Law firm marketing: Making the most of what you’ve got!

2011 October 13
by squadron

Whether the marketing strategy for your law firm depends on online marketing, niche marketing to particular industries, traditional advertising, or just retaining and growing wallet share of a solid growth of clients, you will need to create content.

Content is the lifeblood of legal marketing, without it you might just as well not have a law firm marketing plan. But producing content is hard work, and you must make the most of the writing you manage to produce. Here are some suggestions for making sure you use the two most reliably produced types of legal marketing content as effectively as you can.

Law Firm Marketing – Written material (blogs, email alerts, brochures, guides, information sheets)
If you’ve written some worthwhile, interesting material of any of the formats mentioned, you don’t need to only send it off once or print it and let it sit in your office. You can distribute that content as widely as possible. For every item of writing you produce, consider:

- Have I sent it to as many, relevant, clients as possible?
- Is it loaded to our website?
- Have I emailed it direct to referrers, associates and other professionals?
- Have I linked to it with a post on Facebook and a tweet on Twitter?
- Has it been sent to media contacts?
- Are others in the firm aware of it and can they explain it further if a client has queries about it?
- Can I turn it into another style of content and distribute in a different forum?

Law Firm Marketing – Presentations
Presentations are generally prepared with a particular reception in mind, or because of a particular request. Therefore they tend to be presented only once and then left to become stale. The large amount of time required to prepare it gets only a one time showing. If you want to get much more benefit from your presentation consider:

- Who else can I show it to?
- How could I let the greatest number of people know about it?
- Have I mentioned it on my website, Facebook, Twitter, or suggested that I present it to others?
- Can I send a hard copy of the presentation to people who couldn’t attend the seminar?
- Can I record an audio or video of the presentation and distribute it electronically online or directly?
- Is it viable to write an article or blog to discuss questions that arose during the presentation?
- Have I sent additional content to all the people who were at the presentation?

Although some of these suggestions might seem like additional work at a time when you’ve probably damaged your monthly billings with the amount of time you spent preparing the first lot of material, it’s essential to remember that it is far easier to add a tiny amount of time now to really impact on what you’ve already produced than to produce a completely new piece of legal marketing material.

Increase the results of all the time you put into law firm marketing and you’ll discover that the next time you need to create content you’ll feel more positive about how effective the results will be.

John Gray is a practising lawyer and the Senior Marketer at John Gray Marketing, an Australian specialist law firm and legal marketing consultancy. If you are interested in law marketing, legal marketing and marketing for lawyers, contact John Gray today.

Relationship Combatibility Factors

2011 October 12

Relationship and Marriage counseling can help you discover how in harmony you are.

The two most crucial factors that decide how compatible you are as a couple are:

A similar level of psychological health and maturity and a similar ranking of Instinctual Variants.

What are Instinctual Variants?
The 3 Instincts represent the inherant energies or drives that are essentially part of us as humans. Our actions are highly engaged with and is often dependent on these libidinal, instinctual energies to give it its spark.

Self Preservation Instinct.
People of this Instinctual variant are often with the basic existential needs as they translate into our modern society, for example, money, food, accomodation, health, safety and comfort.
Being safe and physically comfortable are priorities, and they will tend to bring their supplies with them.
When entering a room, they will tend to notice bad lighting, uncomfortable chairs, the room temperature, when the coffee break will be, and whether they will like the food provided. They also tend to be the most practical in the sense of taking care of important life necessities.
They are the most introverted of the types.

Sexual/ Intimate Instinct.
People of this variant have a strong desire for intensity of experience and affection. The honest riveting gaze is the dead giveaway. When they enter a situation they gravitate toward people they feel magnetized to, as if they are looking for the juice. These people can turn into intimacy junkies, often neglecting pressing obligations or even basic hygiene if they are swept up in something that has captivated them. This gives a expansive exploratory philosophy to life, but can also give a lack of focus on one’s own priorities.

