Melway
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Melway (usually The Melways) is the most ubiquitous street directory for Melbourne, Australia, and its immediate surrounds. It is currently up to the 32nd edition.
Melway has a very strong monopoly in the Melburnian market, as almost every car driver will have a copy, as will every taxi driver, bus driver, and rental car. It is also officially used by the police, fire brigade, ambulance service, and the government car fleet. Its only major competitor is the UBD Maps directory, which has a stong footing in Sydney and Brisbane, but is rare in Melbourne.
The Melway was conceived by Merv Godfrey and Iven Mackay in the 1950s. The first edition of the Melway was released in May 1966, after five years of work. All of the 106 original maps were hand-drawn in ink. Many detractors claimed it wouldn't be popular due to its high price - $2.50 AUD (the current RRP for a 2005 Melway is $45.95). Map design was first fully completed on computer in 2000.
It is common for a Melway reference (in the format Map - Grid reference, e.g. 59 K5) to be given along with directions on, for example, an event notice or real estate advertisement. It is generally assumed that everyone has, or has access to, a copy of the directory.
Melway is produced by the company Ausway, which also produces the "Sydway" and "Brisway" directories for Sydney and Brisbane respectively, although neither is as omnipresent in its target city.
One of the distinguishing differences of a Melway-style map to almost any other is in the rendering of roads. Rather than the traditional drawing of two lines with the road name printed in-between, Melway maps show a single line with the name above or below the road. This allows for much more detail to fit into the same size map.
External links
- Ausway official website (http://www.ausway.com/ausway.html)
- Melway online (http://www.street-directory.com.au/)
- First-edition Melway online (http://www.custommaps.net/images/mwyedn1.htm)