Great web site for trip planning info

Submitted: Tuesday, Mar 07, 2006 at 17:36
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I'm well into the planning for our 16 week trip to North and North West. Found a great web site for info on all areas of Australia. I'm sure many of you have come across it before, but for the others, here is an attempt at a link. Lots of ways to get at the info. I found Regions and Maps the best for my needs. It is a Fairfax site.

Walkabout

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Reply By: Member - David 0- Tuesday, Mar 07, 2006 at 18:39

Tuesday, Mar 07, 2006 at 18:39
My favorite for trip planning is

This One
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Follow Up By: Max - Sydney - Tuesday, Mar 07, 2006 at 20:25

Tuesday, Mar 07, 2006 at 20:25
Me too!

Good info from the horse's mouth every time!
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Reply By: vivvie - Tuesday, Mar 07, 2006 at 20:18

Tuesday, Mar 07, 2006 at 20:18
This is my time writing in, but Exploroz is far and away the best place to find information for travelling in our wonderful country. Nowhere else do you get information on out of the way places from people who have actually been there or live there. That's invaluable. Keep it up.
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Reply By: ExplorOz Team - David - Tuesday, Mar 07, 2006 at 21:24

Tuesday, Mar 07, 2006 at 21:24
Huh - OK sneak preview of what is being released in this weeks newsletter.

Try this one www.ExplorOz.com/Places - Just turned it on - Still a long way to go with the data but you can find every town, place, landmark, thing to see or do using the places system.

We are still loading data be we currently have 75,000 places. A few hundred have images and descriptions - All linked to the real time mapping engine, linked to treks and ExplorOz content and also commercial products available in the shop.

As mentioned still more to come but it will soon be the largest places related database on the net - Well at least that is my intention and hopefully we will get lots of help from our visitors and members to assit in supply of info, pics and ratings for the huge number of places available.

Just as a teaser - These places will soon be available for download to various mapping GPS & computer systems with or without supporting hotspot images and text. There is a lot of work going on in this area at the moment, will be mentioned in this weeks newsletter.

As an example have a look at the CSR Related Places. Select a place and click on the name or pic - you will get more info, maps and links to site content for every place. Of course you can clear the search and try something else say Sydney or Perth etc.

More data and features will be coming along that will provide even more functions but there is your sneak preview. So we hope you will now revert from the other site and back to this place.
David (DM) & Michelle (MM)
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Follow Up By: Member - John (Vic) - Tuesday, Mar 07, 2006 at 23:30

Tuesday, Mar 07, 2006 at 23:30
Thats a hell of a big job David.
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Follow Up By: Mad Dog (Australia) - Tuesday, Mar 07, 2006 at 23:37

Tuesday, Mar 07, 2006 at 23:37
wOW, iI'm flabbergasted
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Follow Up By: Pajman Pete (SA) - Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 08:08

Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 08:08
Nice David.

Are you also going to add the Pick This Place files after they are won so that we can all go and look at them sometime?
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Follow Up By: Member - bushfix - Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 08:27

Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 08:27
Dasvid,

I am considering nominating you for an AM. Fair Dinkum it's great work you guys are doing. This site and shows like Ian McNamara's are so important to me. (Not to mention the Coodabeens)

Jeremy.
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Follow Up By: ExplorOz Team - David - Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 12:01

Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 12:01
Pajman Pete,

The photo comp data is already loaded into the Place system - That is where the comp draws its questions from however there is not yet a way to show all past comp photos - just the latest 5 on the comp page - I will fix this also so that you can open them all up - it is not that hard just a different query. Will be done!
David (DM) & Michelle (MM)
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Follow Up By: Pajman Pete (SA) - Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 12:16

Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 12:16
I hope it isn't loaded until after each comp is finished!!
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Follow Up By: ExplorOz Team - David - Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 12:20

Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 12:20
Well actually they are however there is a special program that will remove the answer from the output results effectively making the place invisible.
David (DM) & Michelle (MM)
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Follow Up By: Mad Dog (Australia) - Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 14:13

Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 14:13
woo hoo, fantastic speed drawing those maps guys.
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Follow Up By: ExplorOz Team - David - Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 18:15

Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 18:15
Glad you are pleased with the speed Ray. It has ben a lot of work. I wonder if it will still be as quick when I start adding the additional layers that I want to display - I suspect the new server and updated mapping engine will cope well.

Still got a far but to do on the Places thing but it is coming along - thanks for the positive feedback.

FYI: Just got permission to load up an additional 80,000 places in NSW alone - getting bigger all the time. I may not take all this in striaght away but will be using the descriptions of these places to update places already loaded.
David (DM) & Michelle (MM)
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Follow Up By: Member - Norm C (QLD) - Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 19:14

Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 19:14
So David, to expand the number of places with images and descriptions would you consider receiving the info from forum members or is this just going to become too big?

The point I was making in the original post was about the info available on many places. I'm sure many of us would love to help develop this data, but I guess it could get out of hand.

