Page 14 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Putting Melbourne on the map
● Merv Godfrey at the Melway office in Glen Iris, standing in front of the 1:100,000 scale wall map which was produced in 1980 ■ Merv Godfrey was the originating designer and cartographer of the Melway Street Directory. He trained as a survey draughtsman with the Victorian Lands Department. He served with the RAAF as a radio operator during WWII. Following the war he was employed with the State Electricity Commission of Victoria and became involved with various tourist maps during his ‘out of hours’ time. Merv was one of the founding members of the Institute of Cartographers and served as honorary treasurer for 10 years. He now holds the office of Fellow Member in recognition of his contribution to the Institute and cartographic achievements. His involvement with Ray Harrison, a publisher, in the mid 1950s gave him the opportunity to produce the Olympic Games map of Melbourne in 1956. He also was involved with many other tourist and oil company maps. During the 1950s Melbourne had several street directories, Morgans, Collins, Robinsons and Universal. Merv could see the shortcomings of these directories and proposed to Ray Harrison the possibility of producing and printing a Melbourne Street Directory. The concept was to produce a multi – coloured high quality directory printed on a good quality paper. Around 1960 Merv met Iven Mackay, who was also interested in the same project, he eventually became Merv’s partner as Ray Harrison died before the project had progressed very far. Merv resigned from the SECV in 1961. They began in earnest the task of producing the new directory. Merv, from his home studio which remained his office until 1985, assumed the role of creating his vision of designing and drawing the highly accurate multi coloured maps. Iven took these maps and drove many thousands of miles in a secondhand old Morris Minor field checking every road and detail. ● Turn To Page 15
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● From Page 11 Suburban hospitals of 1966 shown in Melway include Mont Park, Larundel Psychiatric Hospital and the Gresswell Sanitorium. A branch rail line to Mont Park runs out of Macleod Station on the Hurstbridge line. The new La Trobe University is shown to be under construction at Macleod West, with the yet-to-be named Kingsbury Drive shown as not yet constructed. In its Commemorative Edition, the Melway folk look at some of the benchmark events in Melbourne from the era. In 1968, the new National Gallery of Victoria opened in St Kilda Rd. In the following year The Age newspaper moved from Collins St to Spencer St. In 1970, with constructiuon of the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop ready to begin, Melway was about to publish Edition 4, and expand its definition of Greater Melbourne to include maps of Emerald, Monbulk, Werribee, Melton, Sunbury and Craigieburn. By 1973, the Victorian Football
● Bulleen Drive-In Theatre. 1966 League’s expansion to Mulgrave/ and then further eastwards to Bulleen. Waverley was included with detailed It would not be until 1982 when the maps in Edition 6 (1973). Freeway was extended to Doncaster Random breath testing was intro- Rd. duced in Victoria in 1976, and a new The building of the West Gate emphasis on road safety was be- Bridge - complete with toll booths coming evident. was completed in 1978. Tolls were The following year, 1977, saw the abolished in 1985. opening of the Eastern Freeway, first The Mulgrave Freeway was exfrom Hoddle St to the Chandler Hwy, tended between Forster Rd and
Huntingdale Rd. Construction of Melbourne’s outer ring road was commenced in 1989. Construction continues today. In 1989, Melway No 19 included maps of Yarra Glen, Phillip Island and the rest of the Mornington Peninsula. The Docklands development ‘explosion’ is reflected in the 1993 maps, when the area was annexed to the Melbourne City Council area, a year after Jeff Kennett was elected as Premier. Melbourne’s road network continued to develop with the start of construction in 196 of the Citylink tollway. This progress took in the routes to Melbourne Airport, the docklands and the south-east. These ‘Kennett-years’ developments tok in the opening of Crown, construction of the Bolte Bridge, the enhancements at Southbank, and Federation Square in 2000. Forty different editions of Melway portray a city that has developed from a close ‘town’ to an international city with hi-tech communication. It is still enjoyable to take a trip down Memory Lane. Although there is no such street listed in the index!
Five years to produce first edition ■ The First Edition of Melway Street Directory was published in 1966 after having taken five years to compile. After a very short time, Melway had firmly established itself as Melbourne’s number one street directory and quickly became a household name. The name Melway was originated by the publishers from the ‘Mel’ of Melbourne and ‘Way’from find your way in Melbourne. When Melburnians are looking for a street they don’t just refer to a street directory, they “look it up in the Melway”. Melway claims to be the most advanced, accurate, up to date and comprehensive street directory produced anywhere in the world and its success is due to the dedication and innovation of the Melway organisation. The Melway maps not only show in colour the total Melbourne road network but also include a wealth of additional information such as tram and bus routes, schools, shops, churches, Police stations, traffic lights, public telephones and hospitals. Melway is used by the Police, Ambulance, Fire Brigade and all Government departments as well as the real estate, taxi and bus industries. In radio, television and press advertising, the Melway grid references are now widely used by companies and organisations to assist clients and customers locating their premises. Each new edition of Melway is completely updated and revised and additional pages of maps and information are included. Melway is wholly owned, produced and manufactured in Australia.
Looking to the future ■ Has the proliferation of computers, GPS and hand-held devices meant a threat for Melway? This is not the case, according to Dean Godfrey, Managing Director, and son of founder Merv Godfrey. Book sales continue to be strong. “The emergence of Google Maps offering free information has obviously had repercussions across the entire market, but Melway will continually seek to improve its products and listen to what the people of Melbourne want from their ‘bible’,” he says. Dean says the Melway experience is more than about motoring. The printed book gives people to sense the surroundings, finding nearby recreational areas, and local shopping facilities. The company is not ignoring the new technology: “The exciting opportunities that iPhones/iPads/wireless devices and the internet offer will see many platforms on which to view and use Melway mapping,” Dean adds.
■ Would Melway designer Merv Godfrey ever dreamed that his maps would one day become a fashion statement in the best Melbourne homes? Artworks, perhaps with a street you absolutely love, a parkland that conjures up great childhood memories, or maybe a suburb you are synonymous with, can be incorporated into a piece of artwork for homes or offices. In The Block TV program, Brad and Lara used a customised map fromMelway Mapping as a kitchen splashback on an island bench, choosing the area surrounding the Dorcas St, South
Melbourne property as the backdrop. The colourful, trademark maps added a dash of colour and interest to an otherwise minimal and contemporary design. The judges “wowed” the distinctive design and marvelled it as “the best idea ever” and “really cool”. According to Melway Mapping’s Customised Mapping Manager, Warwick Lyon, the in-house customised mapping department can design a map that specifically suits people’s needs. he expects increasing interest after The Block.