Examples provided throughout these guidelines show the expected formatting in Search and Autocomplete modes but are also applicable when rating in Address Verification and GLOV.
Australia is a huge land mass with populations centered in urban areas (particularly the capital cities), often with vast distances between. There is therefore a relatively higher tolerance for distance, especially outside of the major cities. Within urban areas, users expect to travel shorter distances.
The table below is a guide showing the required and optional address components for different result types.
The graph below shows the different check boxes that can be ticked within the rating interface and which of the address components correlates with each box.
Conduct online research using government maps providers, company official websites, official social media pages, claimed pages on popular rating websites, online mapping tools and street imagery. A web search for a street address can point to online real estate listings, which can also be helpful for address verification.
The following table shows the address components that are expected for POI/Business results and how they should be formatted in Maps Search and Autocomplete.
Address Components | Map Search Example | Autocomplete Example | |
Result Name | [POI/Business Name] | Tetsuya’s Restaurant | Tetsuya’s Restaurant |
Address Details | [Street Number] [Street Name] [Locality] [State/Territory abbreviation] [Postcode] | 529 Kent Street Sydney NSW 2000 | 529 Kent Street, Sydney |
Address Components | Map Search Example | Autocomplete Example | |
Result Name | [POI/Business Name] | Rugs-A-Million | Rugs-A-Million |
Address Details | [Unit number]/[Street number] [Street name] [Locality] [State/Territory abbreviation] [Postcode] | 1/1399 Albany Highway Cannington WA 6107 | 1/1399 Albany Highway, Cannington |
Address Components | Map Search Example | Autocomplete Example | |
Result Name | [POI/Business Name] | Red Photography | Red Photography |
Address Details | [Street number][Subdivision Letter] [Street name] [Locality] [State/Territory abbreviation] [Postcode] | 84A Canberra Avenue Griffith ACT 2603 | 84A Canberra Avenue, Griffith |
Address Components | Map Search Example | Autocomplete Example | |
Result Name | [POI/Business Name] | McDonald’s | McDonald’s |
Address Details | Corner of [Street name] & [Street name] [Locality] [State/Territory abbreviation] [Postcode] | Corner of Great Western Highway & Main Street Lithgow NSW 2790 | Corner of Great Western Highway & Main Street, Lithgow |
When a POI (especially for those with large premises) is on the corner (intersection) of two streets, the address is often listed on the official website as “the corner of” the two relevant streets. The street number is omitted as the cross street is considered the reference point.
These addresses can be problematic in Maps. The following variations may be returned:
Query | Result | Official Address | Address Accuracy Rating |
[Hungry jacks near me] | Hungry Jack’s Cowpasture Road & Green Valley Road Green Valley NSW 2168 | Corner Cowpasture Road & Green Valley Road Green Valley NSW 2168 | Correct |
[Hungry jacks near me] | Hungry Jack’s 420 Cabramatta Road st Cabramatta NSW 2166 | Corner Cabramatta Road & Cumberland Way, Cabramatta NSW 2166 | Incorrect – Street Number |
[Hungry jacks near me] | Hungry Jack’s 403 Cabramatta Road st Cabramatta NSW 2166 | Corner Cabramatta Road & Cumberland Way, Cabramatta NSW 2166 | Correct |
[Bunnings Fyshwick] | Bunning’s Warehouse Newcastle Street Fyshwick ACT 2609 | Corner Collie & Newcastle Street Fyshwick ACT 2609 | Incorrect – Country-Specific Issue |
The following table shows the address components that are expected for residential address results and how they should be formatted in Maps Search and Autocomplete.
