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5 September, 2026
Hi ExplorOz Reader, You may have seen that ExplorOz has been out and about across Australia on the 2026 Field Mapping Trip. We're now into our fourth month on the road, using Traveller every day and continuing the field work that feeds into EOTopo. Along the way we've met many Traveller users - at remote camps, outback events, country towns and caravan parks. Some have used the app for years, others are brand new, and many have told us they are recommending Traveller to friends and fellow travellers.
David & Michelle (owners of ExplorOz) catching up with app users (Shane & Michelle) at the Winton camel races. Our Tracker map below is also being built automatically as we travel, with each day recorded into segments showing details such as distance travelled and average speed.
More than 100 days of the ExplorOz 2026 Field Mapping Trip, automatically recorded by Traveller Tracking. This newsletter covers three things that may help you get more from Traveller: - How your input helps keep ExplorOz Places useful for everyone
- Clarification of map usage, tiles and pricing
- A new paid creator opportunity for Traveller users
If you're only using a few Traveller features, there may be a lot more value already sitting in the app. Read the Help Guides, watch the short tutorials, or join the growing Traveller App User Group on Facebook. Traveller Help Guides Traveller Video Tutorials Traveller App User Group There's a bit to cover, so if you'd rather read it in your browser, you can read this newsletter online and come back to it whenever it suits you. 1. How your input helps ExplorOz PlacesExplorOz Places has been built and curated for more than 20 years through a combination of ExplorOz administration and community contributions. Traveller users now play a major role in keeping those Places current. You can add photos and reviews to existing ExplorOz Places while offline. If a Place description needs correcting and you're offline, put the details in a Review. That gives our Admin Team what they need to update the Place for everyone. Please keep adding photos, even when a Place already has some. When you add a new photo, you are also helping build a visual record over time. On this trip we've been revisiting places we first saw more than 20 years ago, and those older photos are now fascinating to look back on. The most useful photos show the Place as another traveller will find it - the scene, signage, campground layout, facilities, shade, access point or trailhead. A vehicle can be useful for scale, but keep personal subjects to a minimum.
The same Place, years apart. Photos become part of the history. Not every marker needs to become a public Place. Wildflower sightings, temporary observations and track junctions are usually better kept as Personal Places. After a trip, review your Personal Places. A great free camp, lookout, walk, gallery, historic site or attraction may be worth contributing to ExplorOz for others to find. If you make a Personal Place public, remove personal wording such as "Camp 4" or "Day 1" from the Name and Description. Keep your own details in Personal Notes. Get the pin in the right spotGPS lock ON: a new Place uses your current GPS position. GPS lock OFF: it uses the crosshairs in the centre of the map. Zoom right in before saving. EOTopo will zoom to around 5 metre scale at Zoom Level 20, so use that detail to position the marker accurately. You can also move Places. If you're standing at the correct location and the marker is wrong, use the MOVE option where available and drag it onto your position. Small corrections made by people who are actually there help everyone who comes after you. 2. Monthly Online Map Tile Allocations ExplainedMonthly tile allocations only apply to online map viewing. There are no limits on viewing your downloaded Offline EOTopo maps. That is how Traveller has always worked, and that is not changing. Traveller is designed around EOTopo as the main map source. Street and Satellite are third-party map services, so all users have monthly allocations for viewing these online. Watch our short Online Map Usage Explained tutorial for a simple explanation and tips to reduce tile usage. For the best experience, download EOTopo and select Offline EOTopo as your map source. Even if you have Starlink or mobile data, this gives you better map performance and uses zero online tiles. Most users should stay within their included monthly Street and Satellite allowance, but if needed you can increase this by purchasing a Tile Pack. If you want unlimited Online EOTopo viewing, this is available with Membership or Pro Access. 3. Opportunities for Creators
We're looking for Australian travel and outdoor creators with 2K+ followers who'd like to work with ExplorOz on paid Stories and Reels. If you create original camping, 4WD, caravanning, hiking or adventure content and think ExplorOz Traveller is a good fit for your audience, we'd love to hear from you.
This is a paid opportunity, with a creator rate card available on request.Contact us and include links to your social accounts If you already value Traveller, you can also help others discover ExplorOz by recommending it in relevant 4WD, caravan and travel discussions, or by tagging @exploroz and using #exploroztraveller when sharing your own travels. And if you'd like to fly the ExplorOz flag on your travels, you'll find wheel covers and other ExplorOz gear in the ExplorOz Shop. Today's ExplorOz officeThis newsletter has been written, the Help Desk answered and the day-to-day ExplorOz business run from a very special remote bush camp deep in the Chichester Range of outback WA. 
Today's ExplorOz office - deep in the Chichester Range, outback WA. Look carefully for our camp. That means you can still reach us for support while we're out here using and developing Traveller and EOTopo in the field. Every recommendation, Place contribution, review and conversation helps keep ExplorOz useful and sustainable. Thanks for being part of it. Michelle and David
ExplorOz
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