Melway
The front cover of the Melway 36th (2009) edition.
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| Author | Melway Publishing Pty. Ltd. |
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| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Road atlas |
| Publisher | Melway Publishing Pty. Ltd. |
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Publication date
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May 1966 (1st (1966) edition) |
| Media type | Paperback |
| Pages | 1240 (42nd (2015) edition) |
| ISBN | |
Melway (colloquially referred to as Melways or The Melways is an almost ubiquitous street directory for Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and its immediate surrounds, including the city of Geelong. It is currently in its 44th edition—the 2017 edition—which was released in July 2016.
Melway was conceived by Merv Godfrey and Iven Mackay in the 1950s. The first edition of Melway was released in May 1966, after five years of work and research. Many detractors claimed Melway would be unpopular due to its high price at the time – $2.50, twice that of its most expensive competitor. All of the 106 original maps were hand-drawn in ink. First editions of Melway can sell for around $500 on the second hand market. A reprint of the first edition was released in 2012 and can be purchased from Melway for $150. The original maps from the first edition can be viewed online via a clickable map.
By the early 1980s Melway was the most popular street directory in Melbourne, holding in excess of 80 per cent of the market; indeed "Melway" had begun to be used as a generic term for any street directory. The current RRP for a 2017 Melway is $62.95, but many retailers sell Melway for around $40.
In 1982, after the fourteenth edition of Melway had been released, it was awarded the International Cartographic Excellence Award, as well as the inaugural award for Cartographic Excellence from the Australian Institute of Cartographers.Ausway won the Australian award again in 1994 for its first edition of Sydway.
Most motorists in Melbourne have a copy of Melway, as do many taxi drivers, bus drivers and some hire cars. It is officially used by the Victoria Police, fire brigade, ambulance service, Victorian State Emergency Service, St. John Ambulance Victoria and for the State government car fleet. Its main competitor is UBD-Gregory's, which is the most popular brand in all other states and territories.
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