Getting to Tarntanya/Adelaide

By air

Air travel is usually the most convenient way to get to Tarntanya/Adelaide. Adelaide Airport (ADL) has direct flights to and from all major Australian cities, as well as Auckland, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Doha, Denpasar, and Nadi.

From the airport

The airport has a direct bus connection to the city via the J1 and J2 bus routes.

You can buy a MetroCard from a vending machine at the airport bus stop, which you can use on all Adelaide Metro buses, trains, and trams.

You can also pay on board all J1 and J2 buses using a Visa PayWave or Mastercard PayPass card, including smartphones and smartwatches. Note that you need to board the bus via the centre door, not the front door, and that this only works on trams and certain bus routes.

The city is also a short taxi ride from the airport.

By rail

The only intercity commuter rail service connecting to Tarntanya/Adelaide is The Overland, a 10.5 hour trip connecting Tarntanya/Adelaide with Naarm/Melbourne, as well as smaller towns in south-eastern South Australia and western Victoria.

The Overland runs twice weekly: to Tarntanya/Adelaide on Monday and Friday, and to Naarm/Melbourne on Sunday and Thursday. If you’re travelling from or via eastern Australia, consider taking the Monday 14th Aug service to Tarntanya/Adelaide and exploring the city for three days before the conference starts, or spend one day relaxing after the end of sprints before taking the Thursday 24 Aug service to Naarm/Melbourne.

In-seat power isn’t available on The Overland, so if you plan to use your laptop from the train you’ll need to bring a power bank. There is also no WiFi, and mobile internet coverage is spotty; if you tether to your phone you’ll be able to load webpages for most (not all!) of the trip, but don’t expect to join video calls or stream movies.

By road

Tarntanya/Adelaide is approximately an eight hour drive from Naarm/Melbourne. Most major routes between the two cities are well-maintained sealed highways suitable for all cars.

Driving between Tarntanya/Adelaide and cities other than Naarm/Melbourne will require multiple days of travel.

Remember that Australia is a large, sparsely populated continent; if you’re from overseas, distances between cities can be far larger than you might think. The usual precautions when driving through regional Australia apply:

• Fatigue is a leading cause of regional road deaths. Rest or change drivers at least every two hours, and avoid driving at times when you’re usually asleep.
• Wildlife near roads can be dangerous, especially at twilight. Kangaroos and emus are very large and heavy, and often behave erratically when they encounter cars. Colliding with one at speed can be harmful or fatal to you.
• There may be long distances without access to fuel; it’s best to fill up before leaving.
• You may not have mobile phone coverage for the entire trip, not even for emergency calls. Even when you do have a working connection, it may not be reliable enough to use mobile data services (such as online maps).
• Trucks travelling on regional roads can be very long, and can’t stop quickly; use extreme care when overtaking them. Remember that to safely overtake a road train, you need to be able to see around 2km (1.25 mi) of road with no oncoming vehicles ahead of you.