The Murray River Website was developed by the company Hypervision and designed with the promotion of the entire Murray region in mind.

Most people along the Murray are not aware of the high profile the river has overseas, said business development manager Scott Wooden.

In the UK, when people who saw the mini series "All the Rivers Run" think of Australia, the river is one of the first images the name conjures up, he said.

He believed this was particularly important to remember in the lead-up to the Sydney Olympics.

People may not realise but the tourism opportunities available to Mildura before, during and after the Games are countless and the Internet is the best and most viable way to advertise local services internationally, Mr Wooden said.

Local holiday apartment manager Mark Stevens could attest this, having already had apartments booked by overseas clients who plan to attend the Olympics but want to further explore Australia too.

The Murray River Website has grown steadily in popularity since it opened on the Internet several months ago and now attracts 2000 visitors per month.

Visitors spend an hour on average browsing through the site which assures businesses highly substantial exposure, Mr Wooden said.

The focus is on the history and unique features of the river region as well as individual businesses, particularly accommodation houses and other tourist entities.

"At present, between 40 and 50 businesses throughout the Murray River Region have come on board, but to date we have only scratched the surface and Hypervision is always looking to expand the site," Mr Wooden said.

At present, the developers of the site are adding maps to enable people to find not only the locations of towns but also where individual businesses are situated.

Over the course of the project Mr Wooden had developed a cooperative relationship with Mildura City Council.

Frequently council sends updated information on topics such as coming festivals and local history to the Hypervision team for inclusion on the site, Mr Wooden said.

Such details are highly valuable in terms of adding substance and comprehensive detail to the Website, as it was never meant to be a sole medium for advertisers, Mr Wooden said.

Ads account for roughly 20 percent, the rest is comprised of general information on a wide range of aspects of the river region.

This week Mr wooden conducted an information session in Mildura to promote the benefits of embracing Internet technology.

"Many people agree that businesses who don’t take advantage of Internet technology simply won’t survive in five years time," he said.

Mark Stevens and another member of the accommodation industry Mike Prowse spoke of how surprised they were at the speed of interest generated by their inclusion on the Internet site.

Almost immediately after going on-line both received calls from people who had learned of their businesses while browsing through the site.

The cost effectiveness of advertising on the site is one of its most appealing features, Mr Prowse said.

An eighth of a page in a motor insurance magazine costs $825, but to have your accommodation house featured on the site costs between $100 and $150, Mr Stevens said.

So far the holiday apartment industry has benefited from a free listing with option of paying for individual feature page.

The motel industry looks set to follow with local motelier, Peter Parrotte coordinating the process.

Back to News

News Page  |   Home Page  |