1st December, 2017

ExplorOz General Newsletter - Edition 472

Hi ExplorOz Reader,

The ExplorOz website is an online resource centre for the traveller and the ExplorOz Traveller app puts it all in the palm of your hand when you're on the road. 

We are always looking to improve what we offer, so things can change rapidly and we like to help you stay abreast of change through our newsletters. All registered users (including Members) will receive our General Newsletter (a monthly distribution via email) - you're reading it now! Please take a moment to read your newsletter below. If you've missed an issue, check our back-issues online here.

WHAT'S NEW

	FLEURIEU UPDATE This Trek covers the eastern, southern and western coastal regions of South Australia's magnificent Fleurieu Peninsula. The Trek has been completely updated and includes all the campsites and things to see in the area. The provided route file remains the same as our original publication (a day trip excursion) primarily on sealed roads however we've extended the list of information for nearby Places of interest including the excellent Heysen Trail walks and a number of campsites in the surrounding conservation park areas so it can easily become a week-long adventurous hiking and camping trip. Read on
	EOTOPO 2018 We are getting VERY close to being able to reveal a beta version of our long-awaited EOTopo 2018 map update. This will be released online. ExplorOz is the only mapping publisher that offers free online viewing of whole of Australia topographic maps. EOTopo is a fully scaleable, zoomable map that reveals more details as you zoom in. Expected to be ready prior to Christmas, the purpose of this beta release is to offer you the ability to see the updated map prior to us going into production of our offline product (raster maps). We expect to release the online beta to zoom level 16 (which is approx. a scale of 18K). There is nothing to download, no need to store large files etc. Fast and easy to use. Stay tuned and watch this space.
	PHOTO COMP 2018 It's on again - a photo comp to coincide with the 2018 National Gathering. So many wonderful things are being organised as part of this gathering and this photo comp is a really good one. The theme for the photo comp is Pioneers, so we're looking for your best photos of old buildings, vehicles, bridges, farming equipment etc. As in past years, to submit your entries to the photo comp you must post your photo into your blog and tag it to "Photo Comp 2018". Please give your photo a short caption and if possible tell a short story including location, history etc. Competition is now open. Closing date TBA, but expected to be mid February.
HOT TOPICS
	SNAKE BITE: a recent post in our Forum linked to "new" snake bite advice being issued by the RFDS. A healthy robust discussion and thought provoking discussion ensued. Whilst, the main gist of the advice is the same as clearly documented in our Snake Bite Treatment article, there is the unanswered question of what to do when alone in a remote area, out of the vehicle, without a PLB or satphone, and bitten by a snake? You might die if you don't get back to the car to use your satphone or set off your PLB, and you might die if you move. There is only one way to avoid this awful dilemma - always carry a PLB or satphone.
	PLBs & EPIRBs: another recent post in our Forum that is well worth reading is on the subject of PLBs and contains tips for how to setup your account with the AMSA so that in the event of an emergency activation, your account contains your travel plans and other emergency contacts and personal medical details, with the aim to assist them provide you with a speedier search and recovery. You can also read our PLBs & EPIRBs article here.
	CALCULATING TRAVEL TIME: we often see posts from people wanting to know how to accurately get travel time between A & B. Due to the remote areas where most ExplorOz travellers are wanting to go, this info is often not available from online routing engines such as Google maps as it can't route over these outback roads. But there is a solution - you can use any of the ExplorOz Trek Notes that cover that area and modify to suit your needs. Using the ExplorOz Traveller App you can open a Trek and delete the Places from the route list that are unnecessary and be left with just the segments that apply to your query, and even add extra Places. In the case of this recent post in our Forum, you can see how the ExplorOz Traveller app was used to get the answer for driving time between El Questro and Drysdale River.
EXPLOROZ TIPS
	LOOK FOR THE ORANGE BUTTON: There are deliberate things we've done with the layout to make it easy for you to find things. On any page, look for the orange button - we've highlighted the most likely option on the page for your next click. eg. If you go to the Classifieds the "Create New Ad" button is highlighted in orange. It's the same on the Forum - when you're writing a reply to a thread, the Preview button is highlighted in orange. These are just 2 common examples but you'll notice this colour-theming all over the website.
	YOUR ACCOUNT: did you know that you have an online "account" with ExplorOz? Even if you've never bought anything from us, and are not a Member, there are useful things in your account for you to view/update. To find it - go to the top right of the site and look for either Profile or Sign In and click it. Note: if you are logged in, it will say Profile so when you click this you'll go right into your account.
	HOW TO POST AN AD: we have a section dedicated for the ExplorOz community to sell/buy vehicles, boats, bikes, vans, whatever. It's called the Classifieds. You will find this in the site menu. Once you're on the page, click the Create New Ad button (yep, its orange). This will take you to a list of Ad Types. Select one and proceed to complete the online setup.
MEMBER INCENTIVES
	SAVE $20: If you like the sound of a $20 saving, then make sure you pay for your Member Subscription renewal before the expiry date. This early-bird discount offer is sent to you via email 28 days prior to the expiry of your Member account, however you can also make an early-bird renewal payment at any time simply by "purchasing" a Membership Renewal from our shop (you must be logged in for the system to verify that you qualify). So always check your account status before you travel and if necessary, get your Membership renewal sorted before you leave. Go here for more info.
	BONUS PRIZE DRAW: Every 3 months, we give away a power/electric product thanks to Redarc Electronics our Membership sponsor for 2017 - 2018. Over the period 1st September to 30th November, every Member that has paid for a 12 month subscription renewal, plus all our Lifetime Members, have gone into the draw that has just been done today. We are pleased to announce that the winner of the Redarc Pure Sine Wave Invertor with an RRP value of $920 has been won by Member -  Merv A (who renewed on 31st October). To be in with a chance to win, you need to have paid for a Member Subscription Renewal during the advertised period, or be a Lifetime Member.