Social Instinct.
People of this type are preoccupied on their interactions with other people and with the sense of value and self esteem they derive from their involvement in collective activities. These include work, relationships, side activities and clubs.
On entering a room, these people would immediately be aware of the power structures and subtle politics between the different people and groups. They are subconsciously attuned on other people’s reaction to them, particularly about whether they are being accepted or not.
They need to touch base with others to feel safe, acknowledged and energised. They tend to enjoy interacting with others, but they avoid intimacy.
They are the most extroverted of the types.

Within a personality, one of these Instincts will predominate. In fact the three traits can be ordered liked the sections of a cake, with the most predominant one at the top. The least powerful one, at the bottom, is termed the blind spot.
These inherent instincts play an important role in our relationships because people of the same type tend to share values and understand each other innately, and therefore feel very compatible.

In relationships between 2 different Instinctual types, each will struggle to convert the other.

For further information on discovering whether you and your partner are compatible, contact the Hart Centre Australia. We are Australia’s premier relationship and marriage counselling service with 53 locations Australia wide, and 8 relationship counselling centres in Brisbane, 3 marriage counselling centres in the Gold Coast, and 2 relationship counselling locations on the Sunshine Coast. Phone 1300 830 552 for appointments at all centres.

For relationship counselling Brisbane, marriage counselling gold coast and marriage counselling sunshine coast, contact your local Hart Centre.

Stone Veneer

2011 October 10
by squadron

Stone veneer is a modern way to decorate the walls of a making. The stone veneer cladding provides a stylish method adopted by architects to impart a dynamic look to a lifeless construction. This is mostly used for visual purposes and has a long life. The elegance and simplicity of stone veneer provides homeowners, architects, building contractors and developers with a versatility and versatility to be more to resourceful. Stone veneer is also properly used in gardening and complementing the natural beauty of the open spaces as well.

Stone Veneer acts as a ornamental and protective masking on exterior as well inside walls and surfaces. The veneer is normally one inch heavy; it is lighter in weight in weight and weighs about 15 lbs. / sq. ft. It does not need any extra structural support for its installation.

Stone Veneer is mostly made from natural stones. It can also be produced from manufactured stones. The natural stone veneer is manufactured from stone, which is collected from quarries or as discipline stone. The stone is then sawn working with huge diamond impregnated cutters equally spaced to get the slices of the stone in a consistent heavyness and weight. This stone is also known as “thin stone veneer”.

Besides the natural stone veneer, manufacture stone veneer is also a decorative building material. It is produced to imitate the appearance of natural stone. There are a number of leaders used for this type of veneer. The stacked stone veneer, artificial stone veneer, manufactured stone veneer and versatile stone veneer are various leaders used for stone veneer.

Stone veneer is produced by mixing a lightweight concrete mix to rubber molds of different type. These are painted with a coloring process to make them look like the real stone. an additional method to make stone veneer is by casting and molding it from chemically modified lightweight concrete. Stone veneer is actually a replica of natural stone. It takes the finest details of the original stone. At a near look, the artificial stone veneers appear just like original stones.

The stone veneer is mostly used as a siding on the walls. It can be fixed on the walls working with particular excellent mortars for highest adhesion and strength. versatile stone veneer is manufactured by slicing a thin part of a stone. It is then backed by some composite material. It can be produced in a variety of designs and colors working with different stones. The manufactured stone veneer is cheaper than natural stone veneer and there is the least amount of wastage in its use.

Manufactured stone veneer costs almost 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of employing natural stone. since of the lightweight of the manufactured stone veneer, there is no need for wall ties or any footings. It helps make the construction easier and Thereby reduces the cost. There is a vast variety of designs, patterns and colors available on manufactured options as compared to the natural stone simply because the natural stone is generally used in the area close to where it is extracted due to the huge transportation price ranges.

Manufactured stone veneer is relatively less strong as compared to natural stone rock walls, but many applications do not call for higher strength as aesthetics is a more important element in many cases. Stone veneer is also not reusable like natural stones.

Stone veneer provides the natural look of the stones at inexpensive rates. Stone veneers are preferred these days for most of ornamental facing in developings and open spaces.

