Internode wins real treasure from geek campaignsEpitomising Big Bang Theory eccentricity, these campaigns, ranging from converting Klingon phrases to English to a Star Wars' Wookie giving birth, have secured strong surges in new customer signups.Two Internode campaigns, the Klingon campaign and the Bad Things Happen campaign, have won the coveted Sirens radio advertising awards consecutively, in October and December.In its latest campaign, called Real Geek Treasure, Internode is offering more than $80,000 worth of collectables from iconic sci-fi films including Star Wars, Star Trek, and Terminator. New customers who sign up for an eligible 24-month broadband plan or current customers who add an eligible product to their existing service receive an entry in a contest to win one of the following prizes:These great costume collectables are currently on display at Internode's Adelaide office at 150 Grenfell Street.Digital Marketing Manager Jane Orchard said the Internode campaigns had emerged from a full-day planning session at the end of 2012.
"We got together with Simon Hackett and key members of the Node team to really get our heads around what makes the brand special," she said."As a result, we came up with the tagline 'No Other Network Compares' and recognised that Internode wears the term 'geek' with pride, so we decided to proclaim it loud and proud through this series of quirky campaigns."Internode has delivered these campaigns after working with leading agency Marketforce. Besides the current Real Geek Treasure campaign, Internode's catalogue of quirky ads include:Jane Orchard said Internode had discovered that customers loved this unconventional approach as well. "They're showing this by signing up to our services," she said."During the Klingon campaign, which ran over July and August, we recorded 32.5 per cent more new subscribers in South Australia than in the same period the previous year.""What's awesome about this approach is that it's fun and it works."Take a stroll among the trees in the Otway Ranges. Otway Fly Treetop Adventures is about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Melbourne, and once you get there you’re greeted with an incredible lush rainforest.
It offers both treetop walks as well as the only zipline tour in Victoria. Or surf the treetops of the Mornington Peninsula. Less than an hour’s drive from Melbourne, the Enchanted Adventure Garden has a huge range of activities for all ages. The major attraction is over 50 aerial obstacles, bridges and zip-lines all attached to platforms in the treetops up to 10 metres high. They also offer mini tree-surfing for the tiny thrill-seekers in the family. Immerse yourself in natural waters. Just 90 minutes from Melbourne, Peninsula Hot Springs contains pools and baths full of natural thermal mineral water for anyone after a blissful retreat. Offering a range of experiences from Turkish steam baths and cold plunge pools to a cave pool or a reflexology walk, this is one of the best ways to experience the natural beauty of the Mornington Peninsula. Take a joyride like it’s 1930. Vintage Airways, located at Lilydale Airport about an hour from Melbourne’s CBD, offers the most incredible way to see the Yarra Valley in their adventure flights in restored Tiger Moth planes.
They’ll even deck you out in classic vintage gear, and passengers get the opportunity to take control of the aircraft. Hang out with a parade of penguins. Only an hour and a half from Melbourne, the Penguin Parade on Phillip Island gives you the opportunity to see these little troopers waddling home for the evening. If penguins aren’t your thing (you monster), there’s stacks to do on Phillip Island, so treat yourself, and your Instagram, to a quick trip. Get up close and plat-sonal with a platypus. The Healesville Sanctuary offers a rare experience where you can wade, tickle, and play with a platypus. It’s not every day you’re given the chance to get up close to these elusive little guys! Take a dip with dolphins and seals. Moonraker Dolphin Swims will take you out to the beautiful Port Phillip Bay for a dip with dolphins and fur seals. The tour also includes snorkelling with sea dragons – which happen to be Victoria’s marine emblem! Have a meal in the clouds.
The SkyHigh Mount Dandenong is only an hour from Melbourne’s CBD and boasts the best view in the city. Situated at the top of Mount Dandenong, the restaurant not only offers spectacular views of the surrounds, but also hedge mazes, walking trails, and space for functions and weddings. Fulfil your need for good neighbours. Everybody needs good neighbours! Take the official Neighbours tour and see Ramsay Street IRL! You can even get exclusive access and meet and greets with stars of the show. Starting in Melbourne’s CBD, the tour is a must for fans of the show (or anyone wanting to see Harold’s store). Have a safari sleepover. The Werribee Open Range Zoo offers an incredible experience just half an hour outside the heart of Melbourne. Get up-close encounters with the animals, take night walks, and just enjoy the incredible views of the Werribee River and the zoo itself. Put the cool into historical with these decked-out colonial tramcar restaurants. Departing just near the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, this fleet of historical trams are the first travelling tramcar restaurants in the world.
