cartography
Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...
and
publishing
Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...
map
A map is a symbolic depiction emphasizing relationships between elements of some space, such as objects, regions, or themes.
Many maps are static, fixed to paper or some other durable medium, while others are dynamic or interactive. Although ...
s. In addition to its directories, Ausway also produces laminated, folded and rolled maps of varying sizes and formats, 200dpi
digital
Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits.
Technology and computing Hardware
*Digital electronics, electronic circuits which operate using digital signals
**Digital camera, which captures and stores digital i ...
map images, and index data. Ausway markets a
satellite navigation
A satellite navigation or satnav system is a system that uses satellites to provide autonomous geo-spatial positioning. It allows satellite navigation devices to determine their location (longitude, latitude, and altitude/elevation) to high pr ...
unit loaded with their mapping data, branded as Navway.
History
Seeking a higher quality street directory for
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, 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
The Victoria State Government, also referred to as just the Victorian Government, is the state-level authority for Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Like all state governments, it is formed by three independent branches: the executive ...
'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
The Morris Minor is a British economy family car that made its debut at the Earls Court Motor Show, London, in October 1948. Designed under the leadership of Alec Issigonis, more than 1.6 million were manufactured between 1948 and 1972 in th ...
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, colloquially referred to as Melways or The Melways, is a street directory for Melbourne, 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 Cyril Kennedy AO (15 February 1934 – 25 May 2005) was an Australian entertainer, comedian and variety performer, as well as a personality and star of radio, theatre, television and film. He often performed in the style of vaudevilli ...
on the popular ''
In Melbourne Tonight
''In Melbourne Tonight'', also known as ''IMT'', was a highly popular nightly Logie award-winning Australian variety television show produced at GTV-9 Melbourne from 6 May 1957 to 1970.
Overview
Graham Kennedy was the show's main host and sta ...
'' television variety show's "New Products" segment. The directory was embraced by local residents – the word "Melways" quickly became a household name for "street directory".
With continuing success, the company grew from Godfrey's private residence in
Malvern
Malvern or Malverne may refer to:
Places Australia
* Malvern, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide
* Malvern, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne
* City of Malvern, a former local government area near Melbourne
* Electoral district of Malvern, an e ...
, to an office location in
Mount Waverley
Mount Waverley is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Monash local government area. Mount Waverley recorded a population of 35,340 at the 2021 census.
It ...
in 1985.
In 1991, Melway Holdings changed its name to Ausway Publishing, and expanded into
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
in 1993 with the launch of the '' Sydway'' directory, into
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
in 2005 with the '' Brisway'', and into Perth in 2010 with the '' Melway Perth''.
Products
Street Directories
Current directories produced by Ausway are:
* ''
Melway
Melway, colloquially referred to as Melways or The Melways, is a street directory for Melbourne,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 18th edition for 2016
* '' Brisway'' – Greater Brisbane, Sunshine Coast & Gold Coast plus Toowoomba (5th edition, released April 2010)
* '' Melway Perth'' - 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
The Central Coast is a peri-urbanisation, peri-urban region in New South Wales, Australia, lying on the Tasman Sea coast to the north of Sydney and south of Newcastle, New South Wales, Newcastle.
The Local government areas of New South Wale ...
, was integrated in the ''Sydway'' directory since its 13th edition.
eway
The eway is an electronic copy of the Melway, Brisway, Sydway and Melway Perth street directories. It includes the ability to print out maps, calculate distances and quickly search for locations. It is only available for
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
, and is currently being updated in sync with the printed books.
GPS
Ausway also market a GPS in-car navigator known as ''Navway''. It includes Navteq 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 TCMSUNA traffic channel for live updates on congested and slow-moving areas
*P470 (Navway Professional) - the 'high-end model'
Ausway Android and iPhone apps
An Ausway app for Android and iPhone called Aus Map has been released. This app requires an internet connection since it downloads the map data as needed from www.street-directory.com.au. Melway, Sydway, Brisway and Melway Perth are all included along with other map scales from street-directory.com. Aus Map includes the ability to act as a GPS with onscreen direction instructions. At present (2013) the direction instructions are limited to onscreen only. No voice audio support.
Online mapping
Ausway's directory products are searchable online through
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
-based Virtual Map Australia' 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.