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Welcome to the 2023 Wildlife Disease Association Australasian Section's annual conference. 

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This year the conference will be held on Larrakia land at Crab Claw Island Resort, Bynoe, in the Northern Territory (https://crabclaw.com.au/). Crab claw island is situated on the south-western side of Bynoe Harbour, 130 kms from Darwin by road (access is possible in a conventional or 4WD vehicle), 15 minutes by air, or two hours by quick boat. The venue is situated on an island accessible during very high tides only. The venue is family friendly and is surrounded by 2500km2 of pristine waterways, which includes Bynoe Harbour, saltwater estuaries and freshwater creeks and rivers. 

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Conference dates: 4th of September until the 8th of September 2023

Abstract submission date: 4th of August 2023. We welcome oral and poster submissions.

Registration will commence: Sunday 3rd of September 2023.

To find out more and register please go to the conference website (login required): https://wdaa2023.exordo.com

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Transport includes ONE bus from airport to conference venue on Sunday the 3rd of September at 2pm (at a cost of $25 for students and $30 for general delegates), and ONE return bus at 12pm on Friday the 8th of September at 12pm (at a cost of $25 for students and $30 for general registration). Car/boat/air travel and hire is at your cost. Ride sharing is an option, and we are happy to help facilitate communication between people choosing this transport option.

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Accommodation costs and meals are included in conference registration (please note dietary preferences during registration). Accommodation is cabin style shared with 2 to 6 people. Bedding is provided. A fridge and kettle plus bathroom is available in each room. BYO additional food and drinks including alcohol is welcome. There is a bar on site at the restaurant. There are also options for powered or unpowered camping or campervanning if this were something you would prefer. Check here for campervan options

 

Costs are listed below:

• WDA member general registration $1100

• WDA member student and concession card holder registration is $750 (students must provide a valid student ID during registration at the venue)

• Non-member general registration $1500

• Non-member students $800

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WDA membership prices can be found here: https://www.wildlifedisease.org/PersonifyEbusiness/Join. Please note these prices are in USD and there are no additional costs to join the Australasian section.

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​Additional family members are $750 per adult and $300 per child. Conference registration for 1-3 days has not been listed, but if this is something you are planning please contact the organisers and I will provide more registration options.

 

​Conference T Shirts are $35 each. Designed by local artist Louise Benton. Shirts design can be viewed here for Mens and Ladies styles to help with sizing.

 

Field trips are one of two options. Litchfield National Park or the Territory Wildlife Park. Lunch and transport are provided. Interstate visitors to Litchfield National Park will need to obtain a NT parks permit  prior. 

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The WDAA conference is a safe space, and we welcome diversity of all kinds and are happy to discuss and find solutions to ways that we can make this conference more accessible to you and all. Unfortunately, there are some mobility access challenges with this location (stairs) that we have been unable to overcome, but please reach out to us and we will do our absolute best to make this an accessible conference for all.

 

For all questions and support please reach out to conference organisers or to one of our diversity champions, contact details via the conference website (see above).

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Covid safety measures include us providing masks and RAT tests, a CO2 monitor for assessment of airflow, increasing ventilation as much as possible (including holding events outside), and the use of an air purifier where possible. We support your choice to wear a mask indoors.

 

Environmental sustainability is on our minds, and to that end we plan to reduce our carbon footprint with the aim towards maintaining a carbon neutral conference. We have included a voluntary $30 payment that will be used to offset conference related carbon emissions (along with offering more meat free food options and making as many sustainable choices as possible). Our colleagues at Doctors for the Environment recommended the use of Gold Standard Offsets, which have a variety of international offset projects with differing prices per tonne based on their social, environmental and financial costs and impacts (https://www.goldstandard.org/) 

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We look forward to seeing you soon!