Small Business, Marketing and Dealing with Tough Economic Times

A man lived by the side of the road and sold hot dogs. He was hard of hearing, so he had no radio or computer. He had trouble with his eyes, so he read no newspapers, he didn’t watch television. He didn’t know much about the outside world, but he sold good hot dogs.

He put up a sign on the highway telling how good they were. he had a web site built. He stood by the side of the road and cried “Buy a hot dog, folks!” And people bought and bought and bought.

He increased his meat and roll orders. He bought a bigger stove to take care of his growing trade. He got his son home from university to help him. He hired a hotdog chef.

But then something happened.

His son said “Dad, haven’t you been listening to the radio? Haven’t you been reading the newspapers? Haven’t you been watching the television? There’s a credit crisis. If money stays tight, we are bound to have bad business!

There may be a big recession coming on! You’d better prepare for poor trade!”

Whereupon the father thought “Well, my son has gone to university. He reads the papers and listens to the radio and television, and he ought to know”.

So the father cut down his meat and roll orders. He took down his advertising signs and turned off his web site. And he no longer bothered to stand on the side of the highway crying “Buy a hot dog, folks!”

And his hot dog sales plummeted almost overnight.’

“You’re right son,” the father said, “We’re certainly headed for a recession!”

The moral of the story is…

History has proven companies that maintain or increase their advertising investments in periods of economic downturn increase their sales and share of market, both during and after the downturn.

Here are the facts:

• Maintaining or increasing advertising budget levels during economic downturns may be necessary in terms of protecting market position vis-a-vis forward looking competitors.

• If a company fails to maintain its “Share of Mind” during an economic downturn, current and future sales are jeopardized. Maintaining “Share of Mind” costs much less than rebuilding it later on.

• If during an economic downturn you maintain a strong advertising presence while your competitor cuts his budget, you will automatically increase your “Share of Mind.”

• Advertising through both boom and down times sustains the necessary brand recognition.

Economic downturns reward the aggressive advertiser and penalize the timid one. Maintaining a company’s advertising during an economic downturn will give the image of corporate stability within a chaotic business environment, and give the advertiser the chance to dominate the advertising media.

During an economic downturn, a strong advertising/marketing effort enables a firm to solidify its customer base, take business away from less aggressive competitors, and position itself for future growth during the recovery.

When times are good, you should advertise; when times are bad, you MUST advertise.

Advertising in an economic downturn should be regarded not as a drain on profits, but as a contributor to profits and insurance for the future.

Advertising now includes have a fast and efficient web site that can be found on the internet. For web design Brisbane, visit johnhacking.com. John is a web designer located in Brisbane. If you are looking for a business for sale, visit business2sell.com.au

Ordering Blinds on the Internet is a Breeze with Just Roller Blinds

If you are looking for roller blinds, holland blinds, or custom made blinds, visit www.justrollerblinds.com.au

Just Roller Blinds have a very useful and friendly web site that allows you to choose your fabric and style of blinds from a large range of options.

By buying online from Just Roller blinds you can save money and get the perfect blinds for your house, unit or apartment.

Don’t be concerned about measurements either. The Just Roller Blinds web site has a step-by-step guide to help you get it right.

There are four styles of blind to choose from: budget, standard, executive and sunscreen. And if your not sure about the colours, you can always order fabric swatches.

One of their recent customers said: Thank you for the fast delivery and I’m happy with the quality of the product and also cheap price. When I quote other manufacturers it was almost double the price I paid for this.I’m so glad that I made the right choice. I’m sure your business will grow fast everyday coz there’s no reason people to go for other shops for good blind product. If someone looking for good blinds I’d definitely recommend ‘Justrollerblinds’
Jae

Visit www.justrollerblinds.com.au today.

19 Deadly Web Site Design and Marketing Mistakes

Foggy or undefined business goals - your web site needs a purpose. For example, the purpose of my web site is: “to support word-of-mouth, yellow pages, print and classified advertising of our web design services to small businesses and sole traders in the CBD and southern suburbs of Brisbane. I will know if it is successful if it generates an average of at least five enquiries or three sales per month.”

A Bad Business Model - a great web site will not save a bad business model. If you cannot state in one sentence what you have to offer, or why you are different to your competitors, then you have major marketing problems. Remember, your web pages are competing with 21 billion other web pages on the Internet. Without a good business model and marketing and PR support, your business will have difficulty in succeeding.

