DESTINATIONS – PLANNING & PACKING
Essential tips, tricks, basics, mapping and more.
Hema’s campsite guides
Hema Maps has launched a Where to Camp Guide book and an app for Android and Apple devices.
Billy Goat bush and town mapping
We’re testing a 2019-release mapping app that promises more free features than any other mapping software.
Nearly one in five Australians love road trips
One in six people yearn to recreate the holiday experiences of their youth, according to recent research carried out by Tourism and Events Queensland.
Hema Explorer App
Hema’s Explorer app combines Hema maps with 40,000 interactive points of interest (POI).
VKS737 HF Radio network
Outback Travel Australia relies on the VKS737 network on all bush trips.
Understanding topographic mapping
If you intend to stray from the thick lines that connect major points of civilisation on road maps onto the thin or even the dotted ones, you need to understand the basics of topographic map reading – whether your ‘topos’ are on paper or on a GPS screen.
Satellite phone
We bought our satellite telephone years ago and wouldn’t leave home without it; a couple of vehicle breakdowns and medical emergencies during our travels in Australia’s Outback and the satellite telephone has more than paid for itself.
Navigation made easy
Knowing where you are at any time is vital for safe bush travel and today it’s easier than ever before to pinpoint your position with great accuracy.
Hema Maps app for iPad and iPhone
Hema has long been the leader in mapping Australia for bush travellers and the company’s App for iPad and iPhone puts detailed outback map data in your lap or pocket.
Communications options in the Outback
It’s much more relaxing in the Outback when you know that reliable contact with the outside world is only a button-push away.
Absolute basics
We all learn as we go along, but there are some absolute basics you need to know before you venture out of your driveway.
10 mistakes you shouldn’t make
The OTA Team has been travelling Outback for many years, in different vehicles and with varying camping arrangements. Here is a list of common mistakes novice 4WDers make.
20 Outback Trip Essentials
The OTA gang lists 20 of the essential items they wouldn’t leave home without.
Useful knots
We always carry some rope with us and it’s handy to know a few knots, so you can use the rope to maximum effect.
How to Pack
Most first-timers take too much ‘stuff’ away with them, so every campsite is a potential drama scene, where piles of gear are unloaded and then have to be forced back in again.
Pre-Trip Vehicle Checks
Pre-trip checking could have prevented many breakdowns we’ve seen.
Destination Planning
‘Do your homework, or you’re not going out’. That’s what your mum used to say and she was right.