Cheap SEO packages- what to look for in these services

2011 October 9
by squadron

The term SEO as we all know is an acronym of search engine marketing which is the process of improving a websites visibility on search engines. Websites that are highly ranked in search results have more site visitors. SEO targets many options including picture search, local search, video search and academic search. Today, there are many companies offering low cost SEO package deals~deals} for purchasers~shoppers~buyers} who want their sites’ rankings to rise. SEO’s (acronym referring to search engine optimizers) use different methods to attain good search engine optimisation on the buyer’s website.

Any company offering low-cost SEO package deals~deals} should be able to allow the customers site rise in the search engines fast. When many internet users search for a particular term(also referred to as ‘key phrase’), they perceive the ones at the top as having more relevance to the key phrase. Though there are many aspects that lead to a website obtaining to the top spot (or at least amongst the top ten), SEO comes in handy to make sure that this is accomplishd in a short period of time of time. being professional, SEO’s know what is best for a site and how to go about making sure that it rises to the top. They use a variety of tactics that are all geared towards achieving the same.

A few of the methods they use include:

-Back hyperlinks building and,
- LSI (Latent Semantic Index) content writing.

In back link building, inbound hyperlinks are used to improve a site’s visibility. Inbound links are from other sites and they are important due to the fact of their significance to search engine optimisation. A site with a big number of back hyperlinks is one indication that it is well-known and of significance to others too. Google and other web search engines determine the Page Rank of a website or webpage due to the number of back links it has. It is Thus worth noting that this SEO possibility is of great importance to any website owner who wants his site to get ranked fast.

LSI articles or blog posts writing is among the most popular SEO selections. simply because search engines rely on the content on the website or webpage so that it gets ranked, having a website that is well taken care of in this area is very important to the owner. For illustration, Google is very rigorous when it comes to content. They demand a webpage to have keyword rich content so that it can get good rankings. In many cases, search engine optimizers write content for purchaser}s observing keyword density and also length. articles or blog posts of considerable good length are better positioned to get ranked much easier than short ones with crappy content. All articles have to be free from plagiarism. This means that they are authentic and written by the site owner and are not copied from other resources.

In most cases, consumer}s who consult these low cost SEO package deals~deals} suppliers want services so as to improve rankings to their money making websites. They either have affiliate hyperlinks on their sites, promote CPA, run Google adsense or offer providers that people pay for. To them, it is an investment and Thus it makes perfect reason for finding good site rankings.

To get the best low-cost SEO package, a purchaser} needs to look for the following qualities:

- whether the company has been offering the services for a considerable period of time of time,

-whether or not the company charges reasonably,

-whether or not the company offers all the companies that he/she wants and also,

-whether or not the company has reviews from previous successful projects.

Having located that all the above levels~factors} are well taken care of, he/she can from that stage sequence their providers. The client} should ensure that all instructions and details are meticulously tended to before giving them out to the SEO guys. making use of inexpensive SEO packages~deals} has proven to be the most efficient way that website owners use to make to the top of the web search engine results. since of the ever growing internet utilizing population globally, these companies will continue to provide their solutions to the ever hungry website owners who also want to get a item of the large chunk of money made from the internet. To sum up, we can say that this is two way traffic as both the purchaser and the service provider need one other.

Looking for a cheap SEO packages? Try this new service from Search Tempo. These cheap SEO packages are just about the best value on the internet.

Things To Consider When Hiring A Spit Roast

2011 October 9
by squadron

If you are an avid party thrower and you want that extra special somefactor to add that element of glam to your party, spit roast hire is a great idea. Spits come in different sizes and depending on the number of people today at your party and the amount of space you have at your disposal, you can roast a few of chickens or even a whole pig or goat. When thinking of spit roast hire there are several easy ways to procure what you need through the yellow webpages and the internet. Nevertheless, before you go in for spit roast hire, there are some important things you must take into consideration.

Do It on your own v/s catering.
For a lot of people today, do it oneself options are much better because they can save on lots of money. Setting up a spit and truly cooking on it can be a time consuming and cumbersome task. When it arrives to spit roast hire, there are firms which will let you simply hire the spit roast and do everyfactor your self, or give you a completely loaded bundle in which everyfactor from setting up, cleaning up and serving is done by a team of professional caterers. So relying on whether you have enough time or not you can decide if you want to do it all yourself or pay someone else to do it for you.