Cruise the streets of Melbourne in style while having a classy dinner in these refurbished trams. Get your Game of Thrones on at Kryal Castle. Australia’s only medieval theme park, Kryal Castle is the place to be for anyone mad for an olde-timey adventure. There’s jousting tournaments, archery, swordfights, and squire training – and you can even stay the night in one of the castle suites. Take at tour of Mount Buller with a pack of huskies. It may seem like a wild idea, but what better way to see the beauty of Mt Buller than with an awesome sled tour? Just three hours drive from Melbourne, Mt Buller is a perfect winter escape – but offers year-round activities. These sled dog tours include meet-and-greets with the huskies and an info session on the tradition and history of sled dog racing in Australia. Or wander around gnome-man’s land. A self-guided tour of Mt Buller with a fun spin: Using the Mt Buller walking app, you can have an audio tour of this track.
There’s also the gnome home, nestled in a mountain ash tree, plus a mailbox where you can leave the gnomes a letter! Get lost in cactus country. Less than a three-hour drive out of Melbourne you’ll find Murray Valley’s Cactus Country. Sprawling over 10 acres, this is Australia’s largest cactus garden, with a themed bar and café and self-guided tours through gardens full of plants from all over the world, including South America, North America, Mexico, and Africa. Travel down the Murray River in style! Murray River Paddlesteamers are an amazing way to experience the beauty of the Murray in a classic way. Located in Echucha, a three-hour drive out of Melbourne, the Paddlesteamers offer daily cruises, lunch and dinner, overnight cruises, and even a “wharf to winery” trip that’ll take you downstream to Morrisons Winery for lunch. Pick your own punnet at the Big Strawberry! The Big Strawberry in Koonoomoo isn’t just a great photo opportunity. Along with a café and shop, you’re also able to head into their patch to pick your own kilo of strawberries.
Get sweet at Bushells on Tenth Ye Olde Lolly Shoppe. Built in 1938, this old lolly shop was restored in 2013 to its original state and has been the perfect stop for classic sweet treats ever since. About a six-hour drive out of Melbourne in Mildura, this is a great stop if you’re exploring the north of Victoria. Get the shit scared out of you in Australia’s largest abandoned lunatic asylum. About two and a half hours out of Melbourne is Ararat Lunatic Asylum. The Aradale Ghost Tour explores the asylum through the admin building, chapel, kitchen, morgue, and the most intact cell blocks in Australia. Take a ride on Puffing Billy. Taking you through the incredible Dandenong Ranges, about an hour from Melbourne, Puffing Billy is one of Australia’s most famous steam trains. Offering couples lunches, dining carts, and even live jazz performances. Take a ride on the historic Bendigo Tramways. The Bendigo Tramways have been operating since 1890, and they now offer the ability to jump on one of these incredibly restored trams to tour Bendigo.
About a two-hour drive from Melbourne, there’s also the Blues Tram, where you can relax and enjoy a drink while jamming to some live blues performed on the ride. Choo-choo-choose the blues on the Blues Train. If trams aren’t your style, there are more tunes to enjoy on the Blues Train! Your trip begins with dinner at the Queenscliff Railway Station, a half-hour drive from Geelong. Moving between four themed carriages, this is the perfect way for music lovers to jam out with a few drinks. Bendigo’s Golden Dragon Museum is a beautiful slice of the Far East in Victoria. Since it opened in 1991, the museum’s main goal has been to preserve and document Chinese heritage in Australia. Head to a WORLD. Just a 10-minute drive from Warrnambool is Allansford Cheese World, the cellar door for the award-winning Warrnambool Heritage Cheddar. With a café and gift store, Cheese World is a perfect addition to any dairy lover’s holiday. Put one of these incredible burgers directly into your face.