Great Alpine Waste

The Alpine council and its tourism arm ARTB have placed duplicate ads in the same paper about the one event. The unnecessary ads also contain conflicting information.

Does the left hand know what the right hand is doing?

Last week I received an emailed invitation to the above-mentioned event, the launch of the new mystery marketing brand for the Alpine Shire region that, by the way, is the controversially named Great Alpine Valleys, as I posted about here and here.

As I’m a tourist operator paying more than $1,000 extra in my council rates specifically to fund ARTB, I presumed (a) that only people like me would be invited to this event, and (b) that there would be no need for the council & ARTB to spend any more of my money advertising it, as all operators would have received their invitations, like I had. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

It’s going up

Pretty, ain't it? Click on photo to enlarge (and I do mean "large"!)

Early this morning about a dozen large trucks rolled into Bright with the first tilt-up concrete walls for the new Woolworths supermarket building on the corner of Gavan Street (Great Alpine Road) & Star Road (a side street). By this afternoon the controversial Star Road delivery bay and storage area walls were up. Now we can finally see what the shopkeepers to the left here were complaining about. Yes, it blocks their view of the surrounding hills but …. so what? If you’re in a shopping centre and your outlook is of hills & trees, guess what that means? It means you’re not in a busy and viable town. Look, no shopkeeper has a right to a view. I should point out that this is not the main view of the development that our visitors will have – which will be an open and pleasant vista from the G.A.R. Also, the ‘Great Wall’ will have surface treatments, a pergola and screening plants to soften its impact.

Something wrong @ Hotham?

Today's snow-cam of Mt Hotham. Plenty of snow but not a skier (or worker) in sight. It's closed while Falls Creek has extended its season ~ why?

No extension to ski season despite huge late falls 

Despite 51cm of snow falling at Mount Hotham on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the Mt Hotham Ski Company (which also runs Falls Creek) has announced that it will not extend the ski season at Mount Hotham.

In contrast, the company has extended its season @ Falls Creek and, while that’s good news for Mt Beauty, it’s hardly any benefit to Bright, which is already suffering from the Mt Buffalo fiasco.

According to this report from ABC Online, a spokesperson for the ski company says the runs were closed and the staff were sent home early due to the poor conditions in August & September:

iSnack 2.0

Update: Kraft has dumped the new name after just 4 days following public ridicule. The company says it will now run a public ‘vote’ to decide on a replacement brand. Apparently Kraft registered iSnack2.0 along with two other trade names, Snackerific and Crackertime, on July 30. I don’t think the other names are any good either. There are suggestions that the ridiculous iSnack2.0 name was a publicity stunt designed to draw attention to the product. Hmm ….

Kraft’s ‘New Vegemite’ brand is not even original

The much criticised name for 'New Vegemite' is actually plagiarised from a South African energy bar.

Earlier this year Kraft Foods released its new Vegemite, not as a replacement for the old one but as a variation. The new product is a sickly mixture of Vegemite and cream cheese and, while it spreads more easily and is less salty, it literally looks like shit. Kraft ran a huge competition to give the product a name and, for some reason, chose to announce the winner (a 27-year-old nerdy web designer from Perth) and the new name – iSnack 2.0 - while Saturday’s AFL Grand Final was in full flight. Perhaps Kraft were hoping it would slip by unnoticed, which seems to suggest they knew it would not be well received.

Geelong’s ‘Mad Monday’

Matthew Scarlett is such a class act.

“We are Geelong ….”

…. nerdiest team of all ?

Say whatever you like but this is not a case of sour grapes and I’d be bringing this to your attention regardless of what happened on Saturday.

The Geelong Advertiser is gleefully reporting “breaking news” on the antics of the Geelong boys playing dress-ups at some real classy* Geelong pub today.

They’ve even taken 50 photos and put them up in a gallery, labelling the antics as “hilarious”.

Yeah right. I don’t know what’s more ridiculous – the way the players are dressed or the way the Geelong Advertiser is fawning over it. (* = irony)

Make up your minds boys

Do you want to look like this ….

….. or like this ? :

The Grand Final

St Kilda v Geelong

Blog the game on A.O.

I’ve opened this thread up for your pre-match thoughts & predictions, as well as match-time and post-match comments.

My prediction is St Kilda by 30 pts, although looking at the weather both sides might find it hard to score today.

Good luck and let’s hope it’s the greatest Grand Final ever.

Fevola should be sacked …

Brendan Fevola is a real pain ... in the arse.

… but not from Carlton

The Brendan Fevola-is-drunk-again issue and his unruly, anti-social behaviour has dominated far too much of the news in this Grand Final week that should be more about the two outstanding teams about to play off in what promises to be a real epic. The guy is a real tool and not too bright either. I mean doesn’t this quote from today’s Herald Sun say it all?:

Asked if he had a drinking problem, he said: “I think when I drink, I do.”

Yeah, you’ve only got a drinking problem when you drink – idiot. So what should Carlton and/or the AFL do? What sanction, fine or penalty should be imposed on this goose? What would really impact on him and make him realise that he’s stuffing up his life? Fining him won’t work, he’s got plenty of money. And there’s no way Carlton would dump him, he’s just too valuable a player. I think the best penalty would be to:

AFL Grand Final 2009 ‘expert’ tips

If Riewoldt don't get ya, then Gardiner (or Kosi) will.

