Bicycle Maps

Quoted message said:

Hi,

I'm planning to bicycle around Australia. Are there any really good
bicycle maps for that purpose?

No, the numbers are not there to justify the production of specialist
bicycle maps.

Quoted message said:

Something like the maps from adevnture
cycling association (www.adv-cycling.org). Or do I need a good road map
(which one)?

Which ever suits you really and what you want to know. It really depends
on how much informaation you want and how much you want to spend on maps.

Each brand of petrol produces a map and the state motoring associations
also produce theirs.

The best are by far the tourist maps, e.g 300kms around so and so. give
enough details to be useful.

Personally, I'd suggest you buy as you go. Pick up a state motorist's
map, then visit newsagents and tourist information in each town to see
what is on offer. Sometime there are free brouchures that show a great
route.

Google for ride descriptions for more details

In article
<[email hidden]>
,

Terryc said:

Quoted message said:

Hi,

I'm planning to bicycle around Australia. Are there any really good
bicycle maps for that purpose?

No, the numbers are not there to justify the production of specialist
bicycle maps.

Quoted message said:

Something like the maps from adevnture
cycling association (www.adv-cycling.org). Or do I need a good road map
(which one)?

Which ever suits you really and what you want to know. It really depends
on how much informaation you want and how much you want to spend on maps.

Each brand of petrol produces a map and the state motoring associations
also produce theirs.

The best are by far the tourist maps, e.g 300kms around so and so. give
enough details to be useful.

Personally, I'd suggest you buy as you go. Pick up a state motorist's
map, then visit newsagents and tourist information in each town to see
what is on offer. Sometime there are free brouchures that show a great
route.

Google for ride descriptions for more details

Another consideration is to get a small GPS unit (eg. Garmin's eTrex
Vista Cx) and have all the detailed road maps you need in one package.
If ever you encounter a nasty traffic area, it would be very easy to
just go off to a side road and work out an alternative path without
getting lost on paper maps. It can even auto route you based on certain
criteria you set eg. Shortest route, avoid toll roads, avoid unpaved
roads.

The downside is cost and the need to recharge batteries (2 AA NiMH or
disposable AA) every second or third evening. In my experience, one full
set of charge can easily run 16-18 hours.
--

Artoi said:

Another consideration is to get a small GPS unit (eg. Garmin's eTrex
Vista Cx) and have all the detailed road maps you need in one package.

You have got to be joking. I will change my mind when you come back from
a trip around Australia and tell me this worked. Everywhere I look, all
these nav maps are loaded with errors, some over 20 years old.

Do any of them actually do anything for the countryside except major
roads. For the best trip, i.e. you want to really see the country and
not just cruise Highway one, you want something that does forest type
roads as well.

Then there is the consideration of batteries, which you did mention.
<wanders off to get mallet for loon who croaks solar panel>.

Terryc said:

Artoi said:

Another consideration is to get a small GPS unit (eg. Garmin's eTrex
Vista Cx) and have all the detailed road maps you need in one package.

You have got to be joking. I will change my mind when you come back from
a trip around Australia and tell me this worked. Everywhere I look, all
these nav maps are loaded with errors, some over 20 years old.

Do any of them actually do anything for the countryside except major
roads. For the best trip, i.e. you want to really see the country and
not just cruise Highway one, you want something that does forest type
roads as well.

Then there is the consideration of batteries, which you did mention.

<wanders off to get mallet for loon who croaks solar panel>.

To the OP and other readers:
I just returned to Canada after bicycling between Cairns and Darwin. I
used a Sunmap Tourist Map, specifically the Gulf Savannah map. It was
ALL I needed.

Do your research on the Internet, AND ask questions from newsgroups like
this one.

DO NOT worry about the route - there is basically ONE route. Forget GSP
units. Forget satellite telephones and "mobiles".

Take basic stuff and if your bicycle breaks down (or parts do) be
prepared to wait. Keep it simple. I took too much gear (that folks told
me I needed :-( ).

