The first Australian city specific gTLD was launched today (12 November) for the city of Melbourne.As of 10:00 Melbourne time all eligible Victorians and service providers to the State are able to register a domain name ending in .melbourne on a first-come, first-served basis.The gTLD is a partnership between the Victorian government and the City of Melbourne and with the assistance of ARI Registry Services, which will manage domain operations.”ARI Registry Services on behalf of the Victorian Government and the City of Melbourne is proud to launch this digital asset for use by all Victorians,” said Adrian Kinderis, CEO of ARI Registry Services.”This is a major coup for Melbourne that gives our great city its very own piece of internet real estate and tells the world that Victoria is a leader in the digital economy,” said Minister for Technology Gordon Rich-Phillips at the launch.”The name .melbourne takes our city to a new level of digital recognition on a global scale, which will see it become a quintessential part of our great city’s brand.””The new domain opens up a range of new opportunities for our local businesses to innovate by securing a unique online space fundamentally associated with Melbourne.”
“I’m pleased to see Melbourne’s business community including the iconic Flower Drum Restaurant, Bank of Melbourne and Melbourne Festival already enthusiastically embracing .melbourne.”The Bank of Melbourne has been an enthusiastic ambassador for the gTLD.”Bank of Melbourne are proud to be one of the first in the city to get a .melbourne domain name,” said Bank of Melbourne’s Head of Brand & Marketing, Jac Phillips. “We are Melbourne’s local bank, with our call centre, our branches, our head office and of course our customers all here in Melbourne. Melbourne is our place of business, so the domain name is a natural fit.”Another ambassador Melbourne Festival Executive Director, Katie McLeish said their new .melbourne web address would further emphasise the festival as a key event on the city’s calendar.”Melbourne Festival is thrilled to be an ambassador of the .melbourne initiative. Each Festival brings an array of dance, theatre, music, visual arts and outdoor events from renowned and upcoming Australian and International companies to Melbourne. Our new online address, festival.melbourne, will help us to better promote the Festival and cement our place as the city’s leading performing arts event.”Successful candidates who apply for a .melbourne domain name during Landrush will be notified between 9 to 12 November and will join Melbourne Festival and other first-to-market businesses to use a .melbourne address.