Greatest Grand Final ever?

When St Kilda & Geelong met in round 14 it was billed as ‘The Game of the Century’, and it certainly lived up to the hype … and then some.

And if Saturday’s Grand Final between the two sides that genuinely hate each other is anything like the earlier clash, we are in for an epic and potentially the best Grand Final ever seen.

Making matters even more intriguing is the weather forecast: Wintry conditions, 13 degrees, wind, rain and even hail are forecast. This could be a real test of strength. But enough with the preamble, I’m going for:

The Coach and the Council job

Are our council rates being used to provide jobs for football players?

Renew my $70,000 Council job or I’ll leave town and the footy club altogether, says footy coach 

The Alpine council is under pressure to extend the lucrative employment contract of Bright Footy Club coach Jason Sharp as ‘Business Manager’ for the shire’s Alpine Visitor Information Centre in Bright. The council created the $70,000 per annum position earlier this year and appointed Mr Sharp on a 6-month contract that is due to expire in November.

However, this week Mr Sharp resigned from his coaching role indicating that he will “probably” leave the footy team and the area altogether unless the council extends his employment contract.

According to the Bright Observer, Mr Sharp cited ‘family reasons’ for his decision to quit the coaching role after just one season, although his comments (as reported) clearly suggest that his future at the footy club depends on whether or not the council continues to employ him: 

The Brownlow

The big (peroxided) blonde hair and the big (exposed) boobs is such a tasteful look.

In case you hadn’t heard (and in case you didn’t read Geelong supporter Baldrick’s rather peeved comment earlier today) Gary Ablett Junior of the Geelong F.C. won the AFL’s Brownlow medal last night by a big margin. 

Congratulations to ‘the gnome’, who clearly deserved to win this award that he has craved so dearly – mainly to prove to his father (who would be Gary Ablett Senior) that he’s every bit as good a footballer as ‘Dad’. Actually, in my opinion Gary Junior is a much better player than Gary Senior, who I do not rate anywhere near as highly as some people (read, Geelong fans) do.

As for St Kilda players, well when you’ve got so many guns it’s hard for one of them to stand out enough to get sufficient votes to win the medal.

With 6 Saints – Hayes (20 votes), Dal Santo (17), Riewoldt (15), Goddard (14), Montagna (13) & Koschitzke (11) – finishing so high up I never expected one of them to win it.

Not that I want to detract from Gary Junior’s win though; he was clearly the best player of the year. Anyway, here are some more ‘highlights’ of the night – i.e. some real ’frock shockers’:

Yes, this would be much better

UPDATE Wednesday 23 September: The date & venue for the launch of the ‘Great Alpine Valleys’ brand name has been announced. Click on “more” below for details and my further comment. I think all operators (especially those in Bright) should be asking for this launch to be deferred.

Imagine (if you can) the impact an advertisement like this in a magazine or on TV in Melbourne would have. It would put Tourism Victoria's rather strange Daylesford advertisements to shame.

As I wrote under the post ‘And our new brand is …’  it looks like the Alpine Council and its tourism committee ARTB (both of whom consist largely of people NOT involved in tourism) are about to launch a new marketing brand for the Alpine Shire area being, ‘Great Alpine Valleys’. 

But to ignore the opportunity to simply add the words “Bright and” to the start of that brand is sheer stubbornness (and stupidity) in my opinion. If only they would do that, I think they’d find that the operators would support their campaigns to the hilt, and tourism throughout the whole shire would receive an enormous boost.

I strongly urge ARTB and the council to place this launch on hold and put this decision out to the operators. It’s our industry, not yours.

Geelong are clear favourites

I know you Geelong supporters will accuse me of trying to  make St Kilda the underdog in this week’s AFL Grand Final, but I’m only stating what is clearly emerging as a fact. After last night’s performance Geelong must be rated as the clear favourite to win the flag. Compared to St Kilda’s nail-biting narrow win, Geelong’s 73-pt demolition of Collingwood was a clear indication that they’re back to their best. And don’t just believe me. The Herald Sun is running a poll on the issue and here is the current ‘voting’:

Who will win the 2009 AFL Grand Final?
Geelong 72.72% (1669 votes)
St Kilda 27.28% (626 votes)
Total votes: 2295

Speaks for itself.

Should I gloat?

Riewoldt leads from the front and it's a case of "do what I say ... and what I do".

Well no, of course not, but how can you not say something about this bloke?

.

Actually I think the opening paragraph from the Herald-Sun report of St Kilda’s great win last night says it all:

ST KILDA captain Nick Riewoldt stamped himself as the game’s great attacking colossus, hauling his Saints into their first Grand Final since 1997 .

He sure did. My sympathies to the Bulldogs/Footscray (and their long-suffering supporters), who would have been worthy winners in what was a classic preliminary final – an absolute ‘epic’ in which the difference in the end was one person, Nick Riewoldt.

Guess who?

It’s ’Nasty Nick’ Riewoldt

Why is the Herald Sun making St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt look like a street ‘hoodie’?

He looks like a thug in this shot from their website  and I had to read the caption to work out who it was.

Maybe it’s designed to intimidate?

Anyway, I hope he plays his usual game tonight because, if he does, we win!

Btw, I’m I was heading down for the game – corporate tickets again – but something came up. Too much to do. Go Saints.