Keep it simple. Enjoy the trip. Go counter-clockwise OR ELSE you will
pay by bucking headwinds. Enjoy "counter lunches and a "beeah" when you
can. Drink the water from flowing creeks/rivers. It is safe (at least it
was for me and several other bicyclists whom I met).

Keep it simple. Carry money - my credit card "details" were stolen and
after someone spent $15000 Canadian in small doses on my account the
card was blocked. Cash always works - especially in the outback.

Ken in Canada

P.S. I ate well and still lost 15 to 20 kg. I can now fit into some of
my favourite clothes!

What about the Lonely Planet "Cycling Australia ' book? It has useful
info, maps and elevation profiles as well.

A good read for cycling the old Hume Highway is Bypass, by Michael McGirr.

Bicycle Victoria has some info on touring books and maps at
www.bv.com.au/inform.php?a=5&b=27&c=1107, including Great Ocean Road,
Melbourne/Sydney/Brisbane, Nullarbor.

Also Audax Australia might have some touring info, and there is plenty more
on the net like David Noble's site, Cairns BUG ( cairnsbug.org/touring.htm)
, Jan Boostra's Adelaide to Darwin.
Then there is Bicycle Fish at http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~gloria/.

State Tourism offices stock good maps usually, as do many tourism offices in
country towns.

fb

In article
<[email hidden]>
,

Terryc said:

Artoi said:

Another consideration is to get a small GPS unit (eg. Garmin's eTrex
Vista Cx) and have all the detailed road maps you need in one package.

You have got to be joking. I will change my mind when you come back from
a trip around Australia and tell me this worked. Everywhere I look, all
these nav maps are loaded with errors, some over 20 years old.

Do any of them actually do anything for the countryside except major
roads. For the best trip, i.e. you want to really see the country and
not just cruise Highway one, you want something that does forest type
roads as well.

Then there is the consideration of batteries, which you did mention.
<wanders off to get mallet for loon who croaks solar panel>.

Don't knock it. The commercial map from Garmin isn't bad and is updated
annually. Then there's a compatible open source Australia map containing
a lot of off the beaten track paths. Further, there are solid 20m topo
maps too covering the whole of Australia. This is not to say the OP
absolutely needs it, but it's an option and does answer your questions.
--

Artoi said:

Then there's a compatible open source Australia map containing
a lot of off the beaten track paths.

where can you get this?

Quoted message said:

Further, there are solid 20m topo maps
too covering the whole of Australia.

What do you mean by 20m?

Quoted message said:

Hi,

I'm planning to bicycle around Australia. Are there any really good
bicycle maps for that purpose? Something like the maps from adevnture
cycling association (www.adv-cycling.org). Or do I need a good road map
(which one)?

Several years back I rode from Sydney to the Queensland border. For the
whole of this tour I manage d to only ride on Highway 1 (Pacific Hwy) for
about 30 kms. I found many side routes that were great and fairly traffic
free. I bought a couple of Hema maps before the trip, and also as I am in
the RACV (local motorists association) was able to get NRMA maps for
northern NSW for free. These were even more accurate, showing all roads.
Then on the tour I visited local tourist information bureaux and found free
local area tourist maps that showed some great routes I hadn't thought of,
with the added bonus of lots of special tourist attractions highlighted (not
just the commercial ones).

So for the more settled districts you should find plenty of maps available.
In the more remote areas there is often only one or two routes to consider,
and local knowledge from station owners, other cyclists and truckies will be
more valuable to you anyhow.