Becoming an internet dreamer. You would be stunned the number of people who think having a web site is having a business. They are pretty easy to spot. They’ve read The Secret, talk about Paying it Forward, and look forward to the day where they make lots of money while crusing on their yacht. I’ve got no problem with The Secret or Paying it Forward, what I do have a problem with the belief that making money online is easy. It isn’t unless you are extremely lucky. A web site is not a business.

Focusing on style rather than substance - it’s easy to waste a lot of money on fancy Flash pages, Java script, music, graphics and other techniques that add little to your sites value and make it slower to download and harder to navigate. When in doubt - don’t do it. Your web site should be designed so that even people with older versions of browsers and slow old modems can still get the information they need quickly. And don’t be tempted to have videos or sound that automatically start playing when a web page is opened. It is very annoying and people will leave your site in droves without reading what you have to offer.

Trying to be all things to all people - getting found on the Internet means a focused approach to marketing. Pick one product or service offering and build a web site around that one offering. By appealing to different markets with unconnected products means that your search engine rankings will suffer. Pick a profitable niche and focus on that niche.

Using a generic domain name - the more unique and memorable your domain name, the better. Domains like pets.com or computer.com describe the product category, not the brand. google.com, dell.com , yahoo.com are easy to say, easy to remember and excellent brand names for the web. Do what they do, choose your online name carefully.

Not having a domain name at all - the use of a web address like ispname/~fashionshop looks unprofessional and “small-time”. Invest the $40 or so it costs to have your own domain name.

Not thinking like a customer - your web site should anticipate your prospects’ questions and be designed with them in mind. What do they want to know? What’s the best way to tell them? What proof can I offer? Consumers don’t necessarily want to make the best buying decision, they are usually happy just avoiding a bad one.

Not listing prices - the second question all prospects ask after “have they got what I’m looking for” is “how much is it?”. If you can give straight pricing, do so. Prospects are looking for value, not necessarily the lowest price. Value = offer/price. If you have a strong offer and your prices are reasonable you will represent value to your prospects. If you don’t state your prices then the value can’t be calculated. If you charge by the hour, state your rates for the type of work you do and a typical project cost.

Bad spelling, punctuation or grammar - there’s no excuse for typos, bad spelling or bad grammar. Always get your web site proof read by an independent party. If you do find an error, fix it promptly.

Not allowing for growth or updates - your web site design should allow for growth in content and easy changing of content. New product lines, additional locations, extra consumer information should all be catered for without the need for a major site redesign. This website uses what’s called a content management system. To add a new page takes less than 1 minute.

Investing too much in electronic order taking systems - if you expect to receive less than 10 orders per day from your web site, it’s probably far easier to use a simple order form and manual credit card processing using your EFTPOS machine than building real-time electronic payment processing systems. For low to medium volumes, another option is the range of merchant tools from PayPal. It takes about 5 minutes to insert a Buy Now button on your web page that allows customers to pay immediately by credit card. Paypal is the world leader in online payments for a good reason … it works.

Investing too little in online marketing - in most cases it pays to invest in online marketing. Unlike traditional media, with online marketing you can choose your daily budget and the cost-per-click of your marketing campaign. With good reason, Goggle Adwords is the leader in pay-per-click advertising. Learn about Adwords or hire a consultant who does. For as little as $5 -$10 per day you can get yourself a source of steady, qualified leads.

Not considering search engines - The primary way people will find you online is via search engines like google, altavista and sensis. By adding key words to the header of your web pages, using paragraph headings, linking to related sites and other techniques, you can improve your ranking in the search results dramatically.

Not responding quickly to inquiries that come from your web site- the Internet works very quickly. It takes less than a second to send an e-mail from Australia to Europe. Internet users are impatient. They want immediate results. If you take a few days to answer and e-mail there’s a good chance you’ve already lost the sale to someone who understands this and acts quickly. Check your e-mail twice a day and once a day on weekends if possible.

Unreadable pages - your pages should be clean, simple and readable. Red writing on a black background may look rather funky, but it is hard to read and will lose visitors quickly. Similarly with fonts. Only use fonts that you would usually see in a mainstream newspaper or magazine.

Unprintable pages - if you use lots of graphics and coloured text on coloured backgrounds it my be difficult for prospective customers to print out your pages. Black on white/cream works well. It’s easy to read as well as cheap and fast to print. You would be amazed the number of prospective buyers who print out web pages for future reference.

