News / Articles

Victoria Touring Map – from $12.95

This 1:880,000 scale touring map of Victoria highlights the state’s major tourist attractions, national parks and forests, campgrounds, and key points of interest. The updated second edition also features the Silo Art Trail, wine regions, ski resorts, visitor information centres, and more. Clear and easy to read, it’s a great companion for exploring Victoria—whether you’re travelling for work or a holiday. On the reverse, you’ll find a detailed Melbourne and Surrounds map, along with an index of Victorian locations for quick reference.

https://meridianmaps.com.au/product/victoria-touring-map/

The Top End & Gulf – $29.95

A handy and reliable companion for anyone exploring the remote and stunning landscapes of northern Australia. Covering a huge area—from Croydon and Julia Creek in Queensland all the way across to Wyndham and Halls Creek in Western Australia—this guide offers detailed, up-to-date info on roads, tracks, and travel facilities. Inside, you’ll find easy-to-read maps packed with useful details like road distances, rest stops, caravan parks, fuel outlets, GPS coordinates, and a Lat/Long grid. There are also notes on local history, early explorers, interesting landmarks, and the region’s unique flora and fauna—plus plenty of photos to bring the journey to life. With 20 new double-page maps, over 30 pages of heritage and touring insights, and more than 70 numbered points of interest, this spiral-bound guide is perfect for planning your adventure. Whether you're hitting the road in a 4WD, towing a caravan, or travelling with a camper trailer, theTop End & Gulf Atlas and Guideis a great resource for making the most of your trip.

https://meridianmaps.com.au/product/top-end-and-gulf/

My Memories of Pushing Goog’s Track - $30.00

Goog’s Track is a 120-kilometre, 4WD-only route that winds through the rugged heart of South Australia’s Yellabinna Conservation Park. Starting just north of Lone Oak—around 40 kilometres above Ceduna—it stretches all the way to the Trans-Australia railway line. With 363 east-west sand dunes to cross, it’s often described as a “mini Simpson Desert crossing” by off-road enthusiasts. In this engaging memoir, Jenny Denton—Goog’s widow—shares the incredible story behind the track’s creation. Told with warmth, humour, and honesty, she reflects on the four-year journey of carving a road through the wild. Known as “Mother” by Goog, Jenny recalls life on the farm at Lone Oak, where Goog would often sit on the veranda, looking out into the vast northern bush and wondering aloud, “I wonder what’s out there, Mother?” Driven by that question, he set off to find out—finishing the track in 1976. Along the way, they uncovered stunning natural landscapes that still draw and inspire travellers to this day. This is a story of perseverance, love, and a shared spirit of adventure.

https://meridianmaps.com.au/product/googs-track-book/

Caravan Parks 6 Australia Wide - $59.95

The most comprehensive guide to caravan and tourist parks across the country, making it an essential travel companion for anyone exploring Australia by road. Whether you're towing a caravan, driving a motorhome, or simply looking for comfortable cabin-style accommodation, this guidebook has everything you need to find the right place to stay. Each park is marked with a numbered caravan symbol on the map, and at the start of each state section, there’s a handy index to help you locate parks quickly. Listings are packed with useful information, including the street address and GPS coordinates of each site. Colourful symbols make it easy to see at a glance what facilities are available—such as powered or ensuite sites, tent areas, barbecues, pools, large or drive-through sites, and whether pets are welcome. The guide also highlights over 1,890 pet-friendly parks with new, easy-to-recognise icons, and includes a complete list of public dump points. Every listing has been fully researched and updated, and all sites are shown on Hema’s most detailed road atlas to date. With all this information in one place,Caravan Parks Australia-widetakes the stress out of planning and helps you make the most of your adventure—wherever the road takes you.

https://meridianmaps.com.au/product/caravan-parks-6/

Goldfields Track – Walk or Ride Guide - $29.95

Linking the historic towns of Ballarat and Bendigo, the Goldfields Track offers walkers and cyclists a unique way to explore central Victoria’s hidden gems. Winding through diverse forests and past sweeping views, the track also takes in rich reminders of the region’s past—from cultural heritage sites to artefacts from the world’s greatest gold rush.The Goldfields Track: Walk or Ride Guideis the perfect companion for this iconic journey through Victoria’s Central Highlands. With 34 full-colour maps, engaging commentary, and striking photos, this guidebook brings the track to life and helps you make the most of every step—or pedal—along the way.