Address Components | Map Search Example | Autocomplete Example | |
Result Title | [Street Number] [Street Name] | 12 Goldsbrough Close | 12 Goldsbrough Close |
Address Details | [Street Number] [Street Name] [Locality] [State/Territory abbreviation] [Postcode] | 12 Goldsbrough Close Macarthur ACT 2904 | Macarthur, ACT |
Address Components | Map Search Example | Autocomplete Example | |
Result Title | [Unit Number]/[Street Number] [Street Name] | 1/4 Huntly Street | 1/4 Huntly Street |
Address Details | [Street Number] [Street Name], [Locality] [State/Territory abbreviation] [Postcode] | 1/4 Huntly Street Footscray VIC 3011 | Footscray, VIC |
Address Components | Map Search Example | Autocomplete Example | |
Result Title | [Street Number] [Subdivision Number] [Street Name] | 14A Balcombe Street | 14A Balcombe Street |
Address Details | [Street Number] [Subdivision Number] [Street Name] [Locality] [State/Territory abbreviation] [Postcode] | 14A Balcombe Street Mornington VIC 3931 | Mornington, VIC |
Address Components | Map Search Example | Autocomplete Example | |
Result Title | [Street Number]-[Street Number] [Street Name] | 8-10 Smith Street | 8-10 Smith Street |
Address Details | [Street Number]-[Street Number] [Street Name][Locality] [State/Territory abbreviation] [Postcode] | 8-10 Smith Street Broulee NSW 2537 | Broulee, NSW |
Address ranges are used to assign numbers to a stretch of road. The correct format for an address range is shown in the table above. An address range should never be formatted as 8/10 Smith Street Broulee NSW as the “/” signifies a unit number and therefore this address suggests unit number 8, 10 Smith Street rather than the address range 8-10 Smith Street.
As per the Global Guidelines, when an address range is given by the query or returned as a result, consider it Correct when:
The following tables show the address components that are expected for street results and how they should be formatted in Maps Search and Autocomplete.
Address Components | Map Search Example | Autocomplete Example | |
Result Title | [Street Name] | Kiama Place | Kiama Place |
Address Details | [Street Name] [Locality] [State/Territory abbreviation] [Postcode] | Kiama Place Merimbula NSW 2548 | Merimbula, NSW |
Address Components | Map Search Example | Autocomplete Example | |
Result Title | [Street Name] & [Street Name] | Clarendon Street & Dorcas Street | Clarendon Street & Dorcas Street |
Address Details | [Street Name] & [Street Name] [Locality] [State/Territory abbreviation] [Postcode] | Clarendon Street & Dorcas Street South Melbourne VIC 3205 | South Melbourne, VIC |
The following table shows the address components that are expected for locality results and how they should be formatted in Maps Search and Autocomplete.
Address Components | Map Search Example | Autocomplete Example | |
Result Title | [Locality] | Cook | Cook, ACT |
Address Details | [Locality] [State/Territory abbreviation] | Cook ACT |
The following table shows the address components that are expected for above-locality results and how they should be formatted in Maps Search and Autocomplete.
Address Components | Map Search Example | Autocomplete Example | |
Result Title | [Metropolitan City] | Sydney | Sydney, NSW |
Address Details | [Metropolitan City] [State/Territory abbreviation] | Sydney NSW |
Address Components | Map Search Example | Autocomplete Example | |
Result Title | [Region] | Central Coast | Central Coast, NSW |
Address Details | [Region] [State/Territory abbreviation] | Central Coast NSW |
Address Components | Map Search Example | Autocomplete Example | |
Result Title | [State] | Northern Territory | Northern Territory |
Address Details | [State] | Northern Territory |
State/Territory | Abbreviation |
New South Wales | NSW |
Australian Capital Territory | ACT |
Victoria | VIC |
Queensland | QLD |
South Australia | SA |
stern Australia | WA |
Tasmania | TAS |
Northern Territory | NT |
Other Territories
There are a number of other territories administered by Australia (mostly external to the mainland):
Address Components | Map Search Example | Autocomplete Example | |
Result Title | [Country] | Australia | Australia |
Address Details | [Country] | Australia |
It is not required for the country to be displayed for results within Australia, only for results in different countries. The country is never an expected component in Autocomplete.
The following table shows the address components that are expected for postcode results and how they should be formatted in Maps Search and Autocomplete.
In Australia postcodes are always 4 digits. Postcode results are not usually viewed as relevant as they normally encompass multiple localities and thus do not represent a single area unique enough to be relevant to a user in most cases. If a query contains 4 digits, the likelihood of a postcode results fulfilling user intent increases, as the likelihood of encountering a relevant street number address with 4 digits decreases.