Using cheesy stock photos and graphics - photos can really ad impact to a web page, but don’t be tempted to use the same stock photos that everyone else does. You know what I mean, “man with briefcase running” or “business meeting” or “close-up of pen on table” or even “business handshake closing a deal”. These are the sort of cheesy images a 12 year old would put in a school project. If possible, use original photos of you and your business. If that isn’t possible, there are some excellent stock photo sites around where you can buy quality images for less than $2 a pop. The photo on this page is one such example. Cost? $1.65 Australian.

Bad site navigation - it should take a maximum of three clicks for your reader to find the information they are looking for. 40 seconds is the average time a person will spend scanning your web site to see if you have want they want. Deliver.

John Hacking is a Brisbane web designer. For web design Brisbane, contact John today.

Icon Energy (ICN) Board to be Ousted in Shareholder Revolt

Icon Energy Ltd, a Queensland based small cap gas exploration company, is under threat of having its board replaced at an Extraordinary General Meeting called by major shareholders to be held on 23 February 2009.

The Icon Energy Action Group today announced via its website www.iconenergyactiongroup.org details of its plan to throw out the current board and replace it with a new team.

Ron Baldwin, spokesperson for the Action Group said, “There are a whole raft of things that the shareholders want to see eliminated from the way the company has operated.

Firstly, they want a Board that is not dominated by its two Executive Directors Secondly, they want a reduction in Executive salaries to industry standards Thirdly, they want accountability by the Executive to the Board and then by the Board to the shareholders”.

Ron Baldwin said that the shareholders wanted a system of Corporate Governance that guaranteed that the disasters of 2008 would not be repeated.

These disasters included the three wells drilled in 2007 in ATP626P being either drilled in the wrong spot or otherwise largely unusable, ordering the wrong dewatering pump from USA and attempting to obtain finance by way of a questionable convertible note.

An award winning Singapore journalist described these convertible notes as “toxic” and likely to cause the company’s share price to go into a “death spiral”. Ron Baldwin said that he provided a copy of the journalist’s report to Ray James, in early December 2008, prior to the EGM, but Ray James neglected to share this information with Icon Energy’s Chairman, Stephen Barry who only became aware of the report during the course of the EGM.

Despite this damaging report, the Board continued to recommend that shareholders approve the issue of ‘toxic’ convertible notes. Fortunately shareholders at the EGM rejected the Board’s recommendations.

In addition, Ron Baldwin said that the shareholders wanted to make sure that there could never be a repeat of a three person Board, dominated by two Executive Directors, which approved salaries, bonuses and free shares to its Executive Directors that could only be described as being “grossly excessive” for a company of the size and type of Icon Energy.

“To have a Managing Director of a small gas explorer, with no cash flow, paid $560,000.00 per year is just not acceptable to shareholders”, Ron Baldwin said.

Ron Baldwin also said that as the EGM of 23rd December 2008 approached, when the Executive Directors saw the overwhelming negative vote being lodged by Proxy against their bonus shares and bonus share scheme, they withdrew the seven resolutions relating to the bonuses and the scheme but they did not withdraw the bonuses – they just paid them in cash out of shareholders funds.

The Shareholders of Icon Energy Limited will now have an opportunity to express their wishes about the current Board at the Extraordinary General Meeting to be held on 23rd February 2009.
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For further information contact Ron Baldwin 07 3848 9699 or visit the website www.iconenergyactiongroup.org

High Manganese and Geosmin Levels Blamed for Brisbane’s Awful Water Taste and Smell

It seems the cause of the Brisbane water smell and taste problem is high manganese and geosmin levels. Here’s an extract from a press release from the Queensland Water Commission:

“Test results that we received today indicated that these measures are working and there has been a reduction in manganese and geosmin levels, and the community should start to experience improvements to the taste and odour of their tap water by the end of the week.”

The full press release can be seen here.

Why Does Brisbane Water Now Taste and Smell So Foul?

The anti-flouride brigade are correct, Brisbane’s water does now taste and smell awful. I only noticed today. It sort of smells like wet gravel and tastes like it has rocks in it. The colour is OK, but the smell and taste are disgusting.

I hope the south-east corner’s water quality becomes a huge election issue. I really don’t care too much about the flouride, but the new smell and taste of Brisbane water is enough to swing my vote. Anna, it’s time for another backflip.

Do a Kevin, turn off the flouride and commission a 20 year long working committee.

Here’s some comments from the Courier Mail.

