Last updated 1 October 2026
This policy explains what personal information MELBZ (melbz.com.au, Melbourne Zones) collects when you use the site, why we collect it, who else receives it and the choices you have. We handle personal information in line with the Australian Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
Questions about this policy go to [email protected].
The short version
- You can read MELBZ without an account, and without giving us your name or email address.
- We use Google Analytics to count visits and Google AdSense to show advertising. Both use cookies.
- We do not sell, rent or trade personal information.
- If you email us, we use what you send to reply to you.
- If you join our newsletter list, we store your email address to send you the newsletter. We never sell it.
What we collect and why
Information your browser sends
Every time a page loads, your browser sends some technical information: your IP address, your browser and device type, the page you asked for, the page that linked you here, and the time. Our web server and Cloudflare, the network that delivers MELBZ and protects it from attacks, use this information to deliver pages, keep the site secure and fix faults.
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics to understand which pages people read, how they find them and what devices they use. Google Analytics sets cookies, such as _ga, and sends information about your visit to Google. Google uses your IP address to estimate your approximate location. We see totals and trends, not who you are, and Google does not give us your IP address.
To stop Google Analytics, install Google’s opt-out browser add-on from tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout, or block cookies in your browser.
Advertising: Google AdSense
MELBZ uses Google AdSense to show advertising, which helps pay for the site.
- Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website or other websites.
- Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to MELBZ and/or other sites on the internet.
- You can opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google’s Ads Settings.
- You can also opt out of some third-party vendors’ use of cookies for personalised advertising at optout.aboutads.info.
If you opt out, you may still see ads, but they will not be based on your browsing. Google explains how it uses information from websites that show its ads at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.
Sponsored articles on MELBZ (the pages under /sp/) do not load the AdSense advertising code.
Services our pages load from other companies
Some parts of our pages come straight from other providers. Your browser connects to them, so they receive your IP address:
- Google Fonts (fonts.googleapis.com and fonts.gstatic.com) supplies the typefaces.
- Unsplash (images.unsplash.com) supplies some photographs.
- Open-Meteo (api.open-meteo.com) supplies the Melbourne weather shown at the top of the page. The request uses fixed Melbourne CBD coordinates, not your location.
Share buttons are plain links. Nothing from Facebook, X, LinkedIn or WhatsApp loads until you click one.
Storage in your browser
Apart from the Google cookies described above, MELBZ keeps two small items in your browser. Neither is sent to us. One remembers that you closed the newsletter prompt, for seven days. The other keeps the weather reading for your current visit, so it is not fetched again on every page.
Newsletter sign-up boxes
Our newsletter has not launched yet. When you enter your email address in one of the newsletter sign-up boxes, our server stores it so that we can send you the newsletter when it starts. With it, we store the time, the page you signed up on, and the technical details your browser sends with the request (your IP address and browser type), as a record of the sign-up.
We use your email address only to send you the MELBZ newsletter. We never sell, rent or trade it. Every newsletter will include a way to unsubscribe. To have your address removed at any time, including before the first newsletter goes out, email [email protected] and we will delete it. Before we send the first newsletter, we will update this policy to name the email service we use to send it.
When you email us
If you email [email protected], we receive your email address, your name if you include it, and whatever you write. We use it to reply and to act on what you asked, such as a correction or a tip, and we keep the emails as a record. Our email is hosted by Hostinger.
Sponsored articles
MELBZ publishes clearly labelled sponsored articles for businesses. Our Disclosure page explains how they work. When a business buys one, we collect the contact and billing details of the person we deal with. We use them to arrange, publish and invoice the article, and to keep the business records the law requires. We do not use them for anything else.
Who receives personal information
- Google, for Google Analytics, Google AdSense and Google Fonts.
- Cloudflare, which delivers the site.
- Hostinger, which hosts our web server and our email.
- Unsplash and Open-Meteo, as described above.
- Anyone the law requires us to disclose information to.
Each provider receives only what it needs to provide its service. We do not sell, rent or trade personal information.
Information stored outside Australia
Our web server, which also stores newsletter sign-ups, is hosted by Hostinger in Malaysia. Google, Cloudflare and our other providers may process information in the United States and other countries.
How long we keep information and how we protect it
We keep personal information only for as long as we need it for the purposes above, or for as long as the law requires, for example for tax records. Every page is served over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection, and access to our servers is restricted.
Your choices and rights
- Block or delete cookies in your browser settings. You can still read MELBZ without them.
- Opt out of personalised ads and Google Analytics using the links above.
- Ask us what personal information we hold about you, or ask us to correct it, by emailing [email protected].
Complaints
If you think we have mishandled your personal information, email [email protected] and tell us what happened. We will reply within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our reply, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au.
Changes to this policy
When our practices change, we will update this page and the date at the top.
Related: Disclosure · AI disclosure · Contact