Address Components | Map Search Example | Autocomplete Example | |
Result Title | [Postcode] | 6000 | 6000 |
Address Details | [Locality] [State/Territory abbreviation] [Postcode] | Perth WA 6000 | Perth, WA |
Some prominent features within Australia that shouldn’t return an address are beaches, landmarks and transit POIs. This section of the guidelines will display what we should expect to see for these features.
Address Components | Map Search Example | Autocomplete Example | |
Result Name | [POI Name] | Bondi Beach | Bondi Beach |
Address Details | [Locality] [State/Territory abbreviation] | Bondi Beach NSW | Bondi Beach |
Beach searches in Australia are prevalent. If a user searches for a beach plus a locality all beaches in the locality requested should be considered relevant. If a beach completely satisfies the user’s intent it should be rated Navigational, as it is an explicit match. All other beaches in the locality should be rated Good – Acceptable based on prominence. Beaches should be treated as Natural Features when rated within Australia. Please adhere to the Natural Features addressing guidelines in the Global Guidelines when rating addresses for beaches.
5.2 Transit POIs
Address Components | Map Search Example | Autocomplete Example | |
Result Name | [POI Name] | Newmarket Station | Newmarket Station |
Address Details | [Locality] [State/Territory abbreviation] | Newmarket QLD | Newmarket |
Most countries have the concept of “Vanity Addressing” where an address presented on the official website differs from the official postal address in order to make it appear to be in a more upmarket location. In these cases, both the vanity address and the address returned by the official government maps provider should be rated Correct. Always crosscheck the address shown in TryRating with both the official business website and the official government maps provider before rating an address Incorrect. See example below for further clarification
Official Address Source | Official Address | Rating | |
Official Business Website | Coles 650 George St World Square NSW 2000 | Correct | |
Government Maps Provider | Coles 650 George St Sydney NSW 2000 | Correct |
There are a handful of special cases to keep in mind when rating results in Australia.
Bars and pubs often have the word “Hotel” in their name. This can cause confusion with category searches, as a search for a hotel normally implies that someone is looking for accommodation rather than a bar.
In cases where someone searches something like “Sydney Hotel”, it can be tricky as this could be a hotel in Sydney or an establishment in Sydney that goes by the name of Sydney Hotel. Consider relevancy of these results on a case-by-case basis.
Some schools in Australia are listed as colleges. A college can be any of the following institutions, so it is necessary to undertake research before making any assumptions:
Some cities have Open Street Malls, such as Pitt Street Mall in Sydney, which are pedestrian shopping districts. Such malls may cover several blocks. All businesses within this area should be treated as stores in a regular mall if they are listed on the mall’s official website.
Many Australian airports exist in a locality by the same name. Melbourne Airport exists in the locality Melbourne Airport VIC 3045. The airport itself is most likely the user’s intent as it is the main airport for this state. The locality Melbourne Airport is just the suburb surrounding the airport and only exists because of the airport. When rating cases such as this in Search the airport itself should be rated Navigational and the locality will be classed as secondary intent and be rated Good for relevance.
Query | Result | Rating Guidance |
Melbourne Airport | Melbourne Airport Melbourne Airport VIC 3045 | Navigational – the airport matches the user’s explicit intent. |
Melbourne Airport VIC 3045 | Good – although the locality matches the query string the intent is most likely the airport itself. The locality only exists because of the airport and can be considered secondary intent. |
Often in Australia you will come across a beach and locality that share the same name. Bondi beach is both a famous beach and a prominent locality. As the beach or the locality could satisfy the users intent they should both be rated Excellent.
Query | Result | Rating Guidance |
Bondi Beach | Bondi Beach Bondi Beach NSW | Excellent – Bondi Beach is a prominent beach in Australia. It exists in a locality by the same name. It is equally likely that the user is looking for both the beach and the locality. |
Bondi Beach NSW | Excellent – Bondi Beach is a suburb in NSW and is known for its shopping and nightlife. It is equally likely that the user is looking for both the beach and the locality. |
In Australia we often see user queries for stations. These queries are displayed in the format [locality] + [station]. When a query is presented as [locality]+[station] the user’s intent is for a transit station by this name or within the locality mentioned. Police stations, fire stations and fuel stations should not be considered relevant when returned for station queries. We would expect the inclusion of the word police, fire, fuel, etc., if that was the user’s intent. The only exception to this rule would be in rural areas without train stations. In this case the user may refer to a sheep or cattle station by using the query [locality] + [station].
