In the wake of the announcement by former Labor leader, now Minister for Tourism Simon Crean about the injection of 20 million cash into a new marketing campaign for Australian tourism, surely I am not the only one who is gently suggesting to the boffins in Canberra that they shoudd look at what Victoria has been doing with tourism promotion for the past 15 years.

Though I was a fan of the past two Tourism Australia campaigns 'Where the bloody hell are you?' and the 'Come Walkabout' for very different reasons, Australian tourism has struggled to surpass the iconic 'Throw another shrimp on the barbie..' series lead by laid back Paul Hogan, who was bound for further stardom with that movie about the Crocodile Bloke.  Ironically, Victorian Tourism has been banging out winning campaigns for 15 years, and with its latest effort, which effortlessly fuses O Brother Where Art Thou filmic grandeur with sweeping evocative landscapes of central western Victoria, should given a chance to right the rudder on the tired, familiar directions of Australian tourism campaigns.

The current Victorian campaign 'You love every piece of Victoria' - known widely as  Jigsaw campaign,  was formulated in 1993. Yes - count that - 16 years ago and still going strong. The key has been new inventive interpretations of the core theme of key attractions of Victoria, allowing new imaginings of regional areas and subsequently targeted promotions around regional product strengths (like food, arts, natural environment, shopping and events).

For me, the ads really started to move into original territory  with the 'Romantic Melbourne' ad campaign. A series of romantic, black and white films that framed Melbourne as a romantic European like destination. Obviously trying to portray Melbourne as a high flying, sprawling mecca like Sydney or South East Queensalnd would be way off the mark. However rather echoing more tried methods, conjuring the ad as a European destination and then pulling back the sheet to reveal that you were looking at Melbourne was brilliant - in a blurry french way.

Then the memorable 'Run Rabbit Run' campaign which fused the same euro-centric production design, but with a faux gothic sentiment and playfully dark tone echoing the twisted fairy tale world of 'A Series of Unfortunate Events'. The ad specifically refers to the sumptuous Yarra Valley and the 'problem' of would-be guests who don't want to leave. Our seemingly overdressed guests run away, hiding from the somewhat maniacal concierge who chases them through the fields and vineyards, ultimately giving up (albeit pleasingly),  packing away their bags with all of the other missing guests who too now are stow aways. Again it has the consistency of the previous ads - with the gentle movement of the camera (pans, slow zooms) using short depth of field for that evocative filmic feel, the use of scratchy forties song 'Run Rabbit Run', coupled with lavish set design, dressing, costuming and setting to again encapsulate the abundance extravagance of Victoria.

Next we see the ' Its Easy to Loose Yourself in Victoria' campaign. Again we aren't presented with the slick, contemporary architecture and geometric public spaces of Melbourne, or frenetic sporting scenes of AFL and racing - rather this Parisian, European aspect of ornate, personal, beautiful objects and spaces as the again overdressed, inquisitive but gorgeous women explores these spaces with a massive ball of red string which traces her movements throughout the city. Meeting up with overdressed man oin balcony overlooking city reinforces the romance of this city. Once again the use of music isn't expected, nor cinematic but mirroring the slightly inquisitive, innocent , romantic intention of the film. 

The direction of these ads is spot on consistent- a perfect execution of knowing exactly what the filmmakers what to portray about said region and using every opportunity to cleverly (not obviously) reinforce. Viewers aren't presented with cliche or prosaic, jingoistic Australian themes but subtle, sophisitcated simplicity.

Victorian Tourism has excelled with its latest effort promoting Daylesford, launched in cinematic splendor - ' Lead a Double Life'. Isabelle Lucas of Transformers 2 fame wanders through the idealised country setting which is contrasted brilliantly with the luxuriant opulence of costume, wealth food and experience. The clever use of graphic/thematic match cuts transitioning from the curious day to lustful and wanting night, perfectly expressing the double life concept is considered and intricate as the story is unfolded. The cinematography dances between the lush, organic soft bokeh of short depth of field and expansive filmic establishing shot, and mimics chiaroscuro tone of Bill Henson's series Untitled 2000-2003.  This is combined with the skilled use of  'O Brother Where Art Thou' gospel piece 'Down to the River' which draws upon our cinematic conscious of the languid, spiritual atmosphere Coen Brothers moment from the film.

Australian Tourism would do well to notice the considered approaches of Victorian Tourism. The competition for the international tourism dollar is a more complicated challenge but surely Australia would be better served with a series of ads that aimed a little higher in both substance and synthesis of promotional concept.

Jo and I went on a delightful trip up to Mt Wilson - we ate a beaut
BBQ chicken, finished our engrossing novels, and wandered through this
lovely Garden.

You might have missed us and we have missed you. The Kookas have been
at us too - so in spite of extreme laziness here are some updates of
the box. For now - the Kookas rule!

A very pretty Kookaburra - sitting on a fence post surrounded in bokeh,,,,

But I like it. Checked out Calacanis' blog. It looks v. simple.