(seabreeze.com.au)Say hello to the meter maids of Australia's Gold Coast.
As it turns out, they have very little to do with parking enforcement but are part of a 45-year tradition in Queensland. In Surfers Paradise, the gold bikini and jaunty Outback hat-clad meter maids actually put money into the parking meters for motorists and leave a calling card on the windshield for the local businesses that sponsor them. Reportedly the practice was started by the city itself to alleviate bad publicity stemming from a substantial increase in parking fees in the 1960s, and as time passed along local businesses stepped in and began paying or sponsoring the maids.
As it turns out, they have very little to do with parking enforcement but are part of a 45-year tradition in Queensland. In Surfers Paradise, the gold bikini and jaunty Outback hat-clad meter maids actually put money into the parking meters for motorists and leave a calling card on the windshield for the local businesses that sponsor them. Reportedly the practice was started by the city itself to alleviate bad publicity stemming from a substantial increase in parking fees in the 1960s, and as time passed along local businesses stepped in and began paying or sponsoring the maids.
The local businesses benefit from their sponsorship and advertising. The tourists and drivers in Surfers Paradise benefit by not getting a parking ticket and....well....if the photo is any indication, all of us guys benefit.
Tell me why the Aussies would rather hang with their mates than the sheilas.
ReplyDeleteI have started a blog dedicated to the Surfers Paradise Meter Maids. It is called: "Tribute to the Surfers Paradise Meter Maids." It may be found at:
ReplyDeleteSurfersparadisemetermaidstribute.blogspot.com.
I say ... help spread the word about the Surfers Paradise Meter Maids. If you go to Facebook and look them up, you can post there as well. Maybe put a few more photos up on your blog. Let's get this message spread all over the world. All ... over ... the ... world. Merry Christmas from Idaho.
ReplyDelete