Alcohol - Health and Social Aspects

Alcohol, or Ethyl Alcohol, is an intoxicating ingredient found in alcoholic beverages. Alcoholic beverages can be categorised into three generic classes: beers, wines and spirits. Ethanol is a psychoactive drug that is found to have a depressant effect on all human beings.

Everyday millions of people around the world suffer from negative after-effects of drinking alcohol without even knowing that they already have become a victim of alcohol abuse. An innocent social habit gradually crosses over a physiological and psychological addiction to turn people into a heavy drinker. Over the time excessive consumption of alcohol will take its toll on the human body.

The Chemistry

Ethanol (CH3CH2OH) is produced by fermentation, a process that involves metabolism of carbohydrates by certain species of yeast in absence of oxygen.

How Much is OK?

Alcohol by volume or ABV defines the concentration of alcohol in a drink, in percentage by weight, abbreviated as w/w (weight/weight) or in proof. The proof measurement is twice the percentage of alcohol by volume at 60 degrees of Fahrenheit (i.e. 80 proof = 40% ABV).

Governments of some countries have defined limit on consumption of alcohol based on their geography, weather patterns and public health statistics. Basic recommendation of having alcohol defined by the Govt. of Australia is as follows:

* Men should not exceed 4 units or 40g of absolute alcohol per day on regular basis or 28 units per week
* Women should not exceed 2 units or 20g of absolute alcohol per day on regular basis or 14 units per week

In simpler version, one unit refers to 10g of pure alcohol in Australian standard whereas 8g or roughly 10ML of pure alcohol is equivalent to one unit in the UK. Current UK guidelines recommend men not to exceed 3 or 4 units per day.

Biologically, women body composition has less water than men. Even if the women and men have same size and same weight, the women tend to get drunk faster than men, which is why the recommended limit of consumption of alcohol is lower for women regardless of geographical location or country.

Alcohol Dependence

People, who drink very frequently, start to be dependent on alcohol and become addictive to the alcohol. Listed below are some of the symptoms and habits that help doctors determine whether a patient is dependent on alcohol or not:

* A strong urge to consume alcohol
* Physical withdrawal system, e.g. shaking, agitation, nausea and sweating when patient tries to reduce drinking
* A growing tolerance to alcohol
* Neglecting other activities
* Persistent drinking

Short-term and Long-term effects

Effects of alcohol change over the time. At the beginning alcohol makes people feel relaxed and cheerful, but further consumption leads to blurred vision, slurred speech, loss of balance and coordination problems. Large amounts of drink at one time may lead to unconsciousness, or even death.

Drinking alcohol for a prolonged period of time will cause physical damage and increase the chances of getting diseases such as alcohol-related liver disease, cardiovascular disease, brain damage, neurological problems, vitamin deficiency and some forms of cancer. Obesity, sexual problems, infertility and skin problems also directly linked with excessive drinking.

Social effects

Alcohol can have negative effects on daily social life. In most of the cases people shy away from the heavy drinker and do not socialize with the addicted person.

Alcohol can also make a person say things they do not mean to say at all. Alcohol intoxication can lead to rapes, unintended pregnancies, ruined relationships and other unwelcome incidents that do not happen in a normal life.

Conclusion

Drinking alcohol does not necessarily have to be associated with ?producing negative impacts?. In fact, moderate drinking with plenty of water and appetizers can be quite enjoyable.

Excessive drinking does not only bring about social embarrassments and arouse intensity to commit criminal acts, but it also has as adverse effect on the human body. Once addicted, it?s not easy to quit alcohol, but it is possible to do so with medical help and social support.

If you are an alcohol abuse or you have a problem with alcohol consult with physician right away.

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The responsible service of alcohol is an initiative by Australian State and local Governments to reduce the social and health problems associated with alcohol. RSA online training is available from South Bank Institute of Technology as well as RSA face-to-face RSA courses.

Alcohol Advertising in the Mass Media

Advertising and the promotion of alcohol in the media and through sport sponsorships is a major contributing factor to the ongoing alcohol problem in Australian society. Teenagers are especially at risk from campaigns that mix sexual attraction with alcohol.

Advertising that appeals to teenagers, links alcohol with sexual and sporting success, and encourages questionable standards of taste and morality has been heaviliy criticised by social commentators and health professionals.

They argue that such advertising seriously violates a corporate duty of care towards the Australian community.

