Business Podcasting Blog

If the legal marketing strategy for your law company revolves around online marketing, niche marketing to particular industries, traditional advertising, or just retaining and growing wallet share of your stable of clients, you will need to generate content.

Content is an essential part of legal marketing, without it you might just as well not bother with a law firm marketing plan. However, producing content is hard work, and you want to make the most of the writing you can produce. Here are just a few suggestions to help you use two of the most commonly 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 in any of the forms mentioned, you don’t need to just send it out once or print it and let it sit in your reception area. You ought to distribute that content as much as is possible. For every piece of written material you produce, consider:

- Have I distributed it to as many, relevant, clients as possible?
- Has it been loaded to our website?
- Have I emailed it direct to referrers, associates and other professionals?
- Have I linked it with a post on Facebook and a tweet on Twitter?
- Has it been sent to media contacts?
- Are others in my company aware of it and can they explain it in detail if a client questions them?
- Can I transform it into another type of content and distribute in a different forum?

Law Firm Marketing - Presentations
Presentations are usually prepared with a particular reception in mind, or because of a particular request. As a result they tend to be presented once and then left to stagnate. All of the effort and time involved in preparing them gets just one showing. If you want to get more benefit from your presentation consider:

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

While some of these suggestions may feel like additional work at a time when you’ve probably created a dent in your monthly billings with the amount of time you spent preparing the first lot of material, it’s necessary to remember that it is much easier to use a small amount of time now to really maximise on the impression you’ve already produced than it is to produced a whole new piece of legal marketing material.

Improve the benefits of all the time and effort you put into law firm marketing and you’ll discover that the next time you need to create content you’ll feel more confident about how effective that content 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 and Marriage counseling can help you find out how suitable you are.

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

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

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

Self Preservation Instinct.
People of this Instinctual type are preoccupied with the essential existential needs as they translate into our modern society, for example, money, food, accomodation, health, safety and comfort.
Being secure and physically comfortable are essential, and they will often bring these supplies with them.
When entering a room, they will tend to notice bad lighting, uncomfortable seating, the room temperature, when the lunch 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 intense desire for severity of experience and affection. The direct riveting gaze is the dead giveaway. When they enter a situation they automatically gravitate toward people they feel magnetized to, as if they are looking for the juice. These people can turn into intimacy junkies, often ignoring pressing matters or even basic maintenance if they are infatuated with something that has captured them. This gives a wide ranging exploratory philosophy to life, but can also generate a lack of focus on one’s own priorities.

Social Instinct.
People of this type are focused on their interactions with other people and with the sense of value and esteem they receive from their participation in collective activities. These include work, relationships, hobbies and clubs.
Upon entering a room, these people would immediately be aware of the power structures and subtle politics between different people and social circles. They are subconsciously focused on other’s reaction to them, particularly about whether they are being accepted or not.
They need to touch base with others to feel safe, alive and energised. They tend to love interacting with people, but they avoid intimacy.
They are the most extroverted of the types.

Within each person, one of these three Instincts will predominate. In fact these 3 variants can be ranked like the layers of a cake, with the most dominant one at the top. The weakest one, at the bottom, is termed the blind spot.
These instincts play a pivotal role in our relationships because people of the same variant tend to share values and to 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 is a modern way to decorate the walls of a building. The stone veneer cladding presents a stylish method adopted by architects to impart a dynamic look to a lifeless structure. 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 imaginative. Stone veneer is also properly used in landscaping and complementing the natural beauty of the open spaces as well.

Stone Veneer acts as a decorative and protecting covering on exterior as well inside walls and surfaces. The veneer is commonly 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 subject stone. The stone is then sawn utilizing huge diamond impregnated cutters equally spaced to get the slices of the stone in a consistent thickness and weight. This stone is also known as “thin stone veneer”.

Besides the natural stone veneer, manufacture stone veneer is also a decorative developing material. It is produced to imitate the appearance of natural stone. There are several titles used for this type of veneer. The stacked stone veneer, artificial stone veneer, manufactured stone veneer and flexible stone veneer are various names 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 resemble 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 close 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 utilizing special excellent mortars for highest adhesion and strength. flexible stone veneer is manufactured by slicing a thin level of a stone. It is then backed by some composite material. It can be produced in a variety of designs and colors utilizing different stones. The manufactured stone veneer is less expensive 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. because of the lightweight of the manufactured stone veneer, there is no need for wall ties or any footings. It can make the construction easier and Thus lessens 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 prices.

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

Stone veneer provides the natural look of the stones at inexpensive charges. Stone veneers are preferred these days for most of decorative facing in buildings and open spaces.

The term SEO as we all know is an acronym of search engine optimisation which is the process of improving a websites visibility on search engines. Websites that are highly ranked in search results have more visitors. SEO targets many alternatives together with image search, local search, video search and academic search. Today, there are many companies offering inexpensive SEO packages~deals} for consumerss~shoppers~buyers} who want their sites’ rankings to rise. SEO’s (acronym referring to search engine optimizers) use different methods to accomplish good search engine optimization on the customer’s website.

