UQ soefile access

So this post is mac-related. So I have a several year old mac at home (PPC! running 10.4.11) and even with my University's VPN I still couldn't access myFiles using the network address that usually works locally on linux and windows on campus.
Normally the addresses are (works for both staff and students with a substitution of s1234567 with your my.UQ username):

All Campuses except Ipswich students - \\soefile\s1234567
Ipswich Campus students - \\uqistudent\s1234567
Gatton campus students - \\UQGfile\s1234567$

But that wouldn't work in the Go->Connect to Server Dialog. What does work (at least for St. Lucia, I'm not an Ipswich or Gatton student so I can't confirm it for those campuses) is:
smb://soefile.uq.edu.au/uqxxxxx or smb://soefile.uq.edu.au/s1234567

But you can't browse the "local" network that you are VPNed into for some peculiar reason. Also, you can then save that connection as a shortcut to your desktop by dragging the network icon and name from the top of the finder window to the desktop (or any folder for that matter), but for some reason not to the sidebar.