The closest international airport to the Science Meeting and Student Workshop is Sydney International Airport.

Travel to Student Workshop:

The town of Parkes, located in the central tablelands of NSW is approximately 350 kilometres from Sydney. There are a number of options for travel.

• New South Wales trains offers daily train and connecting motorcoach service from Sydney Central Station. (http://www.nswtrainlink.info/) Do yourself a favor and sit in the upper car. The view is amazing!
• Parkes is served by Regional Express Airlines with twice daily flights on the weekends, and three daily flights during the week (rex.com.au)
• Parkes is a scenic 5 hour drive from Sydney. Rental cars are available from Hertz, Avis and Thrifty.

We will be arranging daily transportation from the town of Parkes to the telescope site.

Travel Suggestions, Sydney <--> Leura

For those travelling directly to the Science Week from Sydney, the easiest method is via train, with service departing regularly from Central station. You can purchase a ticket at the airport or at any train station. From the airport or from within the city, take the train to Central and transfer to the Blue Mountains Line. Leave the train at the Leura station. (If the train for some reason doesn't stop at Leura, get off at Katoomba.) The fare from the airport is about $20, and the trip takes about 2.5 hours. We recommend sitting on the upper floor of the train to take in the scenic Blue Mountains views!

On Sunday, we will be shuttling people from the Leura train station to the Fairmont. Alternatively, the Fairmont is a short taxi ride or a rather long walk from the Katoomba station.

On Friday, the last day of the meeting, there is hourly train service (half hourly during "rush hour") from Leura and Katoomba stations. Transfer at Central Station to the T2 line for airport service. Note there are two airport stops, one for the Domestic Terminal and one for the International Terminal. Make sure to arrive at the train station early enough to purchase the correct ticket and allow plenty of time to reach your flight; the return trip is once again about 2.5 hours. On Saturday, buses will replace trains for part of the route, but the total transit time is similar.

For more detailed trip planning, you can consult transit.google.com and the Sydney Trains website, the latter of which has information about track work, etc.

sydneytrains.info