Archives: July 2012

I’m the first to admit that I’m a gear freak. I used to be a rock climber and so over a number of years, I collected all the wiz bang, you beaut bits and pieces of climbing equipment that you probably really don’t need. But they’re cool.Then my interest turned to Beach Volleyball. I bought volleyballs, nets, court markers, hats...

Ranulph Fiennes calls it 'the greatest book on earth' (what a clever little play on words),   Michael Palin calls it an 'irresistible temptation' for the traveller, Simon Winchester says it's 'utterly indispensable', The Times call it their Comprehensive Atlas of the World.  Without a doubt, this is the world's most prestigious and authoritative reference atlas. Its beautifully illustrated sections on contemporary themes from climate...

Hema have been busy working on a new 4WD guide for Australia, 4WD Adventures, that will feature the top 100 trips and getaways throughout this fine land of ours. Few countries are blessed with the variety of landscapes that Australia has, and this new book has been put together to reflect that. From desert treks to snowy expanses, or forest expeditions...

Hema's new Navigator, the HN6, was released in May, not as a replacement to the HN5i, but as an addition to the family.  Since then, there has been pretty much universal confusion about the differences between the two models and why you should buy one or the other.  Read on to find out, in as succinct a way as possible...

Lonely Planet have a pretty cool competition running at the moment, together with Jetstar, they're giving you the chance to instantly win all sorts of cool stuff.  The main prize is the $10,000 travel card, but there's also 10 $2,500 Jetstar flight vouchers, 50 Nikon Coolpix S3100 cameras, 35 dandy looking suitcases from Catherine Manuell (presumably that means something to...

Awesomely, this blog has given me yet another avenue to harp on about how much I like these Crumpled City Maps.  Let's face it, folding maps is hard.  I've been doing it for 15 years and I still have trouble.  Designed by Emanuele Pizzolorusso, these marvels of innovation dispense with the tyranny of the fold, they're super light weight, waterproof, tear-proof and...

In case you missed it the other week, we were on TV!  The ABC's 7.30 WA did an article on the effect the 'digital age' is having on traditional media (i.e. books, CDs, maps, etc.) and they did an interview with Dani (I'm not pretty enough for TV, also, way too chicken).  It turned out pretty well all round, some great...

Due sometime this month, the 6th edition of Hema's Great Desert Tracks have undergone some major changes. The north and south maps of the East, Central and West regions have been combined and expanded, showing the north on one side and the south on the other, and they've added a Simpson Desert map that has an overview on one side and a...

After months of faffing about, the new blog is pretty much good to go (barring any crippling errors I've made putting it together). We've got all sorts of awesome stuff lined up, you can expect news and reviews and stories about things. For the moment you'll be stuck reading my blithering crap keen, insightful musings, but we're busily recruiting far more talented...