--
Cheers
Peter

~~~ ~ _@
~~ ~ _- \,
~~ (*)/ (*)

On 05/09/06 at 19:23:39 Peter Signorini somehow managed to type:

<snip>

Quoted message said:

available. In the more remote areas there is often only one or two
routes to consider,

The World Aeronautical Charts or WAC maps are a good bet in very remote
areas. They're a bit big at 1:1,000,000 but they're plenty good enough.
I've done three pretty remote trips using 'em and I reckon they're
brilliant used in conjunction with an old Garmin GPS-12. Another
advantage is that they're current and updated about every 3 to 5 years.

--

Humbug
Today is Pungenday, the 29th day of Bureaucracy in the YOLD 3172

"Terryc" wrote

Quoted message said:

Artoi wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Further, there are solid 20m topo maps
too covering the whole of Australia.

Quoted message said:

What do you mean by 20m?

You need 20 metres of lineal space to unfold the map.

Theo

Terryc said:

Artoi said:

Then there's a compatible open source Australia map containing
a lot of off the beaten track paths.

where can you get this?

Quoted message said:

Further, there are solid 20m topo maps
too covering the whole of Australia.

What do you mean by 20m?

Maybe the 1:20000 scale series? That'd be an AWFUL lot of maps to cover the
country!!!

--
Cheers
Peter

~~~ ~ _@
~~ ~ _- \,
~~ (*)/ (*)

Peter Signorini said:

Maybe the 1:20000 scale series? That'd be an AWFUL lot of maps to cover the
country!!!

Aside from the fact that is doesn't give total coverage.

From memory it is 7 x 1:1million

or 250 x 1:250,000 (maybe more, it is 61 for nsw).

Quoted message said:

In article
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,

Terryc said:

Artoi said:

Then there's a compatible open source Australia map containing
a lot of off the beaten track paths.

where can you get this?

Tracks4Australia
http://www.gpsoz.com.au/tracks4australia/

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Further, there are solid 20m topo maps
too covering the whole of Australia.

What do you mean by 20m?

When elevation changes are marked at 20m intervals, like those on
military maps.

Oztopo:
http://www.gpsoz.com.au/oztopo/

Free topo for 50m elevation changes:
http://www.gpsaustralia.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1333&page=1&pp=10
--

In article <[email hidden]>,

Peter Signorini said:

Terryc said:

Artoi said:

Then there's a compatible open source Australia map containing
a lot of off the beaten track paths.

where can you get this?

Quoted message said:

Further, there are solid 20m topo maps
too covering the whole of Australia.

What do you mean by 20m?

Maybe the 1:20000 scale series? That'd be an AWFUL lot of maps to cover the
country!!!

See previous post. Topo is short for topographical map. It's a
representation of the third axis/elevation of a 3D landscape. So in
other words, it tells you how steep the climb or descent will be.
--

Ken Pisichko said:

Keep it simple. Enjoy the trip. Go counter-clockwise OR ELSE you will
pay by bucking headwinds.

Is that so? I was planning on doing Sydney - Perth...

In article <[email hidden]>, One <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Ken Pisichko said:

Keep it simple. Enjoy the trip. Go counter-clockwise OR ELSE you will
pay by bucking headwinds.

Is that so? I was planning on doing Sydney - Perth...

Bad wind comes from the South-West...
--

One said:

Ken Pisichko said:

Keep it simple. Enjoy the trip. Go counter-clockwise OR ELSE you will
pay by bucking headwinds.

Is that so? I was planning on doing Sydney - Perth...

As a Zen pilgrimage that would be OK. But for fun? Think headwinds and
many days of nearly nothing, much of it on highways with trucks and
cars blasting past.

Donga

Peter Signorini said:

Terryc said:

Artoi said:

Then there's a compatible open source Australia map containing
a lot of off the beaten track paths.

where can you get this?

Quoted message said:

Further, there are solid 20m topo maps
too covering the whole of Australia.

What do you mean by 20m?

Maybe the 1:20000 scale series? That'd be an AWFUL lot of maps to cover the
country!!!

Surely it means a topographic map with 20m contour intervals?

One said:

Ken Pisichko said:

Keep it simple. Enjoy the trip. Go counter-clockwise OR ELSE you will
pay by bucking headwinds.

Is that so? I was planning on doing Sydney - Perth...

It is a myth. ron Shepherd, who rode the Nullarbour three times said so.
Best times for East to West are November to April, other way other times.

People get confused with weather patterns generally going west to easy,
but winds are circular.

Quoted message said: