A fair question lands in our inbox every few weeks: “What is the difference between dayboro.au and the Dayboro Buddy app?” They look related, because they are. The same team runs both and they share the same events list, the same business directory and the same weather. But each one has a different job, and once you know the jobs it is obvious which one to open.
The short version:
- dayboro.au is the town’s website. You read it. What’s on, who is open, whether the creeks are up and what the weather is doing. Free for everyone, with a paid weather membership on top.
- app.dayboro.au is the Dayboro Buddy, the same information shaped for your phone, with a town map, directions and a push alert when a storm warning lands.
Read, or carry. That is the whole difference. And for talking to each other, the town already has a place: the Dayboro and Surrounds Community group on Facebook, which locals run and we link to from both.
Side by side
| dayboro.au | Dayboro Buddy app | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The town website | A phone app you install from the browser |
| Address | dayboro.au | app.dayboro.au |
| Best for | Reading up: what’s on, the weather, long reads about the valley | A quick look on the road, and being woken by a warning |
| Cost | Free. Weather membership $3.95 a month or $39 a year | Free. Members see the member weather here too |
| Account | Only for the weather membership | Only to see member weather and manage alerts, same login as dayboro.au |
| Events this week | Yes, the full calendar | Yes, with directions |
| Business directory | Yes, the Lions Club directory | Yes, with a call button and directions |
| Creek crossings | Yes, open or closed, free | Yes, free |
| Bureau warnings | Yes, free | Yes, free, filtered to our district |
| Live weather from our station | Members | Members |
| Forecasts | Members: 7 day, 30 day, long range | Members |
| Storm and creek alerts | Members: email and text message | Members: push alert on the phone, plus the email and text |
| Town map | No | Yes: road events, fires and permitted burns, lightning |
| Directions and drive mode | No | Yes, to any event or business |
| Community news and long reads | Yes, the Dayboro news | Yes, the same posts |
| Lost pets, garage sales, a hand needed | A link to the town’s Facebook group | A link to the town’s Facebook group |
| Works when the internet is down | No | Warnings by text message for members |
| Run by | The Dayboro team | The Dayboro team |
dayboro.au: read
This is the front door. The home page shows this week’s events, the creek crossings, any Bureau warning for our district, the business directory and the latest news, and all of that is free for everyone in Dayboro and the valley. No account, no app, no sign-up.
Underneath sits the local weather service, which is the part that costs money to run. Our own station, the forecasts, the creek and storm alerts by email and text message, and the morning email are for members. Membership is $3.95 a month or $39 a year, both with 7 days free, and that money pays for the station, the server and the hours.
If you only ever open one of the two, open this one.
app.dayboro.au: carry
The Dayboro Buddy is the same information shaped for a phone. Open app.dayboro.au once, choose “Add to home screen”, and it sits next to your other apps. There is nothing to download from a store and nothing to pay.
Two things make it worth having over the website. The first is the town map: road events from Queensland Traffic, fires and permitted burns within 60 km, and lightning, with directions and a spoken drive mode to any event or business. The second is the push alert. When a storm warning lands, the phone buzzes, even with the app closed.
Members sign in with the same login as dayboro.au and see their weather, forecasts and alert settings in the app as well. If you are not a member, everything free on the website is free in the app.
And where does the town talk?
Not on either of these. The website and the app are things we publish and you read. For a lost dog on Mount Mee Road, a garage sale, a fencer recommendation or a hand after a storm, the town uses the Dayboro and Surrounds Community group on Facebook. It is a public group run by locals, not by us, and both the website and the app link straight to it. Ask to join and a group admin lets you in.
So which one do I open?
- Is the creek up? Is there a warning? dayboro.au, or the app if you are out.
- What’s on this weekend? Either one, it is the same list.
- I want the forecast and the alerts. Become a member on dayboro.au, then use the website or the app, whichever suits.
- I want the phone to wake me for a storm. The app, and members also get a text message.
- How do I get to this event? The app, press Directions.
- I lost something, I am selling something, I need a tradie, I need a hand. The Dayboro and Surrounds Community group on Facebook, linked from both.
- I run a business and my Lions directory listing is out of date. Tell us through the contact page on dayboro.au and we pass it on.
- I am organising an event. Send it in through dayboro.au and it shows on the website and in the app.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need two accounts?
No. The website and the app share one login, and you only need it for the weather membership. Everything else works without signing in.
Is the Facebook group yours?
No. The Dayboro and Surrounds Community group is run by locals and we have no say in it. We link to it because that is where the town already talks.
Why is the weather the only paid part?
Because it is the only part with real running costs: a weather station to maintain, forecast models to run every hour and a server to keep up on storm days. Events, the directory, crossings and warnings cost little to publish, so they stay free for the whole town.
I only have a phone. Which one?
The app. It installs from the browser with no app store, and everything free on the website is in it.
The Dayboro team
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