Whether you are planning to head over from interstate for AVCon or just want to avoid the hassle of arranging transport and accommodation we have all your options here. Special news! For those coming from the swore enemy nation state of Victoria and would like your travel/accommodation AND ticket in one package then check out http://www.avcon.org.au/2010/manifestmercs

Adelaide is a small rural community, so as you might have guessed involves at least an 8 hour boat and/or zeppelin transport to get anywhere, should they be booked out your options are:

• Travel
• Local
• Insterstate
• Accommodation

Travel

Local

For local travelers who aren't familiar with our great public transport system that likes to build one way expressways you have a lot of options. Not only do most buses terminate on North Terrace a few minutes walk from the Adelaide Convention Centre but the Adelaide train station is also located very close to the Convention Centre meaning that whether you're north or south you shouldn't have much trouble getting into the city.

To find the best bus to catch into the city head on over to http://www.adelaidemetro.com.au and use the inbuilt search, this will open results in Google Maps showing exactly where you will need to be, when the bus arrives at the time you specify, or if you miss it, when the next bus comes going to the same destination.

For train and tram times head on over to http://timetables.adelaidemetro.com.au/ttsearch.php?pred=traintram and select your route by pressing the gray button, you can also download a timetable or simply drop into the Adelaide Metro office on the corner of King William and Currie Street.

Once you have your mode of transportation selected you will need to head to the Adelaide Convention Centre which if you haven't been to before is on North Terrace next to the office for Malaysia Air, a good view of the stairs leading to the Convention Centre can be found here

Interstate

For anyone coming from interstate or overseas your options are a bit more complex with getting over and then getting around once you're here, having been in the same situation when traveling interstate to conventions I have taken all these transport methods and can save you the trouble of picking the wrong one.

Train

Firstly South Australia has trains from all states* that either run directly to or come through Adelaide! I have taken the train to Melbourne multiple times and it's about as long as driving (8-10 hours) to give you an idea of how long it's going to take to get here. It's going to cost you a minimum of $90 when coming from Melbourne and I have never seen them run a special so don't expect to get any cheaper. You can find more details on the routes for other states at http://www.gsr.com.au/our-trains/train-routes.php and if you're interested the prices are available on the site as well. The train arrives about 5 minutes from the convention centre and you can catch any bus from Anzac Highway or simply wait for a local bus to take you the rest of the way into the Adelaide railway station. In summary the journey is going to take a long time, the ride isn't very comfortable and you only really have the prices on offer so if you can avoid it then it's probably for the best.

* Except Tasmania, sorry you'll have to swim over.

Bus

Second there is a bus service running into Adelaide which arrives at Central Bus Station, it's a short taxi ride from there to the Adelaide Convention Centre or if you are feeling adventurous you can simply walk there, you can check out prices at http://www.greyhound.com.au/ . The bus ride from Adelaide to Melbourne is another very long journey (10+ hours) and not very comfortable as you would expect, anyone who has taken a bus ride probably knows what I'm talking about here, prices can vary so I would check the site but at the time of writing looks to be about $158 return from Melbourne. In summary another one to avoid in my opinion unless you are really in need of cheap travel and can manage to find some promotion codes but remember you have been warned!

Plane

Thirdly you can fly over on a flying machine! With prices so cheap, the choice of different carriers and deals always running with one of them this is by far your best option. Check out http://travel.webjet.com.au/webjettsa/ for current prices for flying to Adelaide but make sure you get it done as EARLY AS POSSIBLE, as the dates get closer you will find it increasingly hard to get flights over and those that will be available will get very expensive. Using Melbourne as an example again a flight over is usually about 1 hour when you add up departure, arrival, etc but with a good tail wind can be as short as 45 minutes. Adelaide Airport is about 20 minutes from the city by taxi of which there are no shortages but better then that you can catch the J2G bus which is going to be a lot cheaper. If you are planning to bring over a large group please contact Wayne at Blue Galah for dedicated (and cheap) bus services.

Road trip!

Lastly if you have a bunch of Otaku/gamer friends who want to road trip it over then there is always this option. The drive takes slightly less time than the train depending on how miles per second you are traveling but it's easier to get people together when all the costs are shared out and you can see the great....nothing between Melbourne and Adelaide. I don't remember the costs last time I drove this route but I would imagine it would have increased since that time, calculating the costs is left as an exercise to the reader.

For quick reference I have provided the above links as well as some planned routes in Google Maps.

Train

Great Southern Railways
Keswick Train Station -> Adelaide Train Station
Keswick Train Station -> Blue Galah Hostel

Bus

Greyhound Australia
Central Bus Depot -> Adelaide Convention Centre
Central Bus Station -> Blue Galah

Plane

Webjet
Adelaide Airport -> Adelaide Convention Centre
Adelaide Airport -> Blue Galah

Accommodation

So you have your travel sorted but you need somewhere to go when not partying* or conventionning? No problem!

AVCon has listened to your feedback and this year will recommending the Blue Galah, after extensive negotiation they have offered a special AVCon rate of $22 a night in dorms ranging from 4 person up to 10 with single sex of mixed available, you will also receive a complimentary towel for your stay (usually $2). These rooms are reserved for AVCon only so if you happen to only have a small group and get placed with another group they will be going to AVCon, they won't be randoms.

Light breakfast is free and if you need additional noms vouchers are available from the reception for cheap food from the cafe downstairs, some lockers are available at no cost for people wanting secure storage (although this is still at your own risk), there are also wireless internets and an in-house bar with drink prices that you will find hard to beat. Blue Galah has also offered us the use of the balcony so if you have any idea of what kind of event we can arrange out there drop me an email but please no suggestions of concerts as they are not licensed for that.

Booking is done directly through the Blue Galah who you can phone on 1800 555 322 or you can book online.

* Be assured there WILL be party at the hostel as well!

Grant Moritz
AVCon Information Officer
grant.moritz at avcon.org.au