Any company offering low cost SEO packages~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 keyword. While there are many factors that add to a website obtaining to the top spot (or at least among the top ten), SEO comes in handy to make sure that this is obtaind in a short interval of time. becoming 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 links building and,
- LSI (Latent Semantic Index) content writing.

In back link building, inbound links are used to improve a site’s awareness. Inbound hyperlinks are from other sites and they are important simply because of their significance to search engine optimisation. A site with a big number of back links is one indication that it is well-liked 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 hyperlinks 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 writing is amongst the most preferred SEO alternatives. 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 strict 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 be able to write content for client}s observing keyword density and also length. articles of considerable good length are better placed to get ranked much easier than short ones with crappy content. All posts have to be free from plagiarism. This means that they are authentic and written by the site owner and are not copied from other sources.

In most cases, consumer}s who consult these low-cost SEO bundles~deals} suppliers want providers so as to improve rankings to their money producing 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 As a result it makes perfect reason for receiving good site rankings.

To get the best low-cost SEO bundle, a client} desires to look for the following qualities:

- regardless of whether the company has been offering the companies for a considerable interval of time,

-no matter whether the company charges reasonably,

-no matter if the company offers all the services that he/she needs and also,

-no matter if the company has reviews from previous successful projects.

Having located that all the above stages~factors} are well taken care of, he/she can from that level sequence their companies. The customer} should ensure that all instructions and particulars are meticulously tended to before giving them out to the SEO guys. employing low cost SEO packages~deals} has confirmed 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 making use of population globally, these services will continue to provide their providers 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 customer 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.

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 individuals at your party and the amount of space you have at your disposal, you can roast a couple 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 factors you must take into consideration.

Do It yourself v/s catering.
For a lot of individuals, do it oneself options are much better because they can save on lots of money. Setting up a spit and really cooking on it can be a time consuming and cumbersome task. When it can come to spit roast hire, there are organizations which will let you simply hire the spit roast and do everyissue yourself, or give you a fully loaded package deal in which everypoint from setting up, cleaning up and helping 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 thinking of 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 issue about charcoal spits is the fact that the meat you cook on it will keep the delightful substancey flavor of the charcoal. Gas spits will not allow for that. Having said that, charcoal spits are messy, they create a lot of smoke and can be dangerous if not attended to. Gas spits are scanner, make less of a mess and don’t create as much smoke cigarettes. Another disadvantage of charcoal spits is that you can not use them in closed spaces because they create a lot of heat and burn. If you plan to cook insides, a gas spit makes much more sense. Having said that, 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 technique of cooking and everypoint from cow, venison, bull, goat and pig can be cooked on it. depending 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 enables 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 while charcoal spits are readily available in a greater range of sizes.

Cost Of Charcoal v/s Gas Spit
One of the most important issues that you must keep in mind when going 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 people 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 whereas gas spits don’t.

So depending on whether you are having an indoor 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/

You’ve decided it’s time for a new site or image. For most, the first step is to choose the right organization. However, the first thing you need to do is formulate at least a vague idea of what you expect from the finished product. Not only is this step often overlooked in the initial phase of project development, but also during the creative briefing stage after hiring a design company.

Everyone wants to send off a concept to the professionals and let them take care of everything. If you’re having your car washed, then nothing is really needed from you. For other projects, you need to be more involved. Website design and graphic design are two fields where getting involved yourself is essential to the perfect design for you and your business.

When you first meet with a website and graphic design agency, you should supply them with your ideas and goals. This provides the company with a starting point. This doesn’t mean that you are done. No one is a mind reader. In order to be certain you get the most optimal design possible, you must take the creative briefing stage extremely.

This is the part of the project where you work one on one with the designers to ensure they fully understand what you desire. The more they understand, the faster they 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.

Because it is a growing region, there are many new families and people living in the Mackay region who need a Mackay lawyer or law firm for the first time. Choosing a law firm to do the conveyancing required to help you 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 daunting and worrying process.

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

Happy customers
For most people it is impossible to compare the quality of legal services provided by one Mackay solicitor/lawyer or another. Unless you regularly use a similar kind of legal service you won’t really be able to compare different law firms. Look for a Mackay solicitor that is proud of their past performance provides references from previous or existing clients. If they offer quite a number of testimonials it tells you two things. Firstly, that they have a lot of satisfied clients and secondly, that they take time and go to the trouble to discover what clients think of their service. They are aware that they are a service-oriented business.

Local Knowledge
A Mackay solicitor or lawyer should have a good local knowledge and experience in assisting other people in the city. Find out if the firm has worked on major local developments or firms with established conveyancing sections that will have built up a valuable source of “inside knowledge” about the property market, local agents and banks which can make a huge difference to the way your transaction will be dealt with.