In recent years, alcohol consumption has been promoted on Australian television through commercials with overtly sexual themes. In one such ad, a talking polar bear and a group of men eavesdrop on a young woman sitting at a bar. She credits alcohol with success in finding casual sex,and the men make no secret of the fact that this is what they like to hear.

Another commercial shows a young woman lifting her T-shirt and flaunting her breasts to a young man she has just beaten in a game.

A recent beer poster depicted a drawing of a young and attractive woman holding a bottle of beer in one hand and lifting her dress with the other.

These types of beer promotions, clearly designed to attract young drinkers, evoke subtle, but unrealistic sexual expectations associated with drinking alcohol and contribute to unhealthy relationships.

In an approach to sell alcohol to young people, hundreds of thousands of leaflets were used to promote web sites that encouraged school leavers to join a party with a particular alcoholic beverage.

Another web site posted by a large Australian beer manufacturer promoted free beer to fuel university student parties and offered the chance to become a “Citizen of the Keg.”

Sport is an important part of many people’s lives and sports venues have been targeted by alcohol manufactures for promotion of their products, thereby building an association between sport, sporting heros and alcohol to boost sales.

However, the link between alcohol consumption and antisocial behaviour at these venues has become so obvious that in 2003 the New South Wales Police Association took the unprecedented step of asking for alcohol to be banned at major sporting venues.

The police association cited examples of very attractive young women, with the names of alcoholic products printed across their bikini bottoms, selling alcohol at sports venues.

A similar social problem exists with the new ranges of alcoholic beverages that look like soft drinks and appeal to younger and, in particular, female drinkers. These drinks are often referred to as “Alcopops”

Some bottles of these premixed drinks, which are often brightly coloured and usually contain vodka or bourbon, have the words Cola or Lemonade in far larger print than other words on the label.

The promotion of these products in this way is another example of corporate violations of duty of care, and should be stopped.

Clearly, the present situation of alcohol trading is unacceptable in terms of the health and social costs the community is required to bear.

Measures to limit the availability of alcohol—such as through licensing drinkers, banning advertisements, banning discounted drinks and free entertainment, banning drink-driving and so on—will go a long way toward reducing the cost of alcohol to society.

While these control measures are essential, they will not, by themselves, reduce the social and health costs of alcohol to an acceptable level.
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The responsible service of alcohol is an initiative by various Australian State Governments to reduce social problems associated with alcohol.RSA online training is available via South Bank Institute of Technology as well as face-to-face RSA courses.

Australian Weddings - Traditions and Etiquette

The marital union of, usually, a man and a woman is a life cycle event celebrated in all cultures and is the focus of considerable folklore. This begins with beliefs and customs that may be observed in the lead-up to the wedding day.

For example, in many Christian or European societies it is widely believed to be unlucky for the bride and groom to see each other for twenty-four hours ? sometimes more, sometimes less ? before the wedding.

The wedding car may be decorated with streamers and also, of late, with a Barbie Doll, dressed in the same material as the bridesmaids’ dresses, attached to the bonnet. Other mascots and forms of decoration are also common, including the traditional white ribbons.

Beliefs and customs relevant to the wedding day itself vary widely. In Lithuanian tradition, for instance, it is a popular custom to prevent the bride and groom from entering the reception. The groom must convince the guardians at the door and the guests that he and his bride should be allowed in.

Gifts are offered as an inducement. Barring the way to the fully wed state, with all its attendant rights and obligations, is a widespread facet of wedding customs, a rite of passage that marks the transition of the newlyweds from unmarried to married. Barring customs are also reported in British, American, Japanese and Carpathian tradition.

There are many interesting and colourful wedding customs observed in different ethnic and religious groups in Australia, such as stamping on a drinking glass (Jewish), linking ribbon coronets worn by bride and groom (Greek), the groom arriving at the wedding on horseback (Indian), and sugared almonds being given to wedding guests (Greek, Italian and many other ethnic groups).

The custom of giving sugared almonds has also been reported in France, Wales, England, Scotland, Israel and Belgium. In other places, raw nuts are considered appropriate food and/or gifts at weddings, a continuation of the widespread association of nuts and fertility, though in Italian tradition the nuts are generally said to symbolise good luck.

Almost always, an Australian wedding ceremony is followed by a reception, supper or party for the newlyweds and their friends and families. Often held at a reception centre or other public facility hired for the purpose, wedding receptions may also take place in the home of the bride or groom.

Characteristic elements include music, dance, song, food and drink, and speeches and toasts by the father of the bride, best man and groom. It is the duty of the best man to read out telegrams, letters, cards and faxes from absent well-wishers on this occasion.

