Creating a Trek Note

As a publisher, ExplorOz is happy to review submissions from members of the general public - you don't need to be a professional travel writer. As we'll explain in this document we have a template that is straightforward to follow but the task is not for everyone as there is no denying that Trek Note writing is a large undertaking, albeit rewarding to have your work published.

What is an ExplorOz Trek Note?

The purpose of having Trek Notes on ExplorOz is to have a dedicated part of the site where people can read, or even print, driving notes to destinations within Australia for which you can plan a self-drive camping trip. Some of these destinations require 4WD, but many are suitable for people towing camper trailers, caravans or even motorhomes. National Parks, Deserts, Highways, and Beaches are all included. If there's a place in Australia that's worth driving to, then we're likely to publish it. We do not publish personal trip reports - our Trek Notes are like online guidebooks - with key facts such as distance, supply points, conditions, permits requirements, and comprehensive information about points of interest along the track, history of the area, environmental descriptions, and camping conditions and locations verified. As a leading publisher in the 4WD, Caravan, and Camping industry, ExplorOz is a respected source of trip planning information. As a web publisher, we include more complex publishing tools than printed publishers, so you'll also find GPS positions, plot files and maps online that can be download for your own use, along with links to other sections of the site where information is regularly updated. There is no other reference where this level of detailed information is available, and on the ExplorOz website this information is free and updated as soon as conditions change.

 Travel Writers ToolKit

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As we've already mentioned, writers will need to follow the template, along with the guidelines given throughout this document however there are a few items you'll need to ensure you have to be able to do the job. These are:

• vehicle with accurate odometer readings (if using oversized tyres your readings will need to be adjusted)


• detailed maps of the area


• notebook and pen


• a GPS (preferably with a laptop running a mapping software program with relevant digital maps)


• a digital camera


• brochures, guidebooks or other documentation about the area

Writers who collect data using a GPS navigation system will be able to submit material of more value to us as a publisher hence the rate of payment you may earn would be greater than if you did not, in fact in some cases we may not accept the Trek Note without the GPS data.

The ideal method is to do all your research before you go and consolidate this so that you have planned the route beforehand. The more experienced you are with using mapping software and GPS units, and the more detailed topo maps you used, the better data collection you'll be able to provide to us within your Trek Note submission. Getting into the digital side of navigation may take some time for the newbie to learn as it’s a fairly complicated subject. Unfortunately, we cannot provide any training on the subject. For more assistance in this area, please read the navigation articles listed below:

• Using Digital Maps & Mapping Software


• GPS for Laptops and PDAs


• GPS Units

 Field Research Tips

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When you record Driving Notes, you are recording every navigational point of change. This is represented by a distance from the last point (odometer reading) and a brief instruction. ie. TR at Junction Pacific Hwy and Burns Rd. Our system will automatically calculate the reverse driving odometer readings, but if you can write the text for the reverse direction as well as the forward this makes the job complete.

You also need to record Waypoints - however, a waypoint is no good to us unless it comes with photos, the correct name for the Place, and as much information about the Place as you can provide. The waypoint can be recorded by taking note of the GPS lat/long position shown on your GPS at the position, however the ideal method is to record the waypoint using your OziExplorer or TrackRanger software. There is a shortcut keyboard command to make this really easy. You should then name the waypoint - ie. Summit of Mount Holland, do not leave this in the default numerical format. This slows down the driving on field research trips (we know!) which is why it is good idea for the passenger to be the navigator/recorder and the driver to do the job of, well, driving! Alternatively, the passenger could record the waypoint using the keyboard command as the vehicle passes the point and jot down the number in the notebook along with the waypoint name for later editing in the file when stopped at camp, or back at home. You would not need to create a Waypoint for every navigational turn, but certainly for all points of interest and any major intersections that could be clarified with a Place record. See the Places system to see how this information is integrated.

 What Trek Notes can you submit?

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Although we always welcome brand new and high quality trek notes with open arms, we are also going through a major audit on our existing trek notes. This section outlines our current priorities so for acceptance of your Trek Note submission, we suggest you identify one of our higher priority tasks from the options below:

• All existing Trek Notes to be updated to display a iMapPlot zoomable map. Our system creates the iMapPlot map automatically provided we have been supplied with a plot file with waypoints. If you have driven the trek route as described in the Driving Notes table precisely and have a plot file that matches please send us your data file. Alternatively, a full replacement Driving Notes table and corresponding plot file would also be acceptable if it was felt there was a better route, or if access conditions have changed making the existing route impossible.


• All existing Trek Notes to contain recent high quality photographs. Ideally, we'd like to receive a photo for every point of interest in the Trek Note - accompanied by the position data (ie. Lat/Long coordinate, preferable provided as a waypoint file extracted off a GPS), AND a couple of paragraphs of text of factual information about the place. This information is published into the Places part of the site, and this is cross-referenced from within the relevant section of the Driving Notes.


