under” Travel Information

• Passport/Visa Requirements
• Customs & Excise
• Airport Transfers/Ground Transportation
• Gold Coast Holiday Transport (Gold Coast Buses)
• Driving
• Weather/What to Wear
• Beaches and Sun Protection
• Electricity
• Time
• GST and Tipping

Passport/Visa Requirements
All visitors traveling to Australia require Visas with the exception of New Zealand passport holders. Please check with your travel agent before commencing travel.

Customs & Excise
Australia has a strict policy on foodstuff, plants, and animals being brought into the country. Dogs are used in the airports at luggage carousels to check hand luggage for quarantine items.

Airport Transfers/Ground Transportation
The Gold Coast is approximately 90 minutes by coach from Brisbane Airport. Coachtrans coaches meet all major flights into Brisbane for transfer to your Gold Coast accommodation, and your luggage goes free.

A Coachtrans customer service counter is located opposite luggage carousels at both the domestic and international terminals in Brisbane. (At the international terminal, if the counter is unattended, the visitor information counter sells the tickets and would advise the time of the next coach.) The coaches run about every 30 minutes from the airport to Gold Coast in the mornings and approximately every hour in the afternoon. The staff at the counter sell tickets and will advise the time of the next coach and where to catch it (right outside baggage collection).

The fare from Brisbane Airport to the Conrad Jupiters Hotel currently is Aus.$35.00 each way. The Coachtrans Web site is located at www.coachtrans.com.au.

NOTE: Members who book the four-night post convention friendship tour will be taken directly to the airport at the tour's end on Saturday morning, July 29, so a return Coachtrans ticket will not be needed. To learn more about the post-convention tour, click here.

A direct train from the airport takes approximately the same time, but a bus transfer is needed from the rail station on the Gold Coast to the hotel. A booking must be made with the hotel for the return airport transfer.

Gold Coast Holiday Transport
Surfside Buslines has a comprehensive network of bus routes throughout the Coast with a stop outside the lobby of Conrad Jupiters Hotel. A FREEDOM PASS covers all Gold Coast holiday transport needs, providing unlimited travel for 3 days for Aus.$47.00/adult and Aus.$63.00 for 5 days, including unlimited travel to the three Coast Theme Parks (Sea World, Movie World, and Dream World) and on all local bus routes.

Driving
In Australia, seatbelts must be worn where available in passenger vehicles; there are heavy fines for not wearing a seatbelt. If you plan to rent a car in Australia, you must drive on the left side of two-way roads. Ask passengers to remind you each time you set off—it could save your life. When walking across the road, remember to look right, left then right again, for traffic. Speed limits are generally between 50km/h (33mph) and 60km/h (40mph) in residential and commercial areas or as marked. 100km/h (60mph) is the average limit on highways or as marked. Driving after consuming alcohol is dangerous. Australia has strict laws on "drink-driving" and police actively enforce them through random breath testing programs. You may not drive if your blood alcohol level is 0.05% or higher, so designate a driver before you go out or take a taxi.

Weather/What to Wear
Pack light because the mild weather conditions and relaxed atmosphere will not require dressing up too much. The temperature on the Gold Coast/Sunshine Coast in July is Average Maximum of 20.6C/69.1F and Average Minimum of 9.2C/48.6F. Comfortable shoes are a must. Bring a jacket or sweater for evenings, which can be cool.

Beaches and Sun Protection
The Gold Coast has some of the finest beaches in the world. Most public beaches are patrolled by lifeguards, and visitors are requested to swim between the marked yellow and red flags for your own safety. Even in the winter, it is recommended to wear a good sun screen (SPF30+) to protect your skin from the harmful rays of the sun.

Electricity
240/250AC50hz. Universal outlets for 100 volts (shavers only) are standard in hotels, apartments, and motels. Three-pin plugs are standard, and most hotels/motels have hair dryers and kettles in the rooms with tea-/coffee-making facilities.

Time
New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria all operate on Eastern Standard Time (EST) in the winter months. If you are flying from North America, please remember that you lose a day as you fly across the International Dateline—if you leave the U.S.A. or Canada on Saturday, July 15, you will arrive on Monday, July 17.

GST and Tipping
GST is included in all Australian prices before marking. There is no add-on tax. Tipping is not expected and is solely at the discretion of the customer/patron.

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