8:30 AM |
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Registration desk opens at The Events Centre, Collins Square
Enjoy a tea or coffee before the conference starts.
20 mins
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8:50 AM |
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Regulation: A Barrier to Access to Justice?
What are the barriers to access to justice – is regulation one of them? Our panellists discuss better ways of providing legal services and how regulation can help or hinder new developments in this area. The panellists will also discuss the implementation of the recommendations from the Justice Project.
5 mins
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8:55 AM |
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1. Introduction

Anna Bradley
Anna is an experienced Chair and independent board member, with a strong interest in consumer... More
Anna Bradley
Anna is an experienced Chair and independent board member, with a strong interest in consumer advocacy and particular expertise in regulation and policy. She has worked in a wide variety of sectors, including legal services, as past Chair of the Council of Licensed Conveyancers, and the health sector as a past Chair of the General Optical Council and chair of Healthwatch England. She is currently an Independent Board Member of pay.uk and chairs the Board’s End User Advisory Council, as well as chairing a Customer Challenge Group at Southern Water and an Independent Governance Committee at Zurich. She has previously chaired the Ofcom Communications Consumer Panel and the Rail Safety Standards Board and has been a Commissioner at the Care Quality Commission. Anna is a former Chief Executive of the National Consumer Council and her executive career included roles at Which? and the Financial Services Authority.
5 mins
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9:00 AM |
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2. Panel discussion

Mark Woods
Mark is an Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law and Family Law, and general litigator... More
Mark Woods
Mark is an Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law and Family Law, and general litigator practising in regional Australia. He is a past president of the Law Institute of Victoria, and has oversight of the Institute’s Legal Assistance Scheme. He was founding chair of the LawAid Trust, which funds the out of pocket costs of lawyers acting pro bono. He has served on the boards of the Victoria Law Foundation, the Leo Cussen Institute for Continuing Legal Education and the Australian Pro Bono Centre. Mark chairs the Access to Justice Committee of the Law Council of Australia, the nation’s peak body for lawyers and is the immediate past chair of the influential Australian Legal Assistance Forum. He currently chairs the Access to Justice Committee of the International Bar Association, and is a Council member of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association. He frequently presents at international conferences on family law and criminal law topics, and access to justice issues.

Adrian Cartland
Adrian Cartland, the 2017 Young Lawyer of the Year, has worked as a tax lawyer in top tier law... More
Adrian Cartland
Adrian Cartland, the 2017 Young Lawyer of the Year, has worked as a tax lawyer in top tier law firms as well as boutique tax practices. He is now the Principal of Cartland Law, a boutique tax and commercial law firm. Adrian is also the Creator of Ailira, the Artificially Intelligent Legal Information Research Assistant, which automates legal research and information. Ailira has enabled non-professionals to pass University Tax Law exams and is currently used by hundreds of Australian tax lawyers and accountants for tax research and to unlock internal intellectual property. Ailira can also provide tailored legal information to consumers, initially in the areas of Domestic Violence (for which Cartland Law has already delivered a SA Government funded prototype), Business Structuring, and Wills and Estates. Ailira has powered the world's first Law Firm Without Lawyers. Adrian is known for his innovative advice and ideas and also for his entertaining and insightful professional speeches.

Dr Tessa Boyd-Caine
Tessa is the founding CEO of Health Justice Australia, established in 2016 as the national... More
Dr Tessa Boyd-Caine
Tessa is the founding CEO of Health Justice Australia, established in 2016 as the national centre for health justice partnerships. She has worked in health, criminal justice and human rights organisations in Australia and internationally. She was previously Deputy CEO of the Australian Council of Social Service. Her report of her Fulbright Professional Scholarship in Nonprofit Leadership was published as Lead or be left behind: Sustaining trust and confidence in Australia’s charities. Her PhD on the detention and release of mentally disordered offenders was published as a book, Protecting the Public? Detention and Release of Mentally Disordered Offenders by Routledge in 2010. She is on the Board of Gondwana Choirs, the leader in Australian choral performance; and plays ultimate Frisbee. Tessa’s TEDx on health justice partnerships explains why seeing a lawyer might be good for your health (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh_n_ZNScCg) and her TEDx on philanthropy through partnership argues against ‘bizsplaining’ and builds on her work as the inaugural Fulbright Professional Scholar in Nonprofit Leadership (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4etaKwZZ4HI).”

