About Melbourne
Photo: Diliff / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5
The 2026 IEEE CyberSciTech / DASC / PICom / CBDCom co-located conferences will be
held in Melbourne, Australia — the capital of the state of Victoria and
the country's second-largest city. Consistently ranked among the world's most liveable
cities, Melbourne is famous for its vibrant arts and music scene, hidden laneways and
street art, world-class coffee and dining, leafy gardens, and a rich sporting culture.
As one of the most multicultural cities in the world, it offers visitors an extraordinary
mix of experiences within an easy-to-navigate, walkable city centre.
The conferences will take place at the
Melbourne City campus of RMIT University,
in the heart of Melbourne's central business district (CBD). The campus is surrounded by
public transport, restaurants, cafés, theatres, galleries, and shopping precincts, with
many of the city's major attractions within walking distance.
The conference takes place from 9–13 November 2026, during the Southern
Hemisphere's late spring — an ideal time to explore the city and its surrounding regions,
and we warmly encourage participants to do so during their visit.
Attractions Near the Conference Venue
The RMIT City campus is in central Melbourne, and many attractions can be reached on foot
or by a short tram ride. Click each attraction for more information.
Right next door to the RMIT City campus, one of Australia's oldest cultural institutions. Its magnificent domed La Trobe Reading Room, exhibitions, and public spaces are free to visit.
Photo: Diliff / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5
A short walk from campus, this historic open-air market offers fresh produce, specialty food, souvenirs, and street food from around the world.
Photo: Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Landscaped heritage gardens surrounding the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building and Melbourne Museum, a short walk from the venue.
Photo: Andrew Lukaris / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Along Little Bourke Street, minutes from RMIT — one of the oldest Chinatowns in the Western world, packed with Chinese and other Asian restaurants, bakeries, and grocery stores.
Photo: DXR / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Opposite Flinders Street Station, home to ACMI, cultural venues, restaurants, and year-round public events. From here, stroll along the Yarra to Southbank and the arts precinct.
Photo: DXR / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Experience Melbourne
Melbourne's multicultural population is reflected in its dining scene, with cuisines from
around the world — Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, Malaysian, Middle
Eastern, Mediterranean, and modern Australian. Popular dining areas include Chinatown,
the Italian precinct of Lygon Street in Carlton, Victoria Street in Richmond, the
independent shops and live-music venues of Fitzroy, and the many laneways of the CBD.
The city is also widely recognised for its coffee culture, from tiny laneway espresso
bars to contemporary specialty coffee venues.
Cobbled laneways like Hosier Lane, Degraves Street, and Centre Place are filled with murals, espresso bars, boutiques, and hidden bars — the heart of Melbourne's famous café culture.
Photo: Ashton 29 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Australia's oldest and most-visited art museum, with free entry to its permanent collection — part of the Southbank arts precinct together with Arts Centre Melbourne.
Photo: Ashton 29 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
38 hectares of gardens along the Yarra River with more than 8,500 plant species from Australia and around the world — a peaceful escape in the heart of the city.
Photo: Gary Houston / Wikimedia Commons, CC0
One of the world's great sporting stadiums and home of the Australian Sports Museum. It hosts Australian rules football, cricket, and concerts, and stadium tours run on non-event days.
Photo: Alexander Sheko / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Riverside promenades lined with restaurants and bars, crowned by Melbourne Skydeck on level 88 of Eureka Tower — the highest public viewpoint in the Southern Hemisphere.
Photo: Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
On the Yarra in the CBD, home to thousands of aquatic animals — including king and gentoo penguins — and an easy visit between conference sessions.
Photo: Shkuru Afshar / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Australia's oldest zoo, just minutes from the CBD by train or tram, with wildlife from Australia and around the world set in landscaped gardens.
Photo: Chris Phutully / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Explore Beyond the City Centre
Participants with additional time may wish to explore Melbourne's bayside neighbourhoods
and regional Victoria.
Melbourne's favourite beachside suburb — beach, pier, Luna Park, and a little penguin colony on the breakwater — easily reached from the city centre by tram.
Photo: Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
One of Australia's most scenic coastal touring routes, with dramatic ocean views, rainforest, coastal towns, and the Twelve Apostles. A full-day or overnight trip is recommended.
Photo: Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Coastal scenery and wildlife experiences, most famously the Penguin Parade, where little penguins return to shore at sunset.
Photo: Phillip Island Tourism / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Less than an hour from Melbourne — wineries and cellar doors, local produce, forest scenery, walking trails, and picturesque towns.
Photo: MusikAnimal / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Getting Around
- Trams & the Free Tram Zone — Melbourne runs the largest urban tram network in the world, and tram travel is free within the Free Tram Zone, which covers much of the CBD and Docklands. The RMIT City campus and many central attractions are located within or close to the zone.
- Public transport (myki) — travel outside the Free Tram Zone on trains, trams, and buses requires a myki smartcard or another accepted payment method (contactless payment is being rolled out) — please check the latest information from Public Transport Victoria before travelling.
- From the airport — Melbourne Airport (MEL, Tullamarine), about 23 km north-west of the city, is the main international gateway. SkyBus operates frequent services between the airport and Southern Cross Station in the CBD; taxis, rideshare services, and car hire are also available.
Weather in November
November is late spring in Melbourne, with mild and pleasant conditions — daytime maximum
temperatures around 22°C and overnight minimums around 11°C. Melbourne is well
known for its changeable weather ("four seasons in one day"), so we recommend bringing:
- A light jacket or sweater
- Comfortable walking shoes
- A compact umbrella or rain jacket
- Sun protection, including sunscreen and a hat — the Australian sun is strong, even in spring
During the conference the local time is AEDT (UTC+11).
Useful Links
Hotel Accommodation
Recommended accommodation details will be announced closer to the event — please check
the Venue and
Accommodation
pages for updates.
Melbourne offers a wide range of hotels across all budgets, with the highest concentration
in and around the Central Business District (CBD), Southbank, and Docklands — all well
served by public transport. Hotels in the northern part of the CBD (around Melbourne
Central and La Trobe Street) are closest to the conference venue at RMIT. You can book
through your preferred reservation site.
Acknowledgement of Country
The organisers of the 2026 IEEE CyberSciTech / DASC / PICom / CBDCom conferences
acknowledge the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern
Kulin Nation, on whose unceded lands the conference will be held. We respectfully
acknowledge their Ancestors and Elders, past and present.