Worth a thought. Perhaps you could develop a standard format which migh make it a bit easier to develop, proof read and approve for inclusion.

Apart from info on things to see and do, I enjoy reading a bit of the history of places I visit.
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Follow Up By: ExplorOz Team - David - Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 19:32

Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 19:32
Norm,

I am hoping (needing and wanting) to enlist the help of everyone with the updating of this data. There will be a template based entry form to be filled in for places - So soon (not finished writing it yet) when you are on a place you will be able to hit a button that will launch a screen to allow you to enter data & upload pics for a place.

I am getting some info from the Government agencies etc however the best source of informaton is from people who know a place or have visited it. We are also going to link different types of data fields to different POI types - so caravan park places will have additional fields to allow you to rate them and enter interactive feedback etc.

Yes the management of the updates is the hardest part - However I work on the principal of accept what ever I get, good, bad or ugly as editting is easier than trying to find everything from scratch.
David (DM) & Michelle (MM)
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Follow Up By: Member - Norm C (QLD) - Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 19:57

Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 19:57
Well, that will be really something when it is done.

I'd love to help and I'm sure there are hundreds of others with the same view.
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Reply By: Willem - Tuesday, Mar 07, 2006 at 21:36

Tuesday, Mar 07, 2006 at 21:36
Tut tut, Norm, you got no savvy
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Reply By: Fusion - Tuesday, Mar 07, 2006 at 23:28

Tuesday, Mar 07, 2006 at 23:28
Fantastic work as usual David. Looking forward to the official release.

I think Norm might have suckered you into showing your hand ;)

Or maybe not ?

Aaron.
AnswerID: 159235

Reply By: Gramps (NSW) - Tuesday, Mar 07, 2006 at 23:33

Tuesday, Mar 07, 2006 at 23:33
Well I'll be ..... the new Places thingy, it's even got bloody Musselbrook Gorge :)))))))))
AnswerID: 159237

Reply By: Member - Norm C (QLD) - Tuesday, Mar 07, 2006 at 23:59

Tuesday, Mar 07, 2006 at 23:59
Don't mean to upset anyone. Of course this is a great site. I use it more than any other by a factor of several times. But there is other information out there. Explore Oz can meet a heap of my travel information and planning needs, but I suspect it will be some time before it do it all.

I don't believe I have promoted a competitor to David's site. I certainly would not do that. The two are in entirely different, but related markets. If David disagrees, he is free to delete my posts. If anyone else disagrees, they are free to say so.

I'll give an example. I grew up in Charters Towers, Qld. An interesting town which is worth a visit. The informtion available on this town on ExploreOz from David's new site capability is:
ExploreOz Charters Towers

If I searched further, I'm sure I'd find more, but this is what is readily available.

Here is the information available from the Fairfax site.
Walkabout Charters Towers

I'm not knocking ExploreOz. It is a great site, but if I was planning a trip to the area, I think I'd want access to the info on the other site as well.

AnswerID: 159242

Follow Up By: Member - Norm C (QLD) - Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 00:02

Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 00:02
Another go at the second link Walkabout Charters Towers

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Reply By: Member - Patrick (QLD) - Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 11:43

Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 11:43
OK Norm, how does a young bloke like you get a leave pass of 16 weeks to travel around the country? We would love to do it but have to work for a living.

Lucky bugger!!!

Cheers, Patrick
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Follow Up By: Member - Norm C (QLD) - Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 14:36

Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 14:36
Well Patrick, there are only 2 components in home finance. They are the same as business finance. Income and expenses.

Three years ago (at age 48), we decided we would pay more attention to the expenses side, so we didn't need as much on the income side. I haven't worked full time since and don't plan on doing so again. Haven't drawn a cent in government benefits and don't plan on doing that either.

It is a great life. A bit more simple than we had before, but I'll live a lot longer now I think. Hope you get to try it yourself one day.
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Follow Up By: Member - Patrick (QLD) - Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 15:55

Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006 at 15:55
Norm,

I just have to add one more componet to your list - CHILDREN!!!!

We have just one more to go before we are free of their 'opened hand' request for $$$$$$$'s. You love em but at a cost.

I would love to work part-time but I think I would be behind SHMBO as she belives that she should be the first to finnish up. I beg to differ but that's another story.

We get away as much as possible but these are only short trips for a weekend or week in duration. I suppose it is better than nothing.

I look forward to reading about your trip and the adventures that it will surely bring.

Best wishes, Patrick
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Reply By: Mike DiD - Friday, Mar 10, 2006 at 06:55

Friday, Mar 10, 2006 at 06:55
This is a great resource - it's very friendly the way it automatically opens up teh map, nearby points etc.

My suggestions for improvement are.

1. Show points further than 5km out - especially helpful in remote areas.

2. For UHF Repeaters, display the Channel Number.

Mike
AnswerID: 159642

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