In the past, these messages may have been of a playfully suggestive nature, though this feature seems to have faded from the contemporary observance of the custom. The gifts to the newlyweds are usually displayed at the reception.

It is important to note the dramatic changes in marriage practices in Australia even in the last twenty years, and their consequent effect on wedding customs. These changes have been documented by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and the 2001 Census shows changes such as the rise in non-church weddings.

Civil celebrants performed 53% of marriages in 2001, and of all marriages, 32% of all marriages, church and celebrant, are estimated to end in divorce.

In the same census, 72% of couples stated that they had cohabited before marriage, although this does not stop many of these couples eventually celebrating a legal marriage, sometimes with their children present, in simple or elaborate ceremonies which may be devised by the bride and groom themselves.

Another marked change in Australian society is the high rate of intermarriage between couples of different ethnic origins. All of these changes suggest that social commentators, need to be cautious about making pronouncements about marriage, or weddings, in Australia.
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If you’re looking for a Wedding or Marriage Celebrant in Brisbane, or a Wedding Marriage Celebrant for the North Brisbane area, contact Affinity Celebrants.

Unpretentious Melbourne: Australian Football Capital of Australia

As so often in Australia’s history, Melbourne was founded through deception when explorer John Batman, an Australian fluent in several aboriginal languages, made a “deal” with aborigines to lease land on behalf of speculators.

While offering the Aborigines any compensation at all was progressive in a colonial culture that preferred to simply run them off the land, the fact that the native people had little understanding of rents, leases or indeed, the concept that land was something to be bought, sold and leased at all, made his arrangements no less exploitive. In return for a long term lease of 240,000 hectares of the finest grazing land in Australia, Batman gave the aborigines axes, salt, flour, blankets and jewelry. The total value of the goods was said to have been around £200.

Colonial administrators later declared his leases unlawful, claiming that the government, not the Aborigines, were the true owners of the land. After paying Batman compensation, they took over the territory and founded a settlement as the seat of regional government. The settlement became the city of Melbourne in 1837, named after Viscount Melbourne, the British prime minister at the time.

A strict grid plan
Melbourne’s location was its strongest advantage. While the “acquired” farmland was of excellent quality, the city’s location on the banks of the Yarra River and well protected Port Phillip Bay contributed to its rapid commercial development. The influx of energetic immigrants and eager investors from England were determinants in the economic growth of the young city.

Once the city had 5,000 residents, city planners intervened and imposed a strict grid plan to check chaotic growth in every direction. Melbourne’s planners decreed that every main street would be exactly 30 metres wide, with perpendicular side streets one third that width. The strict grid plan has been in place ever since.

Melbourne became the capital of the new Victoria Colony in 1851. As luck would have it, miners in the outback came upon a rich seam of gold just four days later. Melbourne prospered like no other city on the continent, even after the gold rush waned.

A second boom was sparked by industrial development and immigration after World War II. Melbourne’s population more than tripled, and the plains around the Yarra River gradually grew crowded as 3 million people from 140 nations arrived to claim their piece of the Australian dream.

City planners again stepped in, authorising the construction and development of suburbs and satellite towns. In the downtown commercial districts, Melbourne began building upward and skyscrapers appeared on the horizon.

A rather unassuming city, Melbourne’s grand sights are few in comparison to stylish Sydney. Of course, there is still a great deal to see, including the Melbourne Museum, the State Parliament, the royal exhibition buildings, the Stock Market, majestic St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Flinders Street Station. Freshwater Place is a luxury residential complex, with a striking, elegant design that makes it Australia’s thinnest building as well as one of its tallest.

Melbourne is well known for book shops, live shows and the arts. Many northerners desperate for culture travel south to Melbourne for their arts fix. Melbourne hosts a world class writers festival and comedy festival.

Melbourne is also renowned for sports. The annual Melbourne Formula 1 Grand Prix held at the Albert Park Circuit is famous around the world, but there are many more sporting highlights to enjoy.

The professional tennis season starts here with the Australian Open, drawing the best players in the world to compete in the first of four major tournaments. Local sports attract an even greater following.

When the Magpies, Bombers and Kangaroos take the field, life is put on hold. Melbourne’s football players have always been their sports heroes, but cricket and rugby are also popular. The Grand Final of the Australian Football League (AFL) takes place each year at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. One of the eight Melbourne teams usually participates.
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