• All existing Trek Notes to contain both forward and reverse driving directions in the Driving Notes table. Similar to first point, this task would automatically occur once confirmed plot data for the given route was submitted.


• New Trek Notes for areas close to capital cities - suitable for softroaders, and families that just want a weekend getaway.


• New Trek Notes for common highway routes - typical driving routes for caravanners, motorhomers, backpackers, or foreigner visitors with extensive detail on points of interest, things to do, places to visit. This is a little outside our current norm, and for this particular requirement it is not critical for someone to supply a plot file as we can recreate that for major roads and highways. What is of most interest is the collation of photos, and descriptions of places to stop, things to do, accompanied by GPS lat/long data for each.

Submission Procedure

The first step is to approach ExplorOz with your expression of interest to submit a trek note, providing details of the area to be documented and the time frame in which you would be conducting the field research. In this way we can verify that area is not already allocated to another travel writer and we can discuss you readiness and understanding of field research tasks/responsibilities.

Once you have received confirmation to proceed, ensure you download the Trek Note Template Form for specific details of what to collect and submit.

 The Trek Note Template

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First Section

There is a trek note template in a Word document format that basically outlines the information that we use to create a trek note from scratch. This document can be downloaded below:
Click for the Trek Note Template Form.

After opening the document, you will notice a table and these data elements need to be filled in. Each one is briefly explained below:

Overview:- This is a brief overview of the trek and the surrounding area. This should only be no more than a couple of sentences.

Start Point:- Trek starting point that can be a town name, a place name or even an intersection.

Finish Point:- Trek Finishing point that can be a town name, a place name or even an intersection.

Total KM:- This is the total distance of the trek in kilometres.

Min. Days:- This is the minimum amount of days it had taken to complete the entire trek. You can also break up the trek into multiple sections which may include overnight camping stays and small trips that deviate from the track toward interesting spots for example.

Fuel Supplies:- List the names of any nearby towns or service stations where you can purchase fuel.

Best Time to Visit:- This represents the best months of the year to visit and is usually based on the climate.

Permits:- If you need any permits, permissions etc, please try to be specific with this by providing information on the: permit cost, the permit duration, the area the permit covers and the contact details of where the permit can be purchased.

Main Attractions:- This is a brief list of most of the interesting attractions along the way.

Supplies/Facilities:- List the names of any nearby places where you can purchase supplies such as food and even fuel.

Difficulty Rating:- This is rated out of 10, with 10 being the toughest.

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Second Section

The next section of the document also needs to be filled in and needs to be a little more detailed. Each one is briefly explained below:

Description:- This is the overall description of the trek and is the first major section that someone will read. It needs to captivating and interesting to help encourage another person to want to do the trek too. It should have a reasonable word count but not much more than 400 words. Please don’t include any references of driving notes as there is a dedicated section in the trek note for these. Also, do not use a diary approach in the writing style (i.e. using ‘I’ and ‘we’).

Preparation:- Elaborate on all the items that you would need to consider taking before embarking on the trek such as: supplies, recovery gear and safety gear, etc. It is very important to be quite detailed and helpful as to assist those to be better prepared. To provide easier access to more information, we have provided a list of relevant ExplorOz articles with checkboxes next to them. By placing a tick next to the relevant article, we can then manually place a link to that particular article.

Things to See & Do:- List all the main attractions and activities that you can do along the way and provide the waypoint number if it’s used in the driving notes. Quite often, these main attractions are already a place on our website. It is a good idea to do a search in our Places system to see if that place already exists. If it doesn’t exist – you can either create a new place yourself or send us an email with your photos (if any) and information on the place. If the place is in our system, either click into it and update it yourself or email us the photos and details so we can update it for you.

Camp Sites & Accommodation:- List any nice camping areas or even payed accommodation areas that you can stop at along the way and provide the waypoint number if it’s used in the driving notes. Quite often, these camp sites and places of accommodation are already a place on our website. It is a good idea to do a search in our Places system to see if that place already exists. If it doesn’t exist – you can either create a new place yourself or send us an email with your photos (if any) and information on the place. If the place is in our system, either click into it and update it yourself or email us the photos and details so we can update it for you.

Environment:- This is where you discuss the type of environment that surrounds the trek such as: the types of landscape and terrain – if it is hilly, rocky, dry or baron, please try to describe it in a visual way. Talk about some of the rivers, creeks, forests, etc that exists in the area. You can discuss the types of flora that predominantly grows, for example: mallee scrub trees, spinifex grass or certain wildflowers. Discuss the types of fauna such as the types of birds, reptiles and other wild animals that you may have encountered. Another important feature to discuss is the type of ground cover – if it be white beach sand, soft muddy clay or fine red desert sand, etc.

History:- Provide a short history of the area in your own words without copying it straight from a book or website. This can discuss the how the area was founded, the names of the explorers or the tribal names of indigenous people that always lived there. You can also talk about the historic activities – if it is mining or farming that used to occur and the activities that are occurring today.

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