Conference vision

The simple acts of walking and cycling have the potential to transform the places we live, our economies and how we engage with our environment. The Australian Walking and Cycling conference explores the potential for walking and cycling to not only provide for transport and recreation but solutions to challenges of liveability, health, community building, economic development and sustainability. As one of Australia’s longest running, best regarded and most affordable active travel conferences, we bring together practitioners and researchers from Australia and across the world to share their work and engage with conference participants.

The Australian Walking and Cycling Conference aims to send zero waste to landfill.

Who should attend the Australian Walking and Cycling Conference?

We welcome a diverse range of professions – town and country planners, transport planners, policy makers, population health experts, mobility technicians, health promotion professionals and futurists.

We also welcome activists, advocates and change agents. People who want to build better cities and towns and who want to share their vision and their evidence. People from Australia, New Zealand or from across the globe.

Our reputation

We have a positive and sustained reputation. All our conferences are evaluated by those attending. What we know clearly is that our reputation is founded in supporting people to provide quality presentations. In addition we provide structure for lots of purposeful interaction and networking. We provide active conferences, with diverse presentation possibilities and we have fun!

History of the Australian Walking and Cycling Conference

The University of South Australia kicked off the forerunner conferences in 2000 with the advent of the ICU Tour Down Under in Adelaide. These UniSA Conferences were run during the week of the TDU.

After some years, the University of Adelaide took over what became the Australian Cycling Conference. However University hosted, academic style conferences during this major international sports cycling event proved not to be a sustainable match. When the University of Adelaide dropped the Conference in 2010 a committee of volunteers decided to organise the conference, flex up the presentation options, broaden the interest base and move into a time of the year, more conducive to the conference market.

We are well governed, effective and efficient Conference. The organisation is a legally incorporated body and holds an annual general meeting each August.