Dan Creasey
Dan is Head of Pro Bono & Community Impact at King & Wood Mallesons leading a team of... More
Dan Creasey
Dan is Head of Pro Bono & Community Impact at King & Wood Mallesons leading a team of pro bono & social impact experts via the KWM Community Impact program (pro bono, volunteering, philanthropy and reconciliation & empowerment).
Dan is a leading pro bono, community and responsible business lawyer and was named in the 2016 Hot List by Australasian Lawyer magazine. He has been a speaker at the International Bar Association Conference in Sydney, the Asia Pro Bono Conference in Myanmar, Hong Kong and Indonesia, the PBI Conference in the United States, the National Pro Bono & A2J Conference in Sydney, the NACLC Conferences in Brisbane & Melbourne and the Australian Pro Bono Academy in Sydney. Dan is often quoted in the legal and mainstream press including The Age, LIJ, Boardroom Radio, Lawyers Weekly, Brisbane Legal and ADVOC News. He has written various articles that have been published in the LIJ, Governance Directions and My Business.
Dan's primary areas of practice include: Poverty Law (housing/tenancy rights, domestic violence, credit & debt and victims compensation); Public Interest Law/Human Rights Litigation; Insurance Litigation (defence/claims work); and Practice Management (pro bono, charities & community legal centres).
Dan has developed considerable expertise in acting for (and assisting) CLCs, charities and non-profit organisations, as well as insurers & corporations. He has built a substantial practice advising and assisting charitable institutions and is a trusted advisor to many of the largest charities, non-profits and CLCs in Australia. Dan has highly developed skills in strategy planning and implementation, communications and community engagement.
Daniel has been involved in devising and delivering significant pro bono, volunteering, charitable and community engagement projects, with large teams of people and in a variety of jurisdictions, including Australia, South Africa, Myanmar, Thailand, China, Japan, Laos, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, the Cook Islands, Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands. Many of these projects have been run in partnership with commercial clients. Dan has worked in pro bono & community for over 12 years. Prior to coming to KWM, he was Partner at an Australian firm where he led the pro bono & community program and prior to that position, Dan was the Asia Pacific Pro Bono Director for a global firm.
1.17 hours
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10:10 AM |
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10:40 AM |
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Wellbeing in Theory
What is the role of legal regulators in tackling the issue of poor lawyer wellbeing? This session will open up this important discussion. It will explore the systemic drivers of poor wellbeing in the profession. The VLSB+C will also showcase the key findings of their Lawyer Wellbeing Project.
Matt Collins QC
Dr Matt Collins AM QC is the President of the Victorian Bar and a barrister specialising in... More
Matt Collins QC
Dr Matt Collins AM QC is the President of the Victorian Bar and a barrister specialising in media and commercial law. In his time as President of the Victorian Bar, he has made lawyer health and wellbeing a priority, including by conducting and leading the implementation of the results of a landmark health and wellbeing survey and introducing a range of improved conduct policies and grievance measures to address discrimination, harassment and bullying.
Fiona McLeay
Fiona was appointed as the Victorian Legal Services Commissioner and CEO of the Board in... More
Fiona McLeay
Fiona was appointed as the Victorian Legal Services Commissioner and CEO of the Board in September 2017 and commenced her tenure in January 2018. Fiona is the former CEO of the access to justice organisation, Justice Connect, and has also previously held the positions of General Counsel at World Vision Australia and Special Counsel at Clayton Utz. Fiona has a BA (Hons) from the University of Melbourne majoring in psychology with honours in criminology, an LLB from the University of NSW and an LLM in public and international law from the University of Melbourne. She also has an LLM in public service law from the New York University Law School and has attended both the Harvard and Stanford Business Schools. Fiona was appointed Director and Board Chair of Health Justice Australia in 2016 and is a Board member of The Intrepid Foundation and Equality Australia.

Mitzi Gilligan
Mitzi is also a Director at Xakia Technologies, Director RATCH – Australia, Chair of... More
Mitzi Gilligan
Mitzi is also a Director at Xakia Technologies, Director RATCH – Australia, Chair of the Swinburne Law School External Advisory Committee and member of the Justice Connect Digital Innovation Advisory Board. Hive Legal was founded 5 years ago on the vision of improving the experience of legal practice for its team and its clients. With a flexible cloud based work place, a commitment to innovation and by replacing timesheets with value pricing, Hive has proved top tier legal services can be compatible with work/life integration, diversity and innovation. Mitzi is strongly committed to pro bono legal services and served on the Justice Connect board for 11 years – 7 as chair. She remains involved in their digital innovation program. She also contributed to the establishment and ongoing direction of Swinburne Law School which has focussed on educating lawyers for the future practice of the law.