Breadth of Services
Because you will only need a lawyer rarely, it is wise to choose a Mackay solicitor, lawyer or law firm that can provide you with the full range of services without having to find additional law firms. Finding a firm that can provide conveyancing, estate planning, disputes, business services and even workplace or employment issues, means you can stick with one firm to meet all your legal needs. Law firms value clients that use several services, and will often provide those services more cheaply and efficiently when they have provided other work 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.

If you really want to examine 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 examine 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, faults, 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, selfish, intrusive, self-interested, seductive or charming ways that he or she does.

Once you know how he or she see things from their perspective, 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 have a deep desire 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.

Located on Brisbane’s eastern coast, North Stradbroke Island (’Straddie’ to the familiar) is one of Australia’s natrual treasures -a perfect escape destination. Something of a secret, it is only recently that Straddie has started to sparkle on the tourism and property radar.

Travel to Straddie through the bayside village of Cleveland will take approximately 50 minutes on the vehicle ferry. Cleveland is a thirty minute drive from Brisbane International Airport or the centre of Brisbane, and an 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 trip.

Stradbroke Island is 27,530 hectares, making it 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 accessible by four-wheel drive, bicycle or on foot, with many good camping sites situated down Main Beach, and wonderful views appear visible from almost everywhere on Straddie.

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 concrete jungle of the Gold Coast is often clearly visible, being a constant reminder of the contrast to the slower pace of Straddie.

North Stradbroke (or Minjerriba to the indigenous Noonuccal tribe) was the home of celebrated Aboriginal poet Kath Walker, or Oodgeroo Noonuccal. There is much Aboriginal and European history surrounding Dunwich where water taxis and vehicular barges land.

The calm waters of Moreton Bay ripple against the shores of the island’s western fishing towns. The lack of agriculture and the filtering effects of the sand produces pure water which fish, and particularly Stradbroke Rock Oysters thrive upon.

North Stradbroke attracts four-wheel drivers, fishers, surfies and beach-lovers to its free stretches of beach and rugged granite headlands, and the Island offers a range of accommodation, restaurants, cafes and holiday attractions. With an incredible diversity of experiences to offer and spectacular places to explore, North Stradbroke is a fantastic holiday destination 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 destination, only a thirty kilometre drive on a sealed road from Dunwich. The North Gorge Headland is forty metres above sea level and known as a leading land-based whale watching site during from May-November, 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 part 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 tour with one of Straddie’s tour operators.

One of the greatest features of the island is the 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, most delicious 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 fabulous island resource in the menu.

“The Point” offers several alfresco style cafes, a bakery, chemist, post office, newsagent, corner store and supermarket. The island also has a bus service linking the 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 also boasts what is perhaps the last truly old-school surf shop in the country, that focusses on 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/

Located on Brisbane’s eastern coast, North Stradbroke Island (”Straddie” to those familiar) is one of Australia’s east coast natural treasures and a perfect escape destination. Somehow, the secret has been well kept and it is only recently that Stradbroke Island has begun to show up on the tourism and property radar.

Travel to Straddie by way of the Brisbane suburb of Cleveland takes approximately 50 minutes on the vehicle ferry. Cleveland is only a 30 minute drive from Brisbane International Airport or Brisbane central, and an drive from the Gold Coast. The ferry ride across Moreton Bay is the first step that makes visiting Stradbroke Island such a great destination.

Stradbroke Island covers 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 numerous great camping sites dotted all the way down Main Beach, and views appear visible from almost everywhere on Straddie.

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 concrete jungle of the Gold Coast can be clearly visible, and is a constant reminder of the stark contrast to the slower pace of Straddie.

North Stradbroke (or Minjerriba to the indigenous Noonuccal tribe) was home to celebrated Aboriginal poet Kath Walker, or Oodgeroo Noonuccal. There is a large amount of Aboriginal and European history surrounding Dunwich where water taxis and vehicular barges berth.

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

North Stradbroke attracts four-wheel drivers, fishers, surfies and beach-lovers to the wide lengths of beach and rugged granite headlands, and the Island also has a good range of accommodation, restaurants, cafes and holiday attractions. With a diversity of experiences to offer and beautiful areas 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 destination, and only a thirty kilometre drive on a sealed road from Dunwich. The North Gorge Headland is forty metres above sea level and recognised as a leading land-based whale watching area during winter, 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 spotted from the spectacular North Gorge at the northern part 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 four-wheel drive or on a tour with one of Straddie’s friendly tour operators.

One of the greatest features on the island is being able to purchase fresh seafood directly from local fishermen. Just look for the signs at Amity Point and Point Lookout which direct you to their homes and the freshest, most delicious catch-of-the-day around. For those that would rather the work be done for them, Straddie’s restaurants and cafes all make use of this wonderful island resource on their menus.

“The Point” offers several alfresco style cafes, a bakery, chemist, post office, newsagent, corner store and supermarket. The island also has a bus service linking the 3 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 you can drop in for a quick beer on your way back around -you may even bump into world ranked surfer and local Bede Durbidge! Straddie also boasts what is perhaps the last truly old-school surf shop in the country, that focusses on selling surfing gear rather than fashion.

The jewels in the Straddie’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 differing 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/