We are pleased to invite you to come "down under" to the land of the koala and the kangaroo, to the 23^rd General Assembly and associated meetings of APMP 2007. APMP-07 is being hosted by the National Measurement Institute, Australia (NMIA) in the period from October 29 to November 2, 2007 in Sydney, the biggest city in Australia and one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Indeed the conference venue is within easy walking distance of some of the city's major tourist attractions, like the Sydney Opera House.

APMP will take advantage of the annual ILAC/IAF conference being held in the same period to hold a joint APMP-ILAC/IAF Symposium on accreditation and metrology during the week. We will also be arranging tours of the two major NMIA laboratories in Sydney.

In addition there will be five satellite meetings, to be held in the week before APMP 2007, involving:

• The Asia-Pacific Mass and Force Symposium;
• The Gas Analysis Working Group of the CIPM Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance;
• The Bioanalysis Working Group of the CIPM Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance;
• The APEC Uncertainty Workshop;
• The APMP Time and Frequency Workshop.

So altogether there will be a veritable feast of metrology-related activities. However, we don't expect that you will want to come to Sydney only to work. The city offers a smorgasbord of tourist attractions: golden beaches, Sydney Harbour, great shopping, national parks, Australia's unique wildlife and flora, colonial history sites, and fine food and wine in a dazzling variety of restaurants, all accompanied by a very friendly climate. And if you want to explore some of the other parts of our wide brown land, Sydney is the ideal stepping-off place.

We aim to give you a quintessentially Australian experience. Come and join us in Sydney later this year to take metrology into the future in our region. We promise you a wonderful time.