Adam Watson
Adam has spent more than 13 years in investigations and leadership positions within WorkSafe. ... More
Adam Watson
Adam has spent more than 13 years in investigations and leadership positions within WorkSafe. In his current role as Head of Operations & Emergency Management at WorkSafe Victoria, Adam plays a key role in the regulation of health and safety laws in Victoria. He leads a workforce of more than 170 employees (from various technical and specialist disciplines as well as support and administrative functions) to manage the delivery, administration and regulation of health and safety services as per the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, Dangerous Goods Act 1985 and associated Regulations within Victoria. Adam also oversees the incident and emergency response function of WorkSafe. Coming from an investigations background, Adam brings a strong knowledge on compliance and enforcement and how they contribute to WorkSafe's constructive compliance approach. Adam is passionate about ensuring Victorian workers return home safely every day and delivers programs and projects through his teams to ensure WorkSafe Victoria is delivering appropriate, timely and considered interventions in Victorian workplaces.
1.17 hours
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11:50 AM |
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Wellbeing in Practice
How do we support lawyer wellbeing in practice? Join us as a partner from a leading law firm provides a compelling case study on how systemic pressures affected lawyer wellbeing and the firm’s response to those challenges.
Kerri-anne Millard
A driven collaborator and an unlikely lawyer, Kerri-anne Millard brings 20 years practising in... More
Kerri-anne Millard
A driven collaborator and an unlikely lawyer, Kerri-anne Millard brings 20 years practising in public service. Specialising in policy and legislation development, Kerri-anne’s passion for engagement and collaboration has driven legislative reform for 5 regulators in Australia.

Philip Willox
Philip Willox is a Partner and Head of the Dispute Resolution team in King & Wood... More
Philip Willox
Philip Willox is a Partner and Head of the Dispute Resolution team in King & Wood Mallesons’ Perth office. He specialises in workplace relations, employment law, major incidents, safety, and regulatory compliance. Philip is also the Perth Centre People Partner and the KWM National EEO Partner. In these roles, Philip helps KWM deliver on its strategy to be a great place to work and grow. Philip has worked across many sectors assisting clients with their human resources issues, workplace investigations and disputes. Philip has significant experience in industrial relations strategy, bargaining, and managing and resolving industrial disputes. He has advised in regulatory areas such as employment, sham contracting, fraud, counterfeiting, HSE incidents (fatalities, property and environmental damage), immigration, customs, sanctions and export controls, anti-money laundering, and provision of financial services. He assists companies to manage the range of issues that arise following workplace incidents, including regulatory requirements, investigations, inquiries, prosecutions, and civil litigation.
25 mins
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12:15 PM |
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1:00 PM |
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Regulating from the Consumer Perspective
What is it like to be a consumer of legal services, especially when they’ve gone wrong? What should lawyers – and regulators – know about the experience of consumers? Join us for a lively discussion that looks at these questions from three perspectives - client experience, consumer research and advocacy, and consumers themselves.
1.25 hours
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1:05 PM |
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1. Consumer insights
Gerard Brody
The Consumer Action Law Centre, an independent, not-for-profit consumer organisation based in... More
Gerard Brody
The Consumer Action Law Centre, an independent, not-for-profit consumer organisation based in Melbourne. Consumer Action provides financial counselling, legal advice and representation to support vulnerable and disadvantaged Victorians, and draws on its direct knowledge of the consumer experience in modern markets to pursue consumer interest campaigns and policy reform at both state and national levels. Gerard is also the Chair of Consumers’ Federation of Australia, the peak body for consumer organisations in Australia, representing a diverse range of consumer groups, including most national consumer organisations.
15 mins
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1:20 PM |
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2. In Conversation with . . .
Prof. Nigel J Balmer
Nigel joined the VLF in December 2018 as its inaugural Research Director. He has been conducting... More
Prof. Nigel J Balmer
Nigel joined the VLF in December 2018 as its inaugural Research Director. He has been conducting empirical research for over twenty years and is expert in the application of social science and modern quantitative methods to explore how the public understand and interact with the law. Nigel’s research includes work on the role of law in everyday life; attitudes to justice; public experience of and response to legal issues; the interaction between legal and health problems; and design of legal services and legal aid. He is best known for his work on legal need surveys around the world, including recent guidance supporting global access to justice initiatives under the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 16. Nigel is also Professor of Law and Social Statistics at University College London.