https://meridianmaps.com.au/product/goldfields-track-walk-or-ride-guide/

Meridian Musings

It was great catching up with Jo and Graeme Ussing recently as they passed through Melbourne. Many of you will remember Jo and Graeme from their days at Westprint and from the Friday Five newsletter. They are thoroughly enjoying retired life having just completed a volunteer stint at the Milparinka Museum and Gift Centre. Jo said she would put together a reader’s story about their trip so we can all look forward to reading it in a future edition.

What’s New to the Website

Australia Indigenous Journeys – Trade Routes, Tours & Culture - $14.95

For over 65,000 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples—Australia’s Traditional Owners—have moved across the land, forging intricate trade routes, sharing knowledge, and caring for Country. TheIndigenous Journeys Mappays tribute to these deep and enduring connections by offering a detailed and culturally respectful representation of ancient trade routes, cultural pathways, and songlines across the continent. This unique map traces routes shaped by ceremony, kinship, seasonal rhythms, and the landscape itself—many of which span thousands of kilometres and follow waterholes, gathering places, and creation stories. It also highlights Aboriginal cultural and art centres, providing opportunities to continue learning and connect with community experiences. Information on traded goods—such as ochre, shells, tools, ceremonial items, and native plants—offers insight into the sophisticated exchange networks that thrived long before European settlement. More than 250 Indigenous language groups are identified on the map, with cultural sensitivity and acknowledgment of AIATSIS sources, reflecting the rich diversity of pre-colonial Australia. Presented through an authentic landscape view, the map also features traditional place names, offering a glimpse into how the land may have appeared when it was solely inhabited by Indigenous Peoples.

https://meridianmaps.com.au/product/australia-indigenous-journeys/

The Big Book of Great Australian Bush Yarns - $36.95

Two of Graham Seal’s bestselling story collections—now in one unforgettable volume. Australians have always known how to spin a good yarn, and Graham Seal is one of our finest storytellers. In this bumper collection, he brings together some of the best tales from the bush—stories of pioneers and battlers, convicts, settler kids, and everyday folk facing the hardships of fire, flood, and drought. Told with Graham’s trademark warmth and wit, these yarns capture the spirit, resilience, and dry humour that runs deep through Australian life. From colonial times to more recent years, the stories shine a light on the characters who helped shape the country—often in the toughest of circumstances, and always with a grin close at hand. Originally published as Great Australian Stories and Larrikins, Bush Tales and Other Great Australian Stories, this combined edition is a celebration of the people and places that make Australia truly unique.

https://meridianmaps.com.au/product/australian-bush-yarns/

Blue Mountains National Parks – from $14.95

Craigie’s Blue Mountains National Park Map at a scale of 1:130,000 covers the Blue Mountains, Kanangra-Boyd and Abercrombie River National Parks, stretching from Lidsdale in the north to Wombeyan Caves and Bargo in the south. This detailed map includes roads, highways with shields, towns, suburbs, and clearly marked boundaries for wilderness areas, forests and water catchments. It also features a useful grid referencing the 1:25 000 NSW topographic map series. It’s a great tool for visitors planning their journey, with many fire trails and walking routes noted throughout. On the reverse side, you’ll find detailed town maps for key Blue Mountains locations including Blackheath, Medlow Bath, Katoomba, Leura, Wentworth Falls, Bullaburra, Hazelbrook, Woodford, Faulconbridge, Springwood, Valley Heights, Warrimoo, Blaxland, Glenbrook, Mount Riverview and Lapstone. Also included are clear, easy-to-follow mud maps for walking tracks around Blackheath, Katoomba, Leura and Wentworth Falls, showing lookouts, walking times and track grades. The map measures 700 millimetres by 1000 millimetres when unfolded