Query | Result | Rating Guidance |
[Newtown Station] | Newtown Station Newtown NSW | Navigational – the train station matches the user’s explicit intent. |
Petersham Station Petersham NSW | Good – Distance/Prominence – Petersham station is not far from the locality, Newtown. Even though the station is outside of the requested locality, it provides a choice of stations in the area for the user. The fewer choices there are available, the farther away the results can be and still be relevant. | |
Newtown Police Station 222 Australia Street Newtown NSW 2042 | Bad – User Intent – if the user is looking for Newtown Station, they are looking for the train station. The user would specify police, fire, gas etc. if that was their intent. |
Typically for Australia, the locality given in an address will be the suburb name in a city, or the town name when the town is not divided into smaller suburb units. This can mean it is not immediately obvious which city the locality is in by looking at an address. This address format is expected for Australian addresses and is used consistently throughout the country. For larger cities, the downtown area will usually contain a centrally located suburb also with the same name as the larger metropolitan area. This is often known as the “central business district” or the “CBD”.
In conversation and colloquially, Australians will often refer to city names rather than specific suburbs or localities This is not usually reflected in addresses, however this tendency may be reflected in the way that the user searches. For example, if a user was looking for Kmart Stores in Sydney, they would likely prefer Maps to search for results within the greater metropolitan area rather than just focusing on the smaller central suburb. This should be taken into consideration when determining user intent and result relevancy for such searches. This can also be relevant for address queries. For example, the address “30 Hunter Street, Waterloo NSW 2017” is located in the suburb of Waterloo within the greater metropolitan area of Sydney. The address “30 Hunter Street, Sydney NSW 2000” also exists, and is located in the central suburb of Sydney.
Query | Result | Rating Guidance |
[30 Hunter Street Waterloo] User location and viewport in Waterloo, NSW 2017 | 30 Hunter Street, Waterloo NSW 2017, Australia | Navigational – this address matches the user’s explicit intent. As the user has specified the locality “Waterloo”, this is the only address that fulfils the user’s intent. |
30 Hunter Street, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia | Bad – User Intent – given the user specified the locality “Waterloo”, this result (located in the central suburb of Sydney) does not fulfil the user’s intent and therefore should be rated Bad for relevance. | |
[30 Hunter Street Sydney] User location and viewport in Waterloo, NSW 2017 | 30 Hunter Street, Waterloo NSW 2017, Australia | Excellent – as the user queried “Sydney” as the locality, it is conceivable that they were referring to the greater metropolitan area rather than the specific central suburb. As the user and viewport are both in Waterloo it is equally likely that they could be looking for 30 Hunter Street in Waterloo or 30 Hunter Street in the central suburb of Sydney. In this case the suburbs of Waterloo and Sydney are quite close to each other and therefore both results are likely to be an excellent match to the user’s intent. |
30 Hunter Street, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia | Excellent – as the user queried “Sydney” as the locality, it is likely that they were referring to this address in the central suburb however they could also be referring to the greater metropolitan area of Sydney. The user and viewport are both in Waterloo so therefore it is equally likely that the user could be looking for 30 Hunter street in Waterloo as Waterloo is within the greater metropolitan area of Sydney. In these cases, always rate relevance taking into consideration the query, the viewport and the user location to determine the relevance rating. |
In Search the query “Home” is for a pre-programmed location within Maps. We often see searches for “Home” in Australian query sets. The results returned are usually Businesses/POIs with “Home” as part of the name. These results should be rated Bad for relevance as they are not the pre-programmed “Home” location that the user is looking for and therefore do not meet the user’s intent.
Query | Result | Rating Guidance |
[Home] User location and viewport in Scullin ACT 2614 | Home Specs | Bad – User Intent – although the business name starts with “Home” and likely sells home-related goods, it is not the pre-programmed “Home” location that the user is looking for and therefore does not meet the user’s intent. |
Magnet Mart Home Timber & Hardware | Bad – User Intent – although the business name contains “Home” and likely sells home-related goods, it is not the pre-programmed “Home” location that the user is looking for and therefore does not meet the user’s intent. |
The only exception to this rule is if a POI/Chain is just called “Home”. In these cases, rate relevance according to distance/prominence.