Gas Spit v/s Charcoal Spit
When contemplating spit roast hire, you must first decide what kind of a spit you will need. There are spits that work on charcoal and those that work on gas. Weigh the pros and cons of each type and decide which one you want. The good thing about charcoal spits is the fact that the meat you cook on it will keep the scrumptious smoke cigarettesy flavor of the charcoal. Gas spits will not enable for that. Nevertheless, charcoal spits are messy, they create a lot of smoke a cigarette and can be dangerous if not attended to. Gas spits are scraper, make less of a mess and don’t create as much substance. Another disadvantage of charcoal spits is that you can’t use them in closed spaces because they create a lot of heat and smoke cigarettes. If you plan to cook indoors, a gas spit makes much more sense. Even so, with gas spits you have to make sure the enclosed area is well ventilated.

Size Does Matter
Another important aspect of spit roast hire you must consider is the size of spit you need. What kind of meat are you planning to cook? A spit roast is a very versatile method of cooking and everymatter from cow, venison, bull, goat and pig can be cooked on it. relying on the type of and amount of meat you want to cook, you have to choose an appropriately sized spit . For example if you wish to cook a full developed goat, you will need a spit that make it possible fors for 25kgs. Of course, the bigger the spit size you choose, the more expensive the affair will be. talking about spit roast hire, gas spits come in a constrained number of sizes whereas charcoal spits are available in a bigger range of sizes.

Cost Of Charcoal v/s Gas Spit
One of the most important points that you must keep in mind when heading in for spit roast hire, is the cost. You have to first figure out how much you can afford and how much you are willing to spend to hire a spit roast. A lot of men and women feel that charcoal spits are cheaper which in fact is not the case. Technically if you go to see, charcoal and gas spits cost pretty much the same if you take the total cost of cooking into consideration. The fee to hire a charcoal spit is much less than that of a gas spit but what you must take into consideration is the fact that charcoal spits require additional fuel while gas spits don’t.

So relying on whether you are having an interior or outdoor party or if you want to be extravagant or minimalistic, put some time into research, figure out what you need and then go in for the right spit roast hire. For more information about spit roast hire Brisbane, visit http://spitroasthire.brisbaneoz.com/

The Importance of Proofing Designs

2011 October 7
by squadron

You’ve made up your mind that it’s time for a new website or image. For most, the first step is to choose the right company. However, the first thing you should do is formulate at least a vague concept of what you expect from the completed product. Not only is this step often ignored in the starting phase of project formulation, but also during the creative briefing stage after hiring a design company.

Everyone wants to dump off a project to the professionals and let them take care of it all. If you’re having your car washed, then nothing is really needed from you. For design briefs, you need to be more involved. Website design and graphic design are two areas where getting involved yourself is essential to the ideal design for you and your business.

During your first meeting with a website and graphic design agency, you should provide them with your ideas and goals. This gives the company something of a starting point. This doesn’t mean that you are done. No one can read your mind. In order to be certain you get the most optimal design possible, you must take the creative briefing stage seriously.

This is the stage of the project where you work one on one with the designers to ensure they fully comprehend what you want. The more they understand, the quicker that can deliver the finished project. It also reduces the number of initial design changes.

The next step before the designer can work on your project is proofing your design. You should never just quickly glimpse the design and give your approval. Look over the design plans as thoroughly as you would any important document. If the design isn’t exactly as you envisioned it and doesn’t provide the features you discussed, now is the time to make changes.

Waiting until the final project is delivered means time consuming revisions for both you and the designer. By involving yourself in both the creative briefing and design proofing stages, you save both time and money. You also get the perfect website or graphic design the first time around. The sooner your project is in place, the sooner your customers and visitors will see it.

You should never take this responsibility lightly. It’s your design, your website. Take the time to ensure the design company you choose fully understands your vision. By communicating your needs, the company is able to provide suggestions. With thorough communication between both parties, the best designs and sites are created.

For graphic design Brisbane or logo design Brisbane visit The Creative Noise. The Creative Noise is also a website designer. Brisbane is where their head office is located.

