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The good news: Google has finally launched an Australia-specific version of Google Maps. The bad news: the service gives terrible directions. Also, Google kind of forgot to mention the release to Australia.

If you think about it, Australia’s somewhat neglected; the island continent is tucked away in one fairly empty corner (as it were) of the globe. As our David Utter reported, Google recently tried to liven things up with a picture-taking flyover, but the idea was “shot down.”

Now it appears the search engine company has made several more miscalculations. Most noticeable among them: a post on the official U.S. blog heralded the arrival of “Google Maps down under,” but the company neglected to mention the service in its Australian Press Center. Oops.

Some Aussies noticed the release, anyway, including The Sydney Morning Herald’s Stephen Hutcheon. Unfortunately for Google, Hutcheon also noticed some major goofs.

“For most people,” he wrote, “the journey from the Shelbourne Hotel at 200 Sussex Street to Google’s Sydney headquarters across the road at 201 Sussex Street would be a 30-step, 30-second trip . . . . But according to Google’s new mapping service, the recommended route would see you take a 10.4-kilometre scenic detour that involves crossing the Harbour Bridge twice.” That’s not all – “you’d also be up for a $3 bridge toll.”

Hutcheon goes on to identify (and link to) eight other instances of needlessly complicated directions. It seems that Australians may be better off sticking to traditional paper maps (or any mapping services offered by Google’s competitors) for the time being.

At least Google responded in a mature fashion when it was informed of these mistakes. Carl Sjogreen, a senior product manager, told Hutcheon, “Google Maps Australia is currently a beta product and we welcome feedback as we continue to enhance the product for users in Australia.”

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