If you will be arriving from overseas to attend GAIA2013, it is likely that you will need some kind of visa arrangement organised before you travel: the only real exceptions to this are those of you travelling on Australian or New Zealand passports. Visit this website for information that will help you decide what is the appropriate form of visa. Following the links from "tourist" or from "event participants" will get you to information on the kinds of visas that are relevant (assuming at most 90 days of stay in Australia).
Good cheap (AUD 17) connection from Tullamarine Airport to Melbourne City is viaSkyBus, which takes you to Southern Cross Station. For SkyBus passengers there is a free hotel transfer service operating between Southern Cross Station and most hotels in Melbourne City, including Arrow on Swanston, IBIS and Mercure. For comparison, a taxi from the airport to City would cost about AUD 50.
To use public transport in Melbourne you will need to purchase a travel card called myki. It costs AUD 6 and can be bought at train stations and some tram stops from large contraptions called myki machines. Using the same contraptions you top up your myki, that is, put some money on it. It is also possible to buy and top up myki cards at post offices and some shops (see herefor more). On board trams and buses, and at entrances to train stations there are myki readers, which you touch with your myki to pay the fare. Two-hour full fare on trams and buses is roughly AUD 3.50, on trains it is AUD 6. To get the lowest fare on buses and trains you need to touch the reader again when you get off (the ever helpful Public Transport Victoria calls it the three T: top up, touch on, touch off). On trams you do not need to touch off, you get the lowest fare just by touching on.
If you are an invited speaker, you will receive a myki card when you check in at Arrow.
There will be an informal registration and drinks on Sunday (14 July, 5pm to 7pm) night at the John Curtin Hotel pub, 29 Lygon Street Carlton, as well as an official registration at the workshop venue on Monday (15 July, 9am) morning.
See venue and accommodationpage for a map.
There will be a conference dinner on Wednesday (17 July) evening. For participants, the cost is included in conference fee, for other guests a further AUD 70 is required, payable at the conference
There will be a special issue of Algebra Universalis in honour of Brian Davey's 65th birthday. Although it is not intended as proceedings of the workshop, participants will be invited to submit articles.
Just before GAIA2013 there is a category theory conference(Category Theory 2013) in Sydney which some attendees may find interesting.
A map showing the venue, accommodation, and a number of other places of interest is here.
A vegetarian eating guide to Melbourne is here.
For coffee, an all-important part of life as we know, here are some suggestions.
Internet access is typically not free at Australian hotels. All participants will have wireless internet access (eduroam, and a native La Trobe wireless) at the conference venue, invited speakers will also have wired connection at their accommodation provided. For other participants who need to use the net extensively and wish to avoid excessive costs, we suggest visiting State Library of Victoria. Open till 9pm on weekdays it is one of Melbourne attractions in itself, provides free wireless and a rather pleasant work environment.