Choosing a Mackay Lawyer, Solicitor or Law Firm

2011 October 6
by squadron

Because it is a growing area, there are many new families and people now living in the Mackay region that need a Mackay solicitor* or law firm for the first time. Choosing a solicitor to complete the legal work to enable you to buy a home or building, to advise you about starting a business or to prepare legal documents like wills or enduring powers-of-attorney, can be a baffling and worrying process.

When you are trying to choose a Mackay solicitor, lawyer or law firm you should consider looking for these attributes:

Satisfied customers
For most individuals it is impossible to compare the quality of legal services provided by one Mackay solicitor/lawyer or another. Unless you are a regular user of a similar kind of legal service you are unlikely to be able to compare different law firms. What you can do is look for a Mackay solicitor who is proud of their past performance provides references from previous or existing clients. If they offer quite a number of testimonials it lets you know two things. Firstly, that they have a lot of satisfied clients and secondly, that they take the time and trouble to find out what their clients think of their service. They are aware that theirs is a service-oriented business.

Local knowledge
Any Mackay solicitor or lawyer ought to have good local knowledge and demonstrated experience in assisting others in the region. Look for firms that have worked on local developments or firms with established conveyancing sections that have built up a valuable amount of “inside knowledge” about the property market, local agents and banks that will make a huge difference to the ease and efficiency of your transaction.

Breadth of services
Because you will only need a lawyer occasionally, it is wise to find a Mackay solicitor, lawyer or law firm that can provide the full range of services without you having to find different lawyers. Finding a firm that can provide conveyancing, estate planning, disputes, business services and even workplace or employment issues, means you can be confident that one firm to meet all your legal needs. Law firms value clients who use several services, and are often able to provide those services more cheaply and efficiently if they have provided other services for you in the past.

*In Queensland a person with legal qualifications was traditionally referred to as a solicitor while a person who “had standing” to represent you in court was called a barrister. More recently the general term lawyer has become more widespread and can be used to describe either of these types of legal practitioner. In some other states of Australia the conveyancing process (the legal process required to transfer ownership of house) can be undertaken by licenced conveyancers. This is not the case in Queensland where conveyancing must be undertaken by a solicitor/lawyer.

John Gray is a practising solicitor and marketing consultant who has worked with leading Mackay law firms. If you need a Mackay solicitor or Mackay lawyer contact John Gray for a recommendation.

Relationship Counselling can help you discover more about yourself.

2011 October 2
by squadron

If you really want to look deeply at why the two of you have the unique relationship and issues that you have, look no further than the Enneagram.

One of the most helpful ways to discover yourself and just as importantly, how you may add to your relationship problems, is to look at your Enneagram profile.

The modern Enneagram is based on ancient Eastern wisdom combined with modern Psychological thought. There are 9 personality types each with different patterns of thinking, feeling and acting. Each style has its own natural strengths, limitations, and blind spots.

When you know your Enneagram number, you can then be aware of the unconscious assumptions that drive the way you see yourself, do your work, and relate in your relationships.

And you can also understand why your partner seems to act in the bizarre, inconsiderate, intrusive, self-interested, seductive or charming ways that he or she does.

Once you know how he or she see things from the inside out, you can see why they do the things they do which makes perfect sense to them.

There are no types that are better than any other. Each is effective in their own way, but from a very different point of view.

• Ones want to make things right.
• Twos need to be of help.
• Threes are driven to succeed.
• Fours yearn to be special.
• Fives want to be left alone to think.
• Sixes seek safety and support.
• Sevens are connoisseurs of life’s pleasures.
• Eights are driven to dominate others.
• Nines don’t want to make waves.

For more information on how your and your partner’s Enneagram types interact, call us at the Hart Centre. We are a group of Psychologists around Australia who are passionate about relationships and specialise in relationship counselling.

With 15 relationship counselling centres in Sydney, and 12 relationship counselling centres in Melbourne, you will more than likely find one near you. Phone 1300830552 for more details.

Remember, for relationship counselling Sydney or relationship counselling Melbourne contact the Hart Centre.

Stradbroke Island Queensland – Travel Guide

2011 September 28

Located on Brisbane’s eastern doorstep, North Stradbroke Island (”Straddie” to the initiated) is another of Australia’s natrual treasures -a perfect escape destination. Somehow, the secret has been well kept and it is only recently that Stradbroke Island has begun to sparkle on the tourism and property radar.

