Ausway
Encyclopedia
Ausway is an Australia
n cartography
and publishing
company that produces comprehensive street directories and map
s. In addition to its directories, Ausway also produces laminated, folded and rolled maps of varying sizes and formats, 200dpi digital
map images, and index data. Ausway markets a satellite navigation
unit loaded with their mapping data, branded as Navway.
, Merv Godfrey and Iven Mackay began drawing maps by hand for their proposed directory in 1961.
Having produced road maps for petrol stations in the 1960s in his spare time, Godfrey took 12 months leave from his employer, the Government of Victoria
's State Electricity Commission
, to work on the directory. Godfrey resigned from his job, and worked with his wife to complete the publication. In a second-hand Morris Minor
car, Mackay took the drawn maps and drove around checking each road and detail to confirm them.
After five years of meticulous research and pen-and-ink drawing, their maps were ready for publication. The first edition of Melway
was released in May 1966 with a $2.50 price tag. Being twice as expensive as its nearest rival, critics dismissed it as too expensive, however the directory's higher quality prevailed and it sold well, especially after receiving publicity from Graham Kennedy
on the popular In Melbourne Tonight
television variety show's "New Products" segment. The directory was embraced by local residents – the word "Melway" quickly became a household name for "street directory".
With continuing success, the company grew from Godfrey's private residence in Malvern
, to an office location in Mount Waverley
in 1985.
In 1991, Melway Holdings changed its name to Ausway Publishing, and expanded into Sydney
in 1993 with the launch of the Sydway directory, into Brisbane
in 2005 with the Brisway, and into Perth in 2010 with the Melway Perth
.
Current directories produced by Ausway are:
A separate directory covering the Central Coast, New South Wales
, was integrated in the Sydway directory since its 13th edition.
, and is currently in its 2009 edition.
mapping and routing data (as an alternative to the UBD-derived data in Sensis WhereIs mapping data). There are currently three models of Navway:
-based Virtual Map Australia's street-directory.com.au site. The advertisement-supported site is in competition to WhereIs, a site by Sensis, the advertising and directories arm of Telstra Corporation
. Sensis owns Universal Publishers' UBD directories, rivals to Ausway's publications, and use that mapping data in their WhereIs site.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n cartography
Cartography
Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.The fundamental problems of traditional cartography are to:*Set the map's...
and publishing
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
company that produces comprehensive street directories and map
Map
A map is a visual representation of an area—a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, regions, and themes....
s. In addition to its directories, Ausway also produces laminated, folded and rolled maps of varying sizes and formats, 200dpi digital
Digital
A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
map images, and index data. Ausway markets a satellite navigation
Global Navigation Satellite System
A satellite navigation or SAT NAV system is a system of satellites that provide autonomous geo-spatial positioning with global coverage. It allows small electronic receivers to determine their location to within a few metres using time signals transmitted along a line-of-sight by radio from...
unit loaded with their mapping data, branded as Navway.
History
Seeking a higher quality street directory for MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Merv Godfrey and Iven Mackay began drawing maps by hand for their proposed directory in 1961.
Having produced road maps for petrol stations in the 1960s in his spare time, Godfrey took 12 months leave from his employer, the Government of Victoria
Government of Victoria
The Government of Victoria, under the Constitution of Australia, ceded certain legislative and judicial powers to the Commonwealth, but retained complete independence in all other areas...
's State Electricity Commission
State Electricity Commission of Victoria
The State Electricity Commission of Victoria was a monopoly electricity generation, transmission and supply utility located in Victoria, Australia...
, to work on the directory. Godfrey resigned from his job, and worked with his wife to complete the publication. In a second-hand Morris Minor
Morris Minor
The Morris Minor was a British economy car that debuted at the Earls Court Motor Show, London, on 20 September 1948. Designed under the leadership of Alec Issigonis, more than 1.3 million were manufactured between 1948 and 1971...
car, Mackay took the drawn maps and drove around checking each road and detail to confirm them.
