Cookie Policy

1. What Cookies Are

Cookies are small pieces of information that a website or third-party service can place on a device through a web browser. They are commonly used to keep websites working, remember settings, maintain sessions, understand how pages are used or support advertising and personalisation.

Websites can also use browser technologies that are not traditional cookie files. One example is localStorage, which allows a website to save a small amount of information in the browser so it can be read again on a later page view. In this policy, references to cookie preferences include the browser-storage technology used by the AusStayFinder consent interface.

Not every stored value is used to identify a person. A preference record may simply state whether a visitor accepted or rejected a category. However, third-party services loaded through a website can apply their own technologies, and those technologies may operate differently from AusStayFinder's own local preference storage.

2. How This Website Uses Cookies

AusStayFinder currently uses localStorage to remember the privacy choices made through the cookie banner and Cookie Settings modal. The saved record allows the website to recognise that a choice has already been made and prevents the banner from appearing again on every page view.

The storage key is ausstayfinder_cookie_preferences. The stored record contains values for Necessary, Preferences, Analytics and Marketing categories and a timestamp showing when the choice was saved. The Necessary value is always set to true because the preference record itself is considered necessary for remembering the visitor's choice.

The current website does not use the Analytics or Marketing selection to load tracking or advertising scripts. Those switches are consent preferences only unless the website is later configured with a corresponding service. This distinction is important: selecting “Analytics” or “Marketing” does not currently create analytics profiles, advertising audiences or marketing cookies through AusStayFinder's own code.

The preference record is associated with the browser and device in which the choice is made. It is not automatically synchronised between different browsers, phones, tablets or computers. If you make a choice on one device and later visit from another device, the second device may display the privacy banner because it does not have the first device's localStorage record.

Private-browsing modes, browser-cleaning tools, security software and manual deletion of site data can also remove the saved record. When that happens, the website may ask you to make a new choice even if you previously selected preferences on the same device.

3. Necessary Technologies

Necessary technologies support basic website behaviour that visitors reasonably expect when using the site. In the current implementation, the principal necessary browser-storage function is remembering the cookie preference choice.

The Necessary category cannot be switched off through the Cookie Settings modal. Without the saved preference record, the site would not know whether you had already accepted, rejected or customised optional categories, and the consent interface could reappear repeatedly.

Standard web infrastructure may also process technical information required to deliver pages, stylesheets, JavaScript, images and other resources. This can occur at browser, hosting, network or content-delivery level and is distinct from optional marketing or analytics technology.

Necessary technologies are not intended to be used for behavioural advertising. Their purpose is to support functions that cannot reasonably operate in the same way without basic technical storage or request handling. For that reason, the website does not offer an on-page switch that disables the Necessary category while keeping the rest of the consent interface active.

4. Preference Storage

The Preferences category is available for optional interface or experience choices that may be introduced on the website. At present, selecting or deselecting this category is recorded in localStorage, but no additional personalisation feature is activated by that selection.

If AusStayFinder later adds optional settings such as language choices, layout preferences, remembered display options or other convenience features, those features should be connected to the Preferences category only after the website and this policy have been updated to describe what is stored and how it is used.

Preference storage should not be used as a substitute for separate consent where another type of data processing requires a more specific choice. A visitor's selection can be changed at any time by opening Cookie Settings from the footer.

Because the Preferences category is currently reserved for optional interface settings, visitors should not assume that enabling it will materially change the page appearance today. The setting is retained so that future convenience features can be introduced consistently with the choices already presented in the privacy interface.

5. Analytics Cookies

Analytics technologies are commonly used to measure page views, traffic sources, interactions, device types, navigation patterns and performance. They can help website operators understand which content is useful and where technical improvements may be needed.

AusStayFinder does not currently load a dedicated analytics service through its consent system. The Analytics toggle therefore records only your preference. Turning it on does not currently activate Google Analytics or another measurement platform, and turning it off does not need to remove an AusStayFinder analytics cookie because no such analytics integration is enabled.

A hosting provider may still maintain technical request logs for service operation, security, abuse prevention or reliability. Such infrastructure logs are not controlled by the Analytics toggle unless the provider and implementation are specifically configured that way.