To travel to Stradbroke Island by way of the township of Cleveland will take approximately fifty minutes on the vehicle ferry. Cleveland is a thirty minute drive from Brisbane International Airport or the centre of Brisbane, and one hour’s drive from the Gold Coast. The ferry ride across Moreton Bay is the first step that makes Stradbroke Island such a wonderful destination.

Stradbroke Island is 27,530 hectares, which means it is the world’s second largest sand island. The elongated sand island shields much of the southern part of Moreton Bay and the smaller islands from the ocean swells. It’s beaches are accessible by four-wheel drive, bicycle or on foot, with many good camping sites dotted all the way down Main Beach, and fabulous views appear visible from almost everywhere on the island.

The 35 kilometres of white sandy beaches fringing the island’s eastern side runs from Point Lookout at the north to Jumpin Pin in the south. From the Point lookout headland, the buildings of the Gold Coast can be clearly visible, and is a constant reminder of the contrast to the more relaxed lifestyle of Straddie.

North Stradbroke (or Minjerriba to the indigenous Noonuccal tribe) was the home of famous Aboriginal poet Kath Walker, or Oodgeroo Noonuccal. There is a great deal of Aboriginal and European history in Dunwich where water taxis and vehicular barges moor.

The waters of Moreton Bay ripple against the shores of the island’s western fishing towns. With a lack of agriculture and the filtering effects of the sand results in unpolluted water that fish, and particularly Stradbroke Rock Oysters thrive upon.

North Stradbroke attracts four-wheel drivers, anglers, surfers and beach-lovers to the free stretches of beach and rugged granite headlands, and the Island also offers a wide range of accommodation, restaurants, cafes and holiday attractions. With a wonderful diversity of attractions on offer and spectacular spots to explore, North Stradbroke is a popular holiday location for families, couples and adventure-seekers alike. The ideal way to see the Island is by Four Wheel Drive, but there are many stunning coastal walks and a mountain bike and whale watching map are an easier and more environmentally sound alternative.

Point Lookout is the main tourist hub, and only a 30km drive on a sealed road from Dunwich. The North Gorge Headland is 40m above sea level and recognised as a leading land-based whale-watch site throughout the colder months, and world-class surfing and fishing throughout the year.

Point Lookout’s beautiful beaches and headlands are safe for swimming, surfing and fishing all year round. Whales, dolphins, turtles and manta rays are regularly seen from the spectacular North Gorge at the northern tip of the island. The island has been listed as one of the world’s most ecologically important wetlands with several freshwater lakes, waterways and lagoons that are accessible by 4WD or on a guided tour with one of Straddie’s tour operators.

One of the great features of the island is the fresh seafood available direct from local fishermen. Look for signs at Amity Point and Point Lookout which will direct you to their homes and the freshest catch-of-the-day around. For those who prefer the work be done for them, Straddie’s restaurants and cafes all make use of this perfect resource in their menus.

“The Point” offers several alfresco style cafes, a bakery, chemist, post office, newsagent, corner store and supermarket. The island also has its own bus service which links all three towns to ferries and water taxis.

North Stradbroke Island is the ultimate paradise for the many enthusiasts who visit each year. On a good day it’s possible to surf right past the pub, along the evocatively named Cylinders Beach, on waves that peel dreamily for hundreds of metres. Stick ten bucks in the back pocket of your boardies and drop in for a beer on your way back around -you may even bump into world ranked surfer and local Bede Durbidge! Stradbroke boasts what is perhaps the last truly old-school surf shop in the country, that makes it’s business selling surf equipment rather than fashion.

The jewels in Stradbroke’s crown is Point Lookout and the natural wonder of the North Gorge Walk, along with the surf, the choice of beaches, all sheltered in different winds, the whale watching, and the spectacular coastal walk around the gorges. If you are looking for Stradbroke Island Accommodation, make sure you visit: http://www.discoverstradbroke.com.au/

The Attractions of Stradbroke Island

2011 September 24

Located on Brisbane’s eastern coast, North Stradbroke Island (’Straddie’ to the familiar) is another of Australia’s natrual treasures -a perfect escape destination. Somehow, the secret has been well kept and it is only in recent years that Stradbroke Island has begun to show up on the tourism and real-estate radar.