After five years of meticulous research and pen-and-ink drawing, their maps were ready for publication. The first edition of Melway
Melway
Melway is an almost ubiquitous street directory for Melbourne, Australia and its immediate surrounds, including the city of Geelong. It is currently in its 39th edition—the 2012 edition—which was released in July 2011.-History:Melway was conceived by Merv Godfrey and Iven Mackay in the 1950s...
was released in May 1966 with a $2.50 price tag. Being twice as expensive as its nearest rival, critics dismissed it as too expensive, however the directory's higher quality prevailed and it sold well, especially after receiving publicity from Graham Kennedy
Graham Kennedy
Graham Cyril Kennedy, AO was an Australian radio, television and film performer, often called Gra Gra and The King of Australian television.-Childhood:...
on the popular In Melbourne Tonight
In Melbourne Tonight
In Melbourne Tonight, also known as "IMT", was a highly popular nightly variety television show produced at GTV-9 Melbourne from 6 May 1957 to 1970....
television variety show's "New Products" segment. The directory was embraced by local residents – the word "Melway" quickly became a household name for "street directory".
With continuing success, the company grew from Godfrey's private residence in Malvern
Malvern, Victoria
Malvern is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington. At the 2006 Census, Malvern had a population of 9,422.-History:...
, to an office location in Mount Waverley
Mount Waverley, Victoria
Mount Waverley is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 16 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Monash...
in 1985.
In 1991, Melway Holdings changed its name to Ausway Publishing, and expanded into Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in 1993 with the launch of the Sydway directory, into Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
in 2005 with the Brisway, and into Perth in 2010 with the Melway Perth
Melway Perth
The Melway Perth is a street directory for the city of Perth, Western Australia. It is published by Ausway, using mapping data from Landgate. It is the primary competitor to the UBD and Gregory's Perth street directories.-History:...
.
Street Directories
- MelwayMelwayMelway is an almost ubiquitous street directory for Melbourne, Australia and its immediate surrounds, including the city of Geelong. It is currently in its 39th edition—the 2012 edition—which was released in July 2011.-History:Melway was conceived by Merv Godfrey and Iven Mackay in the 1950s...
– Greater Melbourne (38th edition, released June 2010)- Melway Large Print Edition – a larger, A3-sized version of the current edition
- Melway Ballarat Edition 1 - a separate directory to the Melway, containing 19 maps of Ballarat and surrounding areas
- Sydway – Greater Sydney & Blue Mountains plus Central Coast (15th edition, released October 2009)
- Brisway – Greater Brisbane, Sunshine Coast & Gold Coast plus Toowoomba (5th edition, released April 2010)
- Melway PerthMelway PerthThe Melway Perth is a street directory for the city of Perth, Western Australia. It is published by Ausway, using mapping data from Landgate. It is the primary competitor to the UBD and Gregory's Perth street directories.-History:...
- Greater Perth plus Albany, Bunbury, Geraldton and Kalgoorlie/Boulder (released December 2009). This street directory is derived from the Perth StreetSmart street directory
A separate directory covering the Central Coast, New South Wales
Central Coast, New South Wales
The Central Coast is an urban region in the Australian state of New South Wales, located on the coast north of Sydney and south of Lake Macquarie....
, was integrated in the Sydway directory since its 13th edition.
eway
The eway is an electronic copy of the Melway, Brisway and Sydway street directories. It includes the ability to print out maps, calculate distances and quickly search for locations. It is only available for Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, and is currently in its 2009 edition.
GPS
Ausway also market a GPS in-car navigator known as Navway. It includes NavteqNAVTEQ
Navteq is a Chicago, Illinois-based provider of Geographic Information Systems data and is a dominant company in providing the base electronic navigable maps...
mapping and routing data (as an alternative to the UBD-derived data in Sensis WhereIs mapping data). There are currently three models of Navway:
- M470 (Navway Map) - the 'base model' with Ausway-style roads, lane guidance and a Bluetooth hands-free mobile phone connection
- T470 (Navway with Traffic) - similar to the M470 but with access to the TCMTraffic Message ChannelTraffic Message Channel is a technology for delivering traffic and travel information to drivers. It is typically digitally coded using the FM-RDS system on conventional FM radio broadcasts...
SUNASunaSuna may refer to:*Suna of Buganda, king of Buganda until 1609*Suna II of Buganda, king of Buganda from 1836 until 1856*Suna River, a river in the Republic of Karelia, Russia*Suna pur, a neighborhood in Dubai, United Arab Emirates...
traffic channel for live updates on congested and slow-moving areas - P470 (Navway Professional) - the 'high-end model'
Online mapping
Ausway's directory products are searchable online through MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
-based Virtual Map Australia's street-directory.com.au site. The advertisement-supported site is in competition to WhereIs, a site by Sensis, the advertising and directories arm of Telstra Corporation
Telstra
Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
. Sensis owns Universal Publishers' UBD directories, rivals to Ausway's publications, and use that mapping data in their WhereIs site.