Venue

The venue is Lakeshed Camp, on the shores of Lake Bonney, one of the larger permanently flooded billabongs along the Murray River. The town of Barmera, South Australia is a few minutes drive away.

• ASH 2010 Meeting Information DOC

Travel

Barmera is about 2.5 hours drive from Adelaide. Those not driving to the conference can fly to Adelaide, where we are planning to arrange a 40-seat bus to leave from Adelaide airport on the afternoon of Sunday the 19th, with a return charter organised for the afternoon of Wednesday the 22nd.

Two commercial bus services also stop at Barmera:

            Greyhound (http://www.greyhound.com.au/ServiceInformation/timetables.aspx)

            Premier Stateliner (http://www.premierstateliner.com.au/timetables.html)

Region

The region is a meeting place for two major habitat types, the south-eastern mallee habitat and the Murray River corridor, each with their own distinctive mix of species. 

At least 70 species of frogs and reptiles have been recorded within a 50 km radius of Barmera.  The area has numerous reserves and habitat patches, so self-drivers will be able to find their own spots to get to know the local fauna.

Protected fauna

South Australia has restrictions, of course on collecting or interfering with native vertebrate species, so anyone wishing to do so in SA must contact the permit officer at the Dept of Environment & Heritage to arrange for the appropriate permit.

Call for symposia

We are inviting submissions of interests for symposium or workshop sessions for the 2010 ASH meeting. 

If you would like to hold a symposium or a workshop on a specialised topic at the ASH meeting please include:

1) a title for the symposium/workshop

2) a short paragraph describing its content and purpose

3) a list of invited speakers that have confirmed their participation

4) the symposium convenor’s name and contact details

in an email to: steve.donnellan@samuseum.sa.gov.au

The meeting will have a number of concurrent sessions but not an unlimited number of sessions for symposia. The program organising committee will endeavour to accommodate

all requests, but only those with confirmed speakers will be accepted.

The deadline for submissions of interest is June 20, and we would hope to notify successfulsymposia applicants within 10 days, so that the symposium speakers can register for the conference by the July 20 deadline.

 For further inquires contact Steve Donnellan 08 8303 4855 or steve.donnellan@samuseum.sa.gov.au

Accommodation

Lakeshed Camp has cabins, a bunkhouse and ample room for camping.  Barmera has several hotels and motels that can accommodate any ASHers wanting a bit more privacy or luxury only a few minutes drive away around the lake’s shore.  We hope that this will ensure that as many as possible can find something to suit them and will come to make this a memorable ASH meeting.

Post-conference trips

Those attending can opt to stay for an extra day, when we will arrange guided tours to two significant local herp destinations.  One is a visit to the outstanding mallee habitat at Birds Australia’s Gluepot Reserve, which, besides supporting seven nationally endangered bird species is also home for approximately 50 species of mallee reptiles.  Or you can choose instead to make a ‘pilgrimage’ to two of the outstanding sites of long-term herp study, Mike Bull’s Tiliqua study sites near Mount Mary (T. rugosa) and Burra (T. adelaidensis).

Registration

EMAIL ADDRESS FOR ASH REGISTRATION

 The email address for Deb Churches, who is handling the ASH conference email, was wrongly listed on an earlier version of the registration forms. The Registration Forms now posted have been adjusted, but if you have the older version of the form the correct email is: debbie.churches@samuseum.sa.gov.au

ASH 2010 Registration form in PDF format
ASH 2010 Registration form in Microsoft Word format

Motel Accomodation Deal at Barmera For ASH Meeting

For those wanting a higher level of comfort thatn the more Spartan (but convivial) camping and and bunkhouse accommodation at Lakeshed, Barmera Country Club is offering a discount rate for its motel rooms. A daily shuttle will be available from Lakeshed to pick up and drop off people staying in Barmera (only about 7 minutes drive)

Barmera Country Club on Golf Course, Hawdon St Barmera

-ground floor units fronting the golf course -rooms still available for the conference period

 -standard rates range from $105 per night to $150 per night for either one or two people per room.

Additional guests per room are charged at a rate of $20 per person per night.

ASH conference delegates are being offered a 15% discount if they book by phone for  two or more nights. Additional guest charge will still apply.  

Bookings at discounted rate by phoning 08 85882888

ASH Conference 2010 – Post-conference trip planning