Toluu

Official Google Australia Blog

News and notes from Google down under.

Street View in the Top EndDecember 14 2008

We're always working to include more Australian locations in Street View. Last week, we added many new streets in Darwin, Geelong and remote parts of the Northern Territory.

With more of the Top End now in Street View, I decided to do a bit of research about the Baz Luhrmann movie Australia, and check out some familiar scenes from the movie in Street View and Google Maps.

Of course, with Kakadu now in Street View, the iconic Australia's outback is now on show for all to see:


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(As you may know, the Kimberley region of WA was the actual filming location for many scenes in the movie - I came across this g

Bringing Maps to our Pacific neighboursDecember 11 2008

We're pleased to announce the launch of Google Map Maker for 43 new countries and territories, including our Oceania neighbours in Fiji, Palau and Midway. Map Maker now allows people to create complete maps for most of Oceania, from Papua New Guinea to Samoa and Micronesia, bringing the total to 164 countries across the world. 

Map Maker is all about making local data rich, complete and vibrant. Just take a look at how our users transformed the map of Da Lat, Vietnam in this time lapse video.

The Government is bloggingDecember 11 2008

A few days ago, the Australian Government embarked on an e-government initiative - online policy consultation to "improve the processes for e-democracy in Australia". The Government has announced an online consultation on the future of Australia's digital economy through the Digital Economy Blog.

We think it's great that the Australian Government is taking steps to engage online with all Australians in an open, interactive way. Online consultation and blogging is something that Australian users and businesses have been doing for a while and it's good to see the Government getting in on the act.

We recently posted to the blog in response to the Open Access to Public Sector Information topic, setting out our views on the types of public sector information that should be made available.

In addition, we're pleased that the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy's YouTube channel also showcases some videos of the Minister's addresses to the Digital Economy Forum earlier this year. There's a whole range of politicians using channels like YouTube to communicate with Australians - in

Street View now in New ZealandDecember 1 2008

Heading to New Zealand over the summer holidays? Planning your trip just got easier with the launch today of Street View in New Zealand.

Covering most of the country, including all major CBDs and many remote wilderness locations, Street View showcases spectacular New Zealand destinations from within Google Maps. Just like Street View in Australia, it allows you to view and navigate 360 degree imagery of New Zealand's streets and towns, and lets you pan and zoom to change your viewpoint.

You can use it to check out restaurants before you make your booking, preview your beach front accommodation, or just enjoy the geography of the country's sub-tropical north or mountainous south.


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New Zealand becomes the seventh country in the world to get Street View - it's also available in Spain, France, Italy, the US, Japan, and of course Australia.

Tourism New Zealand has selected a

Transit directions for Adelaide in Google MapsNovember 30 2008

Getting from Victoria Square to Upper Sturt Park via public transport in Adelaide just got easier, with the launch of transit directions for the city on Google Maps. Adelaide is the second Australian city to get transit directions on Google Maps, after we announced it was launching in Perth earlier this year.

Using information from Adelaide Metro, you can see public transport directions and timetables for Adelaide in Google Maps.

Want to know where the nearest bus-stop is? Planning a trip a week or two in advance? Figuring out a new commuting schedule? The transit feature on Google Maps lets you to customise your searches by specific date and time, so that you can see what's up and coming, and how to get where you need to be.