If analytics tools are introduced in the future, the website should identify the provider, explain the measurements collected, describe the purpose of measurement, and ensure that the consent controls operate consistently with the actual technology.

Typical analytics information can include page URLs, approximate device categories, referring sources, interaction events and aggregated usage patterns. This paragraph describes common analytics concepts only; it does not mean that AusStayFinder currently collects each of those categories through a dedicated analytics platform.

6. Marketing Cookies

Marketing technologies can be used to measure advertising campaigns, create audiences, limit how often an advertisement is shown, personalise marketing or connect website activity with advertising platforms. Such tools can involve identifiers that operate across websites or services.

No dedicated advertising or remarketing script is currently loaded through AusStayFinder's Marketing category. The Marketing switch is therefore a stored preference only. Selecting “Accept All” saves the Marketing value as enabled, but no marketing platform is activated by that preference unless the website is later updated with a corresponding integration.

If advertising technology is added in the future, it should not be described as inactive once it begins operating. The Cookie Policy, Cookie Settings descriptions and technical consent logic should all be updated together so that visitors receive accurate information and have meaningful controls.

Marketing choices should also remain separate from communications that a visitor actively requests. For example, sending a direct response to a room enquiry is different from placing a browser in an advertising audience. The website should not treat a request for accommodation information as automatic consent to unrelated advertising technology.

7. Managing Cookie Preferences

When no saved preference exists, the website displays a privacy-choice banner. The banner provides three options: Accept All, Reject Non-Essential and Cookie Settings. Accept All saves Preferences, Analytics and Marketing as enabled. Reject Non-Essential saves all optional categories as disabled. Cookie Settings opens a modal where optional categories can be selected individually.

After a choice has been saved, the banner remains hidden on later page views while the saved localStorage record is available. You can change your selection at any time using the Cookie Settings link in the website footer. Saving a new selection replaces the previously stored preference values.

You can also control site storage through your browser. Depending on the browser, you may be able to clear site data, remove localStorage, block cookies, restrict third-party cookies, prevent cross-site tracking or delete stored information when the browser closes. Blocking storage may cause the website to forget your consent choice and display the banner again.

Browser controls operate independently from AusStayFinder's settings interface. If you clear browser storage after choosing a preference, the website will treat the next visit as having no saved choice.

Some browsers provide global privacy signals or restrictions that can affect third-party content and storage. Support for those signals varies by browser and service. The most reliable way to understand the current AusStayFinder preference record is to reopen Cookie Settings, while browser-level tools remain useful for broader controls across multiple websites.

8. Third-Party Content

Some website features may request resources from third parties. Current pages may use Google Fonts for typography, Font Awesome resources for interface icons and Google Maps for an embedded location map. These services are provided outside AusStayFinder's own website code.

When your browser requests third-party content, the external provider can receive technical information needed to return that content, such as an IP address, browser details and the requested resource. The provider may also use cookies or comparable technologies according to its own configuration and policies, particularly when you interact with embedded content such as a map.

The AusStayFinder cookie controls do not necessarily control storage independently set by every external provider at network or browser level. Visitors can use browser privacy settings, content blockers and the privacy controls offered by third-party services if they want additional restrictions.

Links that take you away from AusStayFinder are governed by the privacy and cookie practices of the destination website. Review those policies before changing settings or providing information on an external service.

9. Changes to This Policy

This Cookie Policy should reflect the technologies that are actually present on the website. It may therefore be updated if AusStayFinder adds or removes analytics, marketing tools, booking services, payment services, personalisation features, embedded media or other technologies that store or access information on a visitor's device.

If a material change affects the meaning of an existing consent choice, the website may need to request a new choice rather than relying on an older preference record. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page will be revised when significant changes are made.

10. Contact

Questions about cookie categories, localStorage, the privacy banner or the Cookie Settings interface may be sent to [email protected].

When reporting a cookie-related issue, it can be helpful to include your browser name, device type and a short description of what happened. Do not send passwords, payment information or other highly sensitive data in a general technical enquiry.