Member - Mark G Gulmarrad replied:

Gday Adele

just a suggestion but maybe some simple diy on 4x4 or caravan maintenance books might be popular,cheers.

Chris & Sue (Briz Vegas) replied:

Hi Adele,

For my money (which is what you'll get if I buy from EO!), SWMBO and I like to know the history and attractions[*] about places we're driving through or towards. Stuff like how the country was opened up, what's left from the early explorers that we can visit, places of scenic beauty, etc.

Ok, you can sometimes visit the local tourist information office, but these can be 100kms away, and in the wrong direction! Also, it can be better to have the information when you're doing the initial planning so you know what items you really must include and those of lesser interest that you might skip if time is getting tight

One of the ways we pass our time touring is for the non-driving person to read out interesting items about the next place we're about to visit. We find it makes for a better visit when we get there.

Cheers,
Chris

[*] Attractions in this case are things that attract us and generally does NOT include anything to do with Theme Parks that end in 'World' or eating places with Golden Arches. :-))

Member - Michael O (NSW) replied:

Have only bought maps and guide books and I reckon you have them covered....

Member - Rotord replied:

Hello Adele

The RFDS book Outback Survival , I think I remember the title correctly , includes chapters on survival equipment and techniques , medical kit contents and procedures , expedition planning , vehicle eqipment , driving and recovery , navigation , campcraft , communication and emergency contact numbers and frequencies . Contributors include police and SES . Could be the best book of its type though I know there is at least one other similar book also recommended by forum contributors .

Member - Lionel A (WA) replied:

Hi Adele,
Playboy, Hustler, Penthouse.......hehehe.

I'm probably one of many that never find the time to sit down with a decent book.
Pioneering history is something that has always interested me, however, there would be many titles I would save for my retirement, at the moment, when I hit 80.....lol.

I think DVDs are more popular, instant info etc.
But, aside from that, Bush Tucker Man, Malcom Douglas, Leyland Brothers and that type of thing would induce me to purchase.

Having said that, I must admit, I rarely visit the shop.
Must do so more in future.

Cheers.....Lionel.

Member - DickyBeach replied:

Sorry to learn that there was very little interest in the historical stories of bushmen, gold rush times and pioneers for that awareness is often the reason to visit certain places.
Although you have removed those titles if you have any unsold stock how about listing the titles and you might be able to clear them.
Of course perhaps you actually source them elsewhere when interest is shown from customers and in which case this post is irrelevant.
Dick

walwffoeg replied:

I wish I had checked with exploroz.com before i went to the RAC today where I was sold an out-of-date book....Camps Australia Wide 4!
They even had the nerve to tell me they had had it in only a couple of months!
Tomorrow I will be taking it back and purchasing Camps Australia Wide 5 from this site.
I wonder how old the RAC's other maps are?
Geoff

The Rambler( W.A.) replied:

I don't know if the dvd's put out by the Gall boys promoting the Kedron caravans are for general sale, but they are VERY interesting and show a great deal of the true outback.Iam sure anyone who has seen these dvd's would agree that they would be a worthwhile purchase.There is a set of 7 covering different areas-highly reccomended.

Member - Ron M (NSW) replied:

I would dearly like to see a book written about the history and landmarks , historical site , points of interest , etc etc. . of places that we travel through .. Forget about the museums , Who has the time to go through everyone . and once you have seen one you have seen the lot. Just a book that will tell you what's ahead of historical or something of interest

Member - DickyBeach replied:

Adele,
I've now trawled through your list of books (and was surprised at how many there are) and have put my money where my mouth is and purchased half a dozen.
Would still like to see a list of those that you have removed but may still have in stock awaiting return to the publishers, if any.

DickyBeach

steved58 replied:

Trouble is after postage the books are cheaper in my local store eg camps Australia 5 same price at several local stores after postage it becomes dearer on exploroz

Steve

Rod, Sydney replied:

Hi.
My purchases have tended to be maps, map books etc. But I do treasure the occasional Australian history and pioneer books that are purchased.
Maybe you could use your website dominance to partner with someone else eg Westprint?
Cheers

Member - John G replied:

G'day Adele

I'm with Chris and Sue.

It would be good if there was a general guide for each State along the lines that they suggest, and which would allow more informed planning. We use various editions of the Explore Australia, Discover Australia 4WD, and the Hema Around Australia Atlas & Guide, but invariably end up spending quite a lot of time on the net (incl ExplorOz of course) trying to get local knowledge.

My guess is that the perfect guide doesn't exist.

Regards
John

PMR replied:

I've found the best way to have the info at your fingertips is to write your own guide. An Index book, ruled up to allow half a page per state, and all relevant information in the appropriate section, with a reference as to where it is to be found - ExplorOz newsletter, On the Road magazine, etc, with the date. When planning a trip, we read up on what we want to see, and take a few photocopied sheets of essential information, as well as local maps. We mainly use cabin parks and motels, and our book has details of all the good ones we have found - plus ones to avoid! Please don't get rid of all the pioneers books - they are the people who made this great land what it is today (not including the mess the politicians have made of it!).

Old age - is when your mind makes appointments your body can't keep!

ExplorOz Team - Adele replied:

Hi Everyone,

Thankyou very much for all of your ideas, I will be looking into the suggestions made in this forum post, and if you have any further suggestions in the future, please feel free to let me know via email.

For all of you who would like the pioneering and outback heritage titles to remain, we are still keeping some of these titles on our shop, but we will be more selective in the future as to how many of these titles we decide to stock (and if you have read any great ones let us know).

Thanks again,

Adele