Travel to Straddie through the bayside village of Cleveland takes about 50 minutes using the vehicle ferry. Cleveland is only a 30 minute drive from Brisbane International Airport and the centre of Brisbane, and one hour’s drive from the Gold Coast. The boat ride across Moreton Bay is the first of a series of experiences that make visiting Stradbroke Island such a fantastic destination.

Stradbroke Island covers 27,530 hectares, which makes the world’s second largest sand island. The elongated sand island shields much of the southern part of Moreton Bay and the smaller islands from the ocean swells. The beaches are able to be accessed by four-wheel drive, bicycle or on foot, with many good camping sites located all the way down Main Beach, and views are visible from almost everywhere on Straddie.

Thirty-five kilometres of white sandy beaches fringe the island’s eastern side, from Point Lookout in the north to Jumpin Pin in the south. From the Point lookout headland, the concrete jungle of the Gold Coast can be clearly visible, and is a constant reminder of the contrast to the more relaxed lifestyle of Straddie.

North Stradbroke (or Minjerriba to the indigenous Noonuccal tribe) was the home of renowned Aboriginal poet Kath Walker, or Oodgeroo Noonuccal. There is a great deal of Aboriginal and European history in the area of Dunwich where water taxis and barges berth.

The waters of Moreton Bay swish against the shores of the island’s western fishing towns. The lack of agriculture and the filtering effects of the sand provides pure water that sea creatures, and particularly Stradbroke Rock Oysters thrive in.

North Stradbroke attracts four-wheel drivers, anglers, surfies and beach-lovers to its free stretches of sandy coast and rugged granite headlands, and the Island offers a good range of accommodation, restaurants, cafes and holiday infrastructure. With a wonderful diversity of experiences on offer and spectacular spots to discover, North Stradbroke is a great holiday location for families, couples and adventure-seekers alike. The ideal way to see the Island is by Four Wheel Drive, but there are many stunning coastal walks and a mountain bike and whale watching map are an easier and more environmentally sound alternative.

Point Lookout is the main tourist hub, and only a 30km drive on a sealed road from Dunwich. The North Gorge Headland is 40 metres above sea level and recognised as a leading land-based whale-watch area during winter, and world-class surfing and fishing throughout the year.

Point Lookout’s unspoilt beaches and headlands are perfect for swimming, surfing and fishing year round. Whales, dolphins, turtles and manta rays can often be spotted from the spectacular North Gorge at the northern tip of the island. The island has been listed as one of the world’s most ecologically important wetlands and has several freshwater lakes, waterways and lagoons that are accessible by 4WD or on a guided tour with one of Straddie’s tour operators.

One of the great features on the island is being able to purchase fresh seafood available direct from local fishermen. Look for the signs at Amity Point and Point Lookout to direct you to their homes and the freshest catch-of-the-day around. For those that prefer the work be done for them, Straddie’s restaurants and cafes all make use of this delicious island resource in their menus.

“The Point” offers a number of alfresco style cafes, a bakery, chemist, post office, newsagent, corner store and supermarket. The island also has its own bus service which links the three towns to the ferries and water taxis.

North Stradbroke Island is the ultimate paradise for the many enthusiasts who visit each year. On a good day it’s possible to surf right past the pub, along the evocatively named Cylinders Beach, on waves that peel dreamily for hundreds of metres. Stick ten bucks in the back pocket of your boardies and you can drop in for a beer on your way back around -you may even bump into world ranked surfer and local Bede Durbidge! Stradbroke also boasts what is perhaps the last truly old-school surf shop in the country, that makes it’s business selling surf gear rather than fashion.

The jewels in Stradbroke’s crown is Point Lookout and the natural wonder of the North Gorge Walk, along with the surf, the choice of beaches, all sheltered in various winds, the whale watching, and the spectacular coastal walk around the gorges. If you are looking for Stradbroke Island Accommodation, make sure you visit: http://www.discoverstradbroke.com.au/