https://meridianmaps.com.au/product/blue-mountains-map/

The Crossing - $36.95

In 2020, at thirty-one years old, Sophie Matterson set off on an extraordinary solo trek, walking with her five camels from Shark Bay in Western Australia to Byron Bay on the east coast. While her peers were settling down or starting families, Sophie was craving something different – a life filled with adventure, independence and a deeper sense of purpose. She ended her long-term relationship, packed her life into saddlebags and taught her wild camels to follow her lead. What followed was a thirteen-month odyssey across some of the harshest and most remote parts of the country – a true test of endurance, resilience and self-belief. With COVID-19 lockdowns affecting each state, there were stretches where Sophie walked for weeks without seeing another person. She crossed vast deserts, skirted dazzling salt lakes, and passed through tiny outback towns and isolated cattle stations. Along the way, she faced danger, fell in love in the heart of the Outback, and slowly grew into a woman who trusted her instincts and believed in her own strength. The Crossingis a powerful and uplifting memoir about leaving the expected path behind to chase something greater.

https://meridianmaps.com.au/product/the-crossing/

King of the Desert – $34.95

At 55, public servant Nick Arley set out to do something extraordinary – ride solo across all ten of Australia’s deserts in under twenty-nine days, chasing a Guinness World Record. Nick’s love of motorbikes began at age eleven, tearing around paddocks on an old Honda. From that first ride, he was hooked – speed and adventure became lifelong companions. During the week, he wore a suit and tie in his Canberra office, but weekends were a different story, spent exploring Australia’s backroads on two wheels. Over the years, the rides got longer, the bikes more powerful, and the call of the desert grew louder. What started as outback trips evolved into multi-state journeys that tested the limits of endurance, planning and grit. But nothing compared to the challenge he set for himself: a solo, unassisted attempt to cross all ten of Australia’s deserts in record time. With just his Suzuki motorbike for company, Nick rode 5,500 kilometres through some of the country’s most unforgiving and remote landscapes – completely alone. The journey pushed him to his limits, physically, mentally and emotionally. This is the raw, gripping story of one man’s obsession, determination and ultimate quest to become King of the Desert

https://meridianmaps.com.au/product/king-desert/

Touring Tasmania’s Back Roads - $45.00

This guide features over 60 back road routes, each with detailed maps to help you navigate both to and along the tracks with confidence. Each route description includes the road’s length, helpful general info, historical insights about the destinations, and practical tips so you’ll know what to expect along the way. It’s more than just a set of directions – this book gives you everything you need to plan your journey, from access points and campsites to available facilities. You’ll also discover fascinating stories and background about the regions you travel through. If you’re touring the state, this is one guidebook you’ll definitely want by your side. Its companion title isOff-road Tasmania

https://meridianmaps.com.au/product/backroads-tasmania/

Seasonal Updates

Please be aware that road and park closures are constantly changing and it is always best to check for changes before you set out.

For more regular updates onclosures, please check our Facebook page athttps://www.facebook.com/MeridianWestprintMapsas we try to include warnings and advice as we become aware of them.

The latest Desert Parks Bulletin has been uploaded to our website. For this and other Desert Pass updates, please go tohttps://meridianmaps.com.au/deserts-pass-update/3

Due to satellite outage, and flood damage, some South Australian outback road signs are not automatically updating. All outback road signs where mobile phone coverage is available have a QR code. Please scan this for the latest closures, restrictions and warnings.

Innam­inc­ka Region­al Reserve and Malkum­ba-Coongie Lakes Nation­al Park — CLOSEDDue toFlooding.

Witji­ra Nation­al Park – Open to4WD

• Dal­housie Camp­ground –Open to4WD
• Three O’Clock Creek Camp­ground –Open to4WD
• Dal­housie Camp­ground to Purni Bore –Open to4WD
• The Dal­housie airstrip –Closed
• Bloods Creek Ruin to Fed­er­al Water­hole Track –Open to4WD
• Binns Track – Open to4WD
• Pub­lic Access Route Num­ber 8Pedir­ka –Open to4WD

Munga-Thirri – Simp­son Desert Nation­alPark

• Col­son Track –Open to4WD
• Poep­pels Corner–Open to4WD
• Pub­lic Access Route 15K1War­bur­ton Cross­ing –Closed due to flooding.