In Autocomplete, the query “Home” is expected as the user has not finished typing out the query string. Businesses such as Home Specs in this case would be relevant to the query string and are only demoted for relevance due to distance/prominence.
Query | Result | Rating Guidance |
[Home] User location and viewport in Scullin ACT 2614 | Home Specs | Excellent – as the Business name starts with “Home”, it is a likely match to the query string. Both the user and Home Specs are located in Scullin and therefore it is very likely that this result could meet the query intent. |
Home Timber & Hardware | Good – Distance/Prominence – as the business name starts with “Home”, it is a likely match to the query string. The user is within the fresh viewport in Scullin. The result is a business in a nearby suburb Mitchell. It is demoted due to distance as Home Specs is closer to the user, but this result could still meet the query intent. |
Road feature | Law | Exceptions to the Law |
Traffic Light  | U-turns are only allowed when there is a U-turn permitted sign.  | Victoria U-turns are permitted at traffic lights in Victoria unless there is a no U-turn sign.  |
Single Continuous Line/Painted Island  | U-turns are NOT permitted over a painted island in the centre of the road or over single or double white lines (continuous) unless the line closest to you is broken.  | Western Australia U-turns are permitted over a continuous white line in Western Australia (single and double).  |
Double Continuous | You must NOT cross a double continuous centre line for any reason.  | stern Australia It IS legal to cross a double continuous centre line in WA to turn right (i.e. to enter or leave the road) or make a U-turn. |
No U-turn Sign  | You must not do a U-turn when there is a No U-turn sign present. | NONE It is illegal in all states/territories to do a U-turn when there is a No Uturn sign at an intersection or a break in the dividing strip or median strip. |
A hook turn is a right-hand turn you make from the left-hand lane. You must make a hook turn at intersections that have a ‘Right Turn from Left Only’ hook turn sign (as seen in the images above).
The queries that we evaluate in Address Verification may contain misspellings and minor inconsistencies due to the fact that they are real queries submitted by users. Below are some common issues with queries that are seen in the Australian Market with specific rating guidance.
Query Issue | Query Address | Rating Guidance |
The query is a full address with an Incorrect Postcode | Unit 2 383 Nepean Hwy Parkdale VIC 3194 Australia | Valid – although the user has mistyped the postcode in the query address, it does not make this query ambiguous as it still points to a single unique location that exists in the real world. |
The query is for an intersection | Cnr Kawana Way & Capital Place Birtinya QLD 4575 Australia | Invalid – Reasonable – this result is invalid as it is ambiguous because it does not point to a specific single location. This query refers to an intersection. The result is an Invalid – Reasonable address because it exists in the real world and the area is smaller than a block. |
The query is for a long street | Mamre Rd Alectown NSW 2870 Australia | Invalid – Not Reasonable – the query address is ambiguous. This is not a full address as it is missing the street number. This street is a long street and contains multiple street numbers, therefore this address does not refer to a single location. This street is not a reasonable address as it is too large and does not fit any of the criteria to be a reasonable address. (See section 4 of Global Guidelines for further clarification.) |
Query Address | Rating Guidance |
3/2 Smith Street Dubbo NSW 2830 Australia | Valid – this query address is valid as it points to a specific location inside a single building that contains units. |
2 Smith Street Dubbo NSW 2830 Australia | Valid – the query is an address for a single building with multiple units. A unit number is not returned but is not needed in this address to differentiate this location from others with the same address. |
Query Address | Rating Guidance |
16/228 West Coast Highway Scarborough WA 6210 Australia | Valid – the query is valid as it points to a specific location that exists in the real world. The inclusion of the unit number is essential in this query to identify the ideal rooftop. |
228 West Coast Highway Scarborough WA 6210 Australia | Invalid – Reasonable – the query address refers to four separate buildings containing multiple units, each with unique unit numbers. This address is missing the unit number needed to be able to identify one rooftop. In order to be a unique address, the query would need to include a unit number. The query is Invalid – Reasonable as the area is an apartment complex. (See section 4 of Global Guidelines for further clarification.) |