Catherine Wolthuizen
Catherine brings her considerable experience as a consumer advocate and ombudsman to the... More
Catherine Wolthuizen
Catherine brings her considerable experience as a consumer advocate and ombudsman to the Board. She is Chair of the new VLSB Consumer Advisory Committee and is the Customer Advocate at NAB, where her role includes making decisions about complex and sensitive complaints and advising on how to improve complaints handling and customer outcomes more broadly. She is also an independent consumer representative to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority and Chair of the Victoria-based Consumer Policy Research Centre, a specialist consumer policy think-tank. Catherine was previously an Ombudsman and Head of Market Affairs at the UK’s Financial Ombudsman Service, and is a former CEO of the Consumer Law Centre Victoria (which later became the Consumer Action Legal Centre). She was Senior Policy Officer at Choice, and is a former Chair of the Consumers Federation of Australia. Her overseas experience includes running international human rights legal NGO, Fair Trials, and the UK’s whistleblower NGO, and she was a member of the Legal Services Consumer Panel in England – the expert advisory body to the UK’s Legal Services Board.
30 mins
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1:50 PM |
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3. CX Presentation
Carl White
Carl is a passionate advocate of service excellence and recognised as a Client Experience... More
Carl White
Carl is a passionate advocate of service excellence and recognised as a Client Experience champion and influencer in the legal sector. Carl entered the profession with Ashurst in 2002 in the UK. He is the founding director of CXINLAW and a Distinguished Fellow and member of faculty at the Centre for Legal Innovation (College of Law). He has a background in theatre, retail operations and law, with expertise in learning and development, employee experience, service design and innovation. Carl and the CXINLAW team has authored market-leading research that examines the Client Experience advantage for law firms, in partnership with the UK College of Law in 2012 and ALPMA in Australasia in 2015 and 2018. Carl is the former Vice President of the Continuing Legal Education Association Australasia (CLEAA) and faculty member of Queensland Law Society and speaks internationally.
25 mins
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2:15 PM |
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CORO 2019 Wrap up, passing of the baton to NSW and Close
Fiona Bennett
Fiona is a non-executive director of Hills Ltd and Select Harvests Ltd. She is a Chartered... More
Fiona Bennett
Fiona is a non-executive director of Hills Ltd and Select Harvests Ltd. She is a Chartered Accountant with extensive experience in commercial and financial management, governance, risk management and auditing. Fiona has held senior executive positions at BHP Billiton Ltd and Coles Group Ltd, and has been Chief Financial Officer of several organisations in the health sector. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Australian Institute of Management. Fiona was appointed to the Board in January 2008 and was appointed as Chairperson of the Board by the Attorney-General in January 2013. Fiona was re-appointed Chairperson on 30 November 2016.
Greg May
Greg graduated from Law at Adelaide University in December 1984. He commenced practising in... More
Greg May
Greg graduated from Law at Adelaide University in December 1984. He commenced practising in November 1984 with a firm that, through some mergers etc, ultimately became the Adelaide based member of the Minter Ellison Legal Group. After 21 years as a partner at Minter Ellison, Greg retired from the partnership in 2013. His roles with Minter Ellison over that time included as Chairman (2001 to 2007), Chief Operating Partner (2007 to 2011) and General Counsel (2011 to 2013). Greg started as the Legal Profession Conduct Commissioner on 1 February 2014, with that role then formally commencing on 1 July 2014. He was appointed initially for a 5 year term, and has recently been re-appointed for a further 5 year term. Greg’s non-work interests include playing golf and watching sport – mainly the Adelaide Crows and the Adelaide 36ers. He is married with two adult children.

Kellie Grainger
Kellie Grainger is the Chief Executive Officer at the Law Society Northern Territory. The... More
Kellie Grainger
Kellie Grainger is the Chief Executive Officer at the Law Society Northern Territory. The Society is a key regulator of the legal profession in the Northern Territory dealing with a broad range of regulatory matters including conduct complaints, licensing, trust account and CPD compliance, as well as undertaking its other functions including engaging in advocacy and supporting and educating its members. In 2012 Kellie started at the Society as Manager Regulatory Services with responsibility for investigating complaints against legal practitioners and oversight of the Society’s various regulatory functions. In June 2016 she was appointed as Acting CEO and subsequently confirmed as the CEO in January 2017. Before joining the Society she worked in private practice for a regional Queensland law firm for over 16 years, practising in a range of areas of law and Court jurisdictions.