Temporary PAR closures until further notice:

• PAR Number 3 Nuccaleena Mine
• PAR Number 9 Warraweena
• PAR Number 15 Warburton Crossing
• PAR Number 16 Walkers Crossing

Birdsville Track –

• Mungeranie to Marree Closed
• Closed due to flooding at the Cooper Creek Crossing. Note: the road is open to all vehicles from Marree to the Cooper Creek. There is no access to Mungeranie.

Disclaimer: These events were correct at the time they were added to the Meridian Line; however, this may have been some time before the actual event. Please make your own enquiries before travelling to an event.

What’s On

8 – 9 August Tullamore Showin NSW.Brings together farmers, families, and businesses to celebrate agriculture, community, and local craftsmanship. Featuring top-tier livestock competitions, locally-produced goods, hands-on exhibits, and lively entertainment.

https://tullamoreshow.org.au/

9 August: Crystal Brook Showin South Australia. family-friendly event that celebrates the spirit of country life. Visitors experience the excitement of agricultural displays, home-grown produce and hands-on animal encounters. The show blends tradition with entertainment. Watch sheepdog trials, enjoy local talent on stage, or explore creative arts and craft exhibits.

https://www.crystalbrookshow.com.au/

16 August: Flamefestin Benalla Victoria. The night ignites with spectacular fire shows, dazzling magicians, fearless fire-breathers, and hypnotic fire-twirlers. Wander among glowing fire sculptures, gather at the roaring bonfire, and feel the thrill of flame jets and the magical fire circle. There's something for everyone - from live music and roving performers to kids' activities, mouthwatering barbecue, food trucks, and a fully stocked bar to keep the flames burning.

https://www.victoriashighcountry.com.au/listing/flame-fest-benalla-benalla/

15 – 16 August: Kingaroy BaconFestin Queensland. One night and one day sizzling food festival that celebrates the versatility of bacon and puts Australian pork centre stage.As one of the South Burnett's favourite food festivals, BaconFest always promises a crackling good time for locals and visitors alike.

https://www.kingaroybaconfest.com.au/

15 – 17 August: Stonehenge Bushmen’s CarnivalinQueensland.From team penning and horse gymkhanas to bronco branding, motorbike mayhem, and the thrilling Santos Rodeo, there’s something for everyone.

www.stonehengebushmanscarnival.com.au

23 August: Beverley Agricultural Showin Western Australia. Annual show for the community of Beverley and invites people from Perth and surrounds to share in the event.

https://www.beverleyagsociety.com/

Do you have a story?

If you’ve got a trip or tips to share, we’d love to hear from you -rochelle@meridianmaps.com.au.

Road Trip to Lake Eyre – Part 2

Approximately 46 kilometres down the road from Hawker is Ikara-Flinders RangesNational Park.

The Flinders Ranges, stretches over 400 kilometres in South Australia's outback. The park com­pris­es approx­i­mate­ly 95,000hectares. It includes the Hey­sen

Range, Brachi­na and Bun­yeroo Gorges and the vast amphithe­atre of moun­tains that is Ikara Wilpe­na Pound.

You could easily spend a week or more exploring this stunning national park, but with just one full day up our sleeves, we decided to get an early start and make the most of it. First stop was the Information Centre at Wilpena Pound to grab our national park entry permit—then we were officially on our way. The plan was to tackle a couple of short walks and then head up the Flinders Ranges Way to the township of Blinman. From there, we’d take the loop road through Glass Gorge, drop into Angorichna Village, and continue on through Parachilna Gorge and Brachina Gorge. We returned via the Outback Highway and the very scenic Moralana Scenic Drive to Hawker.

We visited the Cazneaux Tree - a River Red Gum estimated to be 500 years old. It became famous following a photograph taken by Harold Cazneaux in 1937 that he titled “The Spirit of Endurance”. This tree has also been listed on the National Trust of Australia’s register of significant trees as “an outstandingly attraction that has widespread appeal as a symbol of the Flinders Ranges and of the Australian mood.”

Although the Flinders Ranges Way runs through the national park, it also passes outside the park boundaries, so some of the lookout spots we visited were actually outside the park. Huck’s Lookout is one of them, offering a great view of the ranges, plus an added surprise: a gorgeous stand of grass trees. They totally reminded us of something straight out of a Dr. Seuss book!

Similarly, Stokes Hill offers 360-degree views of the surrounding Flinders Ranges with panoramic views of Wilpena Pound.

