HEY, so the annual fabulous Students of Sustainability conference/extravaganza is up-coming on Wurundjeri land in Melbourne. I hope you’re postering your unis and telling all the folk and registering and coming!
This will hopefully going to help everyone figure out how we‘re getting to and from SoS at Monash Uni this year, individually and in our collectives.
So I’ve collected a bunch of times which could work for getting to Melbourne from various places in NSW.
I am heaps happy to be a coordinator of transport to SoS, but what’d be grand is if people who are planning on getting various trains/buses to volunteer to be contact points for that trip, so that I can direct people to you.
SoS goes from the 6th til the 10th of July. So the idea is arriving there on Sunday the 5th, setting up camp, chilling out. And leaving on the evening of the 10th or the morning of the 11th.
Contents of this post:
1. Transport funding
2. Wollongong to Melbourne
3. Canberra to Melbourne
4. Newcastle to Melbourne
5. Sydney to Melbourne
6. Cycling to SoS
7. Hitch-hiking competition
1. Transport funding
I also would like ideas and help for money. It would be so sweet if SEAN could subsidise peoples transport, but SEAN hasn’t got much money, unless we fundraise it!
Maybe we could squeeze more money out of our student unions and student associations, they sure don’t have as much money as they used to (thanks vsu) but they are pretty likely to help fund students going to SoS outside of the regular enviro budget. What is also very likely is writing a letter to your local council and them supporting you, especially if you argue it will help the local community having you being a super educated enviro activist (which it obviously will).
So, we have a proforma FUNDRAISING LETTER (thanks wasen crew!) with the relevant bits highlighted to fill in and send off to councils, universities, whoever really wants to support your activism (email gemromuld@gmail.com and I’ll send this form to you).
If anyone wants to do a SoS transporty fundraiser or has ideas for one, contact me, and lets make it happen.
2. Wollongong to Melbourne
Countrylink goes from Wollongong to Melbourne daily, the journey is a bus to Moss Vale and then a train from there (jumping on the Sydney-Melb train). Departs 6.55am, change at Moss Vale (wait for an hour and a bit) and arrive in Melbourne at 6.55pm (takes 12 hours).
It happens again during the night but takes longer and costs more, leaving Wollongong the Brave at 5.20pm arriving 7.25am the next day.
Returning trip- train leaves Melb at 7.55pm, change to a bus at Moss Vale at 5am, arrive in Wollongong at 6.35am (takes about 11 hours). Same again happens leaving Melbourne 8.30am arriving Wollongong 7.35pm.
It costs $62 one way.
3. Canberra to Melbourne
Greyhound bus- leaving 8:30pm sunday 5th july arriving 6.15am 6th july (9hours45mins) OR leaving 11.55pm arriving 8am (8hr5mins). The special price going at the moment is $45, but thats limited. If that runs out, Greyhound are doing a 2 for 1 mates rates sale, which is unlimited.
V/Line- leaving sunday 10.50am arriving melbourne 6.55pm on the 5th July (8 hours) and returning 12:13pm 10th july arriving canberra 9.15pm (9 hours) costs about $60 return! This seems to involve part of the journey by train and part by bus.
4. Newcastle to Melbourne
Greyhound- its about $120 one way on greyhound, definitely cheaper to catch the train to sydney and get a bus or train ticket from there.
Countrylink- leaving 10.28am sunday 5th july, changing trains in sydney and getting a train ages later at 8.40pm arriving melbourne 7.35am is gonna cost $74 one way. Again, cheaper (and quicker) to get any of the trains from newcastle to sydney and get a bus/train from there.
5. Sydney to Melbourne
Countrylink train:
Student return is $130.25. A carriage fits 68 people- lets book out a whole carriage!!! I’m sure we will get a sweet discount for a group booking. yeah?
– leave Sydney 5th July 7.45am arriving 6.55pm (11 hours)
– leave Sydney 5th July 8.40pm arrive 7.35am on the 6th July (11 hours)
Bus:
Greyhound $60 each way but only 4 of these per bus- so do the “Mates Rates” special (2 people for $73 each) which is pretty much unlimited
– leave Sydney 4th July 8pm arrive Melbourne 8am (12 hours)
– leave Sydney 5th July 9.10am arrive Melbourne 10pm (13 hours)
– leave Sydney 5th July 3pm arrive Melbourne 6.15am (15 hours)
– leave Sydney 5th July 8pm arrive Melbourne 8am (12 hours)
6. Cycling to SoS
Some adventurous ones are cycling from Sydney (or a couple of hours south of sydney) to Melbourne! Here is what they say:
It will take about 12 days, so we’ll be leaving on or near Wednesday 24th June. We’ll be camping and cooking in camp-sites and rest areas along the way, and it should be a rollicking adventure. You’ll need to be reasonably fit, but there are still a few weeks to get some practice in.
If you’re interested in riding to Melbourne with us, email 
7. Hitch-hiking competition
Some other adventurous ones are hitch-hiking to SoS, and racing! Maybe you have already seen the emails on the SEAN e-list? So I’ll keep it brief-
Info session/workshop on hitch-hiking at ASEN space in Erskineville in Sydney at 3pm on the 2nd of July
Competition launch on the 3rd July from Newtown/Erskineville area
register your team or more info hitchhiketosos@gmail.com
So that is just about it for now. I haven’t included info on return trips, but perhaps folks can look up what time best suits them. Especially people going to Sydney for Powershift, which starts the day after SoS ends! I guess the overnight train or bus could work, and I do believe the Powershift crew are organising buses from central Sydney to the venue, at the University of Western Sydney.
Get in touch with me if you have any sos and transport related questions, or would like some sean money help for getting there yep.
Wicked
Love gem