The 2001 IEEE Information Theory Workshop was held in Cairns, Australia on September 2-7 2001. This workshop was hosted by the Joint Australian Chapter of the IEEE Information Theory Society, which was recently formed in response to growing activity in Information Theory in Australia.

Almost 100 participants enjoyed the relaxed environment of Far North Queensland, as they discussed many interesting problems in Information Theory. Despite its southerly location, the workshop was well supported by delegates from around the world, with representatives from USA, Japan, Europe, Korea, Israel, Canada, China, Singapore and of course Australia.

The workshop consisted of 43 invited papers, and 14 contributed papers (extra copies of the proceedings are available through the IEEE). The session organisers did an excellent job in putting together sessions on Iterative Decoding, Iterative Receivers, Multiple Access, Turbo Coding, Shannon Theory, Space-Time Coding, and Topics in Coding. It was a testament to the high quality presentations that despite the lure of the Great Barrier Reef, only an hour away by boat, that the final Friday afternoon "Recent Results" session was so very well attended.

A highlight of the social program was the Wednesday half-day excursion. After a not-altogether smooth sailing trip of about 40 minutes, over 90 Information Theorists, their spouses and children spilled onto the beautiful beaches of tropical Green Island. Whether it was walking around the lush island, snorkelling among the coral with tropical fish, turtles and stingrays, windsurfing or simply sunbathing on the sand, by all reports the trip was an adventure that will be remembered by everyone.

The Thursday evening banquet (subject to a ban on the wearing of ties) was a lively affair. A traditional Australian bush band, "Bush Remedy" treated the diners to many Australian folk songs, which were enjoyed along with the delicious Australian food and wines. The band was joined at times by various workshop participants who assisted musically on the lagerphone and washboard. Highlights included the ensemble of representatives from the Workshop Sponsors, who sang Give Me a Home Among the Gum Trees, which was followed later by an all-Australian rendition of Waltzing Matilda.

The workshop concluded on Friday with a poolside farewell reception. Details on the technical program may still be found on the workshop web site: http://www.itr.unisa.edu.au/itw2001

DSCF1229.JPG: In the hotel L-R, Robert Morelos-Zaragoza and Joachim Hagenauer

DSCF1236.JPG: In the hotel L-R in foreground Zhuo Chen, Predrag Rapajic, Jinhong Yuan and Ralf Muller

DSCF1257.JPG: On the boat to Green Island In foreground: Tom Cover and wife, In background L-R, Conference Organisers, Iain Collings, Alex Grant, Jamie Evans

DSCF1268.JPG: On the boat to Green Island LR Unknown, Giuseppe Caire, Hesham El Gamal

DSCF1273.JPG: On the boat to Green Island LR Sergio Verdu, Suzanne Loeliger, Andi Loeliger. Head in background is Pascal Vontobel

DSCF1349.JPG: "Bush Remedy" playing at the banquet