John McKenzie
John McKenzie was re-appointed as NSW Legal Services Commissioner on 28 February 2019 for a... More
John McKenzie
John McKenzie was re-appointed as NSW Legal Services Commissioner on 28 February 2019 for a period of five years. The Office of the Legal Services Commissioner receives complaints about solicitors and barristers practising in New South Wales and strives to improve the ethical and professional behaviour of legal practitioners in providing services to consumers of legal services. A solicitor for 34 years, he has worked primarily as an Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law, largely for the Aboriginal Legal Service and on the staff of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. He has also worked some years in private practice, Legal Aid and community legal centres. John has had a career as a lawyer working for Aboriginal Legal Services spanning more than 30 years in various remote, regional and urban centres having begun his career at the ALS in Moree, north-western NSW in 1980. He was a Principal Solicitor on the staff of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in 1988 – 1991 under Commissioner Hal Wootton QC. He was part of the team compiling the Final Report of that Royal Commission in Adelaide under Head Commissioner Elliott Johnson QC. Since then he has worked to have the recommendations implemented by all levels of government, with little success. He received the NSW Law and Justice Foundation’s Justice Medal in 2011 for his work towards improving access to justice for Aboriginal people. He was the Chief Legal Officer of the ALS (NSW/ACT) based in Redfern from 2006 before being appointed to his current role as the Legal Services Commissioner NSW in 2015. John continues to be a member of the Legal Information Access Centres Advisory Board (the State Library of NSW) and the Strategic Directions Committee of “Just Reinvest NSW” (auspiced by the ALS (NSW/ACT)).

Michael Tidball
Michael Tidball was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Law Society of New South Wales in... More
Michael Tidball
Michael Tidball was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Law Society of New South Wales in 2006 after having been appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2004. In recent years, he has also concurrently served as Secretary General of LAWASIA. Among the key reforms during Michael’s tenure at the Law Society of New South Wales has been the lead role played by the Society in the move to a national legal services market in Australia. A current key focus is leading the Society to respond in its service offering to the forces of innovation, disruption, changing technology and artificial intelligence. Michael serves as a Director of Lawcover Insurance Pty Ltd and Lawcover Pty Ltd as well as of LAWASIA Holdings. He also serves on the Board of Management of Quality in Law and is a member of the Council of the Francis Forbes Society for Australian Legal History. Michael has a strong interest in classical music and serves as Chair of the Board of the Song Company, Australia’s leading and internationally acclaimed classical vocal ensemble. He has recently completed post graduate studies at the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
45 mins
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3:00 PM |
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3:05 PM |
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Walking Tours Departures (optional - please pre-book)
If you fancy stretching your legs after the conference, why not book one of our walking tours? Tickets can be booked during the registration process. - Koorie Heritage Trust tour meets at the Koorie Trust Heritage Centre, Federation Square at 3.30 pm.
- Flavour of Melbourne tour meets at The Intercontinenal the Rialto, 495 Collins St at 3.30 pm. Small bags may be left at concierge.
Everyone else can relax over a cuppa!
25 mins
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3:30 PM |
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Koorie Heritage Trust Walking Tour (optional - please pre-book)
The Birrarung Wilam Walk takes you through Federation Square and down to the Birrarung Wilam (Common Ground) Aboriginal art installations experiencing the Aboriginal history of the Birrarung Marr (beside the river of mists) and Aboriginal Peoples of the Kulin Nation. With one of our friendly Koorie guides, you will learn how the land on which Melbourne is located has changed over time and learn the significance of the Birrarung Wilam to the local Kulin peoples. You will gain a deeper and more meaningful understanding of this incredible location, an important gathering place for the Kulin Nation and one of Melbourne’s most popular meeting hubs. Duration: 1.5 hour (approx). The tour departs from the Koorie Heritage Trust Centre, Federation Square. Small bags can be left at the Trust office whilst you are on the tour but please note that Koorie Heritage Trust and VLSB+C are not liable for the safety of left baggage. Please wear comfortable walking shoes and weather appropriate clothing (coat, umbrella, sunglasses!). This is an OPTIONAL tour and not included in the conference package. To book your ticket please select from the Ticket Extras offered during the registration process.
1.5 hours
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Hidden Secrets "Flavour of Melbourne" Walking Tour (optional - please pre-book)
Have you ever been to a city and wondered what all the fuss was about? Melbourne’s arcades and laneways hide many of these treasures, and a Hidden Secrets Tours walking tour is the ideal way to discover and learn about the enchantment of Melbourne. Uncover the flavour of Melbourne with a snapshot of its quirky cafes, independent designers, street art, architecture, and the untold tales of Melbourne along the way. Duration: 1.5 hour (approx). The tour departs from The Intercontinental the Rialto, 495 Collins St. Laptops and small backpacks can be left with the concierge whilst you are on the tour. Please wear comfortable walking shoes and weather appropriate clothing (coat, umbrella, sunglasses!). This is an OPTIONAL tour and not included in the conference package. To book your ticket please select from the Ticket Extras offered during the registration process.
1.5 hours
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