Every year, the Working-Class Studies Association hosts a conference dedicated to international working-class life, labor, and culture. For the first time in WCSA’s history, the next conference will be in Australia, Dec. 2-5, 2025! Thank you, Dr. Sarah Attfield and the rest of the Conference Organizing Committee!

WCSA25 will be held at the University Technology Sydney campus. UTS is located in the heart of of the city and walking distance to eateries, bars, bookstores, and a variety of accommodations including a great, low-cost hostel. View information about travel and accommodations below. Photographs of the UTS campus provided by Attfield and family.

Full-time waged: $165
Part-time/unwaged: $95
Zoom only: $20

The on-ground registration amounts will cover morning and afternoon teas and lunches plus the conference dinner.

Conference Travel & Accommodation Info for WCSA25

Note: All costs are in Australian dollars. Use a free online converter to check your exchange rate.

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Entering the Country

Flights

All flights into Sydney arrive at Sydney airport, located about 8km (5 miles) from the centre of Sydney. There are three terminals. T1 serves all international flights. T2 and T3 serve domestic flights.

Visas

You will need a visa to enter Australia as a visitor. Please check the Australian government information on visa requirements.

Quarantine

Australia has very strict quarantine laws– please check the rules before you fly!

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Getting to the City & University of Technology Sydney (UTS) from the Airport

Public Transport

Sydney airport is close to the city and there is a direct train service from the domestic and international terminals to the city centre. The International station can be accessed from the arrivals level of the terminal, past Arrivals Hall A.

The Domestic station can be accessed from the arrivals level of the T2 and T3 Domestic terminals. The Airport link train fare to the city is higher than regular fares on the network and will cost approximately $20 one-way.

Travel on Sydney trains and buses is cashless and you will need to either purchase an Opal ticket or Opal card, or use a credit/debit card when you tap on and off trains, buses or light rail. Find more information about how to pay for public transport here: Purchase Tickets for Public Transport

You can use the Sydney Trip Planner to check arrival and departure times for public transport.

Taxi or Rideshare (Uber)

A taxi ride to the city will take about 20 minutes (depending on traffic) and will cost approximately $50 one-way. You can find information on where to find a taxi or rideshare pick up point here: Taxi & Rideshare from Airport

Hotel Shuttle Buses

Some hotels may offer a pick-up service from the airport – please check your hotel’s transport information page.

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Getting to UTS from Anywhere

Public Transport

UTS is close to Central Station which is the main station in Sydney and is served by trains, buses and the light rail. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes to walk from the train platforms to UTS. The conference is taking place on the Broadway Campus in Building 11 which is located on Broadway, with entrances on the corners of Broadway and Jones Street, and the corner of Broadway and Abercrombie Street. All UTS buildings are accessible, with ramps and elevators available.

If you are coming from Central Station there are two main ways to get to the campus. You can exit the station via the Devonshire Street exit, turn right once through the ticket barriers and walk through the tunnels – follow the signs to UTS.

If you arrive on the main concourse of the station you can exit via the west exit, turn left, and walk through the park area. You then cross the street onto Broadway and turn left. Follow Broadway until you see UTS on the right.

The main entrance of UTS is the tower building (Building 1) – you can’t miss it! It looms over Broadway! If you are lost, you can enter the lobby of Building 1 and ask for some help at the info desk or from the security desk.

You can find campus maps here: Campus Maps

There are also bus stops close to UTS – southbound buses stop on Broadway at Buckland St and north bound buses stop outside Building 1. Other buses stop at Railway Square, which is a short walk from UTS.

Traveling by Car

There is limited metered on-street parking in Thomas Street (adjacent to Building 10). A number of parking stations operate in the area, including Interpark which is located in the basement of Building 10 (entrance via Thomas St). There are also the Wilson carparks in theSydney Central Hotelor underMarket City.

Parking station rates vary but the closest parking stations cost between $35 and $45 for a whole day.

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Accommodations

There are a lot of options near the University and they range from the very nice at around $250 AUD per night to around $50 for a hostel dorm. There are hostels that also have double rooms with an ensuite for about $120 per night if you are travelling with a partner.

Further afield there is a lot of range in price and if you were willing to stay outside of the city and get a bus or train into the city, you could find a room for around $60 per night.

Hotels close to UTS or in the City

These are some suggestions, there are lots more!

Four-Star Hotels

• Four Points by Sheraton Sydney, Central Park (directly across the street from UTS – nice, but expensive!)
• The Old Clare Hotel (also across the street from UTS – upmarket renovated pub hotel)
• Mercure Sydney (five minutes walk to UTS – expensive)
• Sydney Central Hotel (five minutes walk to UTS – expensive)
• Vulcan Hotel (five minutes walk to UTS)
• Metro Aspire Hotel Sydney (8 minute walk to UTS)
• The Great Southern Hotel (10 minute walk to UTS)

Mid-Range Hotels

• Hotel Hacienda (12 minute walk to UTS)
• Royal Exhibition Hotel (15 minute walk to UTS)
• Park Regis City Centre (23 minute walk to UTS but also close to Metro station)
• Ibis Darling Harbour (23 minute walk to UTS or 20 minutes on light rail)

Hostels/Backpacker Accommodation

• Wake Up! Sydney (next to Central Station)
• YHA Sydney Central (10 minute walk to UTS)
• Sydney Surry Hills Hostel (15 minute walk to UTS)
• Glebe Hostel (30 minute walk to UTS, or 15 minutes by bus)
• Newtown Backpackers (30 minute walk to UTS, or 15 minutes by bus)

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Food & Drink

Lunches, morning/afternoon tea and the conference dinner will be provided but if you want to find places to eat in the evening or independently of the conference there are plenty of local options!

UTS is located in a vibrant creative precinct, with many options for great food to cater for all tastes. Very close to UTS isSpice Alley– a laneway with a variety of hawker-style restaurants. NearbyCentral Park Sydneyhas some cafes and restaurants.

The UTS campus has a number of places to eat during the day, including The Terrace (B2), Cornerstone Café (directly opposite B10) and Mrs&George (B11, next to B10) which is also a bar. UTS has a food court in B2.

China Townis a short walk from UTS and has many options for delicious food at a range of prices.

If you are vegetarian or vegan, there are many fantastic places to eat in Newtown, which is a 15 minute bus ride away from UTS. Some of our favourites include:

• The Golden Lotus (Vietnamese vegan, has the best Ph?)
• Vina Vegan (also Vietnamese)
• Calle Rey (Mexican, Peruvian & Japanese fusion)
• Vandal Taqueria (Mexican)
• Mina Maria (Greek)
• Soulburger (Plant-based burgers)

There are many pubs and bars near UTS to suit a wide range of tastes from student bars, sports bars, ‘old man’ pubs, to bougie gin joints and places with fancy cocktails.

Note: Australian pubs are also sometimes called ‘hotels’ (even if they don’t have accommodation).

Closest bars (or ‘watering holes’ as Aussies sometimes call them) are:

• The Loft (at UTS, next to B1)
• The Abercrombie Hotel (across the street from B11). WARNING – the website landing page has strobing effects!
• The Old Clare Hotel (across the street from UTS – posh pub)

And there are many more nearby!

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LGBTQI+ Sydney

To end the conference this year (on Friday 5th December), we will be hosting a Newtown Queer Pub Crawl, featuring popular queer pubs like The Newtown Hotel and The Imperial Hotel (made famous from The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert film).

To help us with planning, please register your interest by completing this form.