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    \hfill {\Huge\bf Local Facilities} \\[6ex]
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\begin{small}%
    SIGIR is located at the Sofitel Hotel,
    on Collins~St between Exhibition~St and Spring~St.
    The conference venue is above the
    Collins Place indoor plaza at 45 Collins~St.
    This leaflet describes the facilities available near the conference.
\end{small}%
}}

\date{}
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\begin{small}

\subsection*{Dining}

    {\bf Coffee and snacks.} ~
    Melbourne cafes compete for custom on the quality of their
    coffee---anywhere with an expresso machine and evidence of
    patronage is worth a visit.

    {\bf Lunch.} ~
    The Sofitel is at one end of Melbourne's extensive financial
    district---an area with a high density of dark suits and mobile phones,
    and quality dining to match.
    But eating around the Sofitel is nonetheless cheap, probably
    because of the large number of venues.
    The obvious place to eat is in Collins Place itself, where there
    is a wide variety of good food available.
    Similar food courts are at the Hyatt, one block down Collins~St,
    near the corner with Russell~St; and the quieter but less
    interesting Paramount complex,
    also one block away, on Bourke~St near Exhibition~St.
    Only slightly further afield (10--15 minutes walk)
    is Southgate, on the Yarra river.
    The ground floor of the Southgate complex has a large selection
    of cheap, good-quality food, and you can eat it by the Yarra.

    If it is warm enough, get a take-away sandwich and head out to
    Treasury Gardens, just a few metres from the Sofitel at
    the corner of Collins~St and Spring~St.  This park and the adjacent
    Fitzroy Gardens are a pleasure throughout the year.

    {\bf Dinner.} ~
    See the separately-provided list of nearby restaurants, based on our
    experience and on information provided in {\em The Age\/} ``Good Food
    Guide'' and {\em The Age\/} ``Cheap Eats and Cafe Guide''.
    These guides can be browsed at the reception desk.
    Both of these guides are widely available from bookshops and
    newsagents, at a fraction of the cost of a poorly-chosen meal.

    If you want to eat well for less, head out of the city to either
    Lygon~St or---our preference---Brunswick~St.
    In both cases it is a reasonable walk (or short tram ride) to the
    best eateries, but well worth it.
    Lygon~St cuisine is predominantly Italian.
    Most of the Lygon~St cafes, about 1.5~km (15~minutes walk) from the
    Sofitel, serve good food and excellent coffee, and are
    generally better value than the pizza houses, which tend to be
    expensive for anything other than pizza.
    There are also several venues for gelati and ice-cream.

    Some of Melbourne's best cheap restaurants are on Brunswick~St in
    Fitzroy, about 2~km (20~minutes walk) north of the Sofitel.
    Most of the restaurants are between Moor~St and Alexandra Parade, a
    stretch of around a kilometre.
    There are good restaurants from many cultures including Indian,
    African, Japanese, Thai, Malaysian, Spanish, Italian, Greek,
    French, Tibetan, Vietnamese, and of course Australian, as well as a
    wide range of cafes and Melbourne's best ice-cream parlour, Charmaine's.

    Alternatively, go to Chinatown, on Little~Bourke~St from
    Swanston~St Walk to
    Spring~St.
    There are also some good venues on Bourke~St in the area near
    Exhibition~St.
    There are plenty of restaurants and cafes in the city or at
    Southgate, but prepare to pay a little more than in Fitzroy or
    Carlton, and check a dining guide before you set out.

    Almost all restaurants are licensed to serve alcohol.
    Some are also BYO (``bring your own'').
    BYO restaurants allow you to bring wine purchased elsewhere.
    Some but not all BYO restaurants allow you to bring beer.
    Bottled wine or beer can be purchased at the bottle shop of most
    pubs; there is a larger selection at the Paramount supermarket and
    the Liquorland on Little~Bourke~St.
    Licensed-only restaurants do not allow you to bring alcohol.

\subsection*{Banks}
    Most of the major Australian banks have automatic tellers supporting
    Cirrus and the other international access facilities.
    Nearby branches with an automatic
    teller include:

    \begin{itemize}
    \itemsep 0mm
    \item ANZ: at the entrance to Collins Place.
    \item Commonwealth: 77 Collins~St.
    \item National: 71 Collins~St.
    \item Westpac: 135 Collins~St, at the corner of Russell~St.
    \end{itemize}

\subsection*{Bookshops}

    Inner Melbourne has several good general-purpose bookshops.
    The closest to the Sofitel are the Hill of Content and the
    %(slightly eccentric)
    Paperback Bookshop, both on Bourke~St between
    Exhibition~St and Spring~St.
    The Lonsdale~St end of Myers department store has a surprisingly
    good bookshop.
    Readers Feast underground at the corner of Bourke~St
    and Swanston~St Walk has a wide range.
    For academic books go to Technical Books on Swanston~St Walk just north
    of Lonsdale~St, or to McGills near the corner of Bourke~St and
    Elisabeth~St.

    Carlton has several good bookshops in
    addition to the University of Melbourne
    campus bookshop (just to the south of the Student Union).
    The best is Readings on Lygon~St, just north of Faraday~St.
    For second-hand books, the best shop is the Carlton Secondhand Bookshop
    on Swanston~St Walk near Grattan~St.
    Book Affair, on Elgin~St near Lygon~St and, in the city,
    on Elizabeth~St near Franklin~St, is worth a visit.
    Other good bookshops include the Brunswick~St Bookstore and
    Grub~St Secondhand, also on Brunswick~St.

\subsection*{Cinemas}

    One of Melbourne's several good arthouse cinemas, the Kino, is in
    Collins Place.
    There are two arthouse cinemas in Carlton, the Carlton Movie House
    on Faraday~St and the Nova in Lygon Court.
    In central Melbourne, the mainstream Village and Greater Union
    theatres are both close to the corner of Bourke~St and Russell~St.
    (Note that the seats at Greater Union can be uncomfortable for tall
    people.
    Avoid Hoyts, which has poor sound systems and is not very clean.)

\subsection*{Doctors}

    For information about
    the nearest general practice ask at the Sofitel main desk.
    For serious problems, go to St~Vincents hospital on the corner
    of Nicholson~St and Victoria Parade, a few minutes walk or tram ride north
    from the Sofitel.

\subsection*{Information}

    Maps, a street directory, dining guides, and phone books are
    kept at the conference reception desk.
    Attendees with a marked badge are locals who should be able
    to help you with most enquiries---look for badges stamped with a
    red kookaburra.

    There are two excellent tourist information offices on
    Swanston~St Walk, under the Town Hall:
    the Victorian Tourist Office and the Melbourne-specific
    City Experience Centre.
    These should be visited by anyone interested in seeing more
    of Melbourne or Victoria.
    Both these offices have a wide range of literature, from advertising
    for shopping and nightlife to material such as do-it-yourself
    walking tours of historic Melbourne.
    A small selection of the leaflets from these offices is included in
    your conference satchel.

\subsection*{Museums and Galleries}

    There is an extensive arts precinct on the south side of the
    Yarra beside Southgate, including the National Gallery of Victoria,
    the Performing Arts Museum,
    the State Theatre, and the State Opera.
    The Maritime Museum, featuring the restored tall ship Polly Woodside,
    is 10 minutes walk downriver from Southgate.
    Ferries run from Southgate to ScienceWorks, a science museum housed
    in and around the shell of a baroque sewage pumping station.
    In the city there are several small museums and galleries, in particular
    the Jewish Museum and the Chinese Museum.
    Sadly the State Museum is currently closed, as it is in transit to
    elaborate new premises in Carlton.

\subsection*{Pharmacies}

    There are several pharmacies, or chemists, near the Sofitel.
    The closest is in Collins Place.
    Go to a
    pharmacy for medication or cosmetics; go to a supermarket for other goods.

\subsection*{Post offices}

    There are several post offices in Melbourne.
    The General Post Office is the edifice with the clock tower
    on the corner of Bourke~St and Elizabeth~St.

\subsection*{Public transport}

    Melbourne public transport includes trams, trains, and buses.
    Most inner-city and near-city travel is by tram.
    Tram routes are shown on most maps.
    There is a Met information booth in the Bourke~St Mall, between
    Swanston~St Walk and Elizabeth~St.

    The free City Circle tram runs around the boundary of the CBD,
    along Spring~St, La~Trobe~St, Spencer~St, and Flinders~St.
    A ride on one of these trams, which can be caught at 10-minute
    intervals, is a good way to see the different faces of Melbourne.

    For other travel,
    some classes of ticket can be bought from machines on trams.
    %(but you need change and cannot buy all tickets this way).
    Tickets are for travel in specified zones; almost all tram
    travel is in zone 1.
    The best value tickets are \$2.20, which provides unlimited travel
    for two hours in zone 1, and \$4.30, which provides unlimited travel
    all day in zone 1.
    Alternatively, a \$1.60 short-trip one-way ticket will take you to
    destinations close to central Melbourne.
    A card of 10 short-trip tickets costs \$12.50.

    Near the Sofitel, tickets can be bought at the newsagency in
    Collins Place.
    Only the \$1.60 and \$2.20 tickets can be purchased on trams, and note
    that the on-board ticket machines do not accept notes.

\subsection*{Pubs and bars}

    There are now only a couple of good pubs in the Melbourne CBD, such
    as Young and Jackson's on the corner of Swanston~St Walk and Flinders~St,
    but there are many cafes and restaurants that have a bar.
    (Take the opportunity to sample some Australian beers and wines.)
    The cocktail lounge on the 35th floor of the Sofitel is worth a visit
    for the view from the floor-to-ceiling
    windows in the toilets.

    Melbourne has many nightclubs, late-night cocktail bars, and other
    nightspots.
    More information is available from your hotel and the Tourist Office.

\subsection*{Shopping}

    There are three big shopping complexes in Melbourne.
    One is Melbourne Central, for which the simplest entrance is at the
    corner of Swanston~St Walk and La~Trobe~St.
    The others are Australia on Collins and the Sportsgirl Centre on
    Collins~St, which primarily consist of boutiques.
    Myers department store is best accessed from Bourke~St.
    All of these are between Swanston~St Walk and Elizabeth~St (and have
    convoluted interior spaces).

    Elizabeth~St is notable for shopping.
    Melbourne has many covered shopping arcades; some, such
    as Block Arcade, date from the nineteenth century.
    A walking guide to the arcades is available from the Tourist
    Office.

\subsection*{Supermarkets}

    The nearest supermarket is under the Paramount complex, on
    Bourke~St near Exhibition~St.
    A good range of groceries is available in the basement of David
    Jones, on the south side of the Bourke~St Mall.
    Coles Express on Elizabeth~St between Flinders~St and Flinders Lane
    is open 24 hours.

\subsection*{Worship}

    There are many inner city places of worship.
    The two largest are the Anglican-Episcopalian St~Paul's Cathedral,
    opposite Flinders~St Station, and the Roman Catholic St~Patrick's
    Cathedral, north-east of Parliament.
    More information is available from your hotel and the Tourist Office.

\end{small}

\end{document}