Back inside the Park, we walked around the Appealinna Ruins which features the ruins oftwo historical settlements: a pastoral run and a mining settlement. In the 1850s, English settler Joseph Wills established a pastoral lease on the southern side of the creek, complete with stockyards and a stone homestead. Not long after, copper miners arrived and set up camp on the northern side, sparking a 13-year dispute over access to the nearby spring.

Further along towardsBlinman, is a rocky ridge line known as the Great wall of China due to its resemblance to the original.

We’d been loving the solitude, of barely seeing another car on the road and having most lookouts and points of interest all to ourselves. But when we rolled into Blinman, we quickly found out where everyone had gone! Blinman is the highest town in South Australia, named after Robert Blinman, who discovered copper there back in 1859. You can book a tour of the heritage-listed Blinman Mine, but by the time we arrived, most of the day’s tours were already booked out.

We took a right-hand turn at the end of Blinman and soon found ourselves on Glass Gorge Road, a winding, narrow dirt road. The surface was firm, which made for surprisingly easy driving. The gorge itself was dry—there hasn’t been much rain lately—but we were still treated to some truly stunning scenery. Rugged hills, colourful rock formations, and dry creek beds lined with red river gums made the drive a real highlight. It was a bit rough in parts, but the views more than made up for the bumps.

After passing through Glass Gorge, we emerged onto Parachilna Gorge Road, where the landscape changed dramatically. Parachilna Creek has carved its way deep into the mountains here, creating a steep, rocky gorge that feels completely different from Glass Gorge. It was pretty amazing to see the sheer cliffs rising up around us—two gorges so close together, yet so different in both look and feel. Parachilna Gorge is a striking natural corridor cutting through the western edge of the Flinders Ranges. The road follows a dry creek bed, framed by rugged red rock walls and ancient river gums.

It was time to head back to Hawker, but instead of driving all the way long the Outback Highway, we took the aptly named Moralana Scenic Drive. This beautiful 28 kilometre stretch of well-formed dirt road runs between the Outback Highway on the western side and Flinders Ranges Way on the eastern side. We passed through dry creek beds lined with gum trees and rolled past Arkaba Station and Merna Mora Station.

By the time we were leaving the Scenic Drive, the wind had really picked up and the rain finally started to fall—heavily! Definitely time to call it a day.

It was our last day of road tripping before reaching the start of the Oodnadatta Track—a distance of just over 270 kilometres to Marree. With good highways connecting the two, we figured it wouldn’t take long. How wrong we were! There’s so much to see along the way that it ended up taking us the whole day.

We kicked things off with a visit to the Jeff Morgan Gallery in Hawker. Spread across several buildings, the gallery is home to a wonderfully eclectic mix of collections—everything from vintage tins, plates, rocks, and fossils to teddy bears and even classic cars. But the real showstopper is the series of massive panoramas of the Flinders Ranges. These works are truly enormous, and the photographic attention to detail is absolutely incredible. It was a stop well worth making.

The road out of Hawker stretches long and straight, with flat land as far as the eye can see. It gave us a great chance to spot kangaroos and emus casually ambling along the roadside, plus the occasional eagle enjoying a meal from the plentiful roadkill. Along the way, we also passed a few building ruins, adding to the scenery.

The first town we passed through was Parachilna, with a population of fewer than 10 people. The community may be small, but thanks to all the visitors, booking ahead for meals at the pub is definitely a smart move! They’re famous for dishes that mix “feral and native bush foods” like emu, kangaroo, goat, native quandongs, and bush tomatoes. Since it was way too early for lunch and we didn’t have a reservation, we just kept on driving.

Talc Alf, whose real name is Cornelius Johan Alferink, was born in the Netherlands in 1945. In the 1960s, he made his way out to the edge of South Australia’s Sturt Stony Desert near Lyndhurst, where the Oodnadatta and Strzelecki tracks split off north and east. Just a short drive along the Strzelecki Track, you’ll find a rough, unsealed road that leads to Talc Alf Outdoor Art Works — both his home and his open-air gallery

His creations are unique sculptures made the soft stone from which talcum powder is made and reflect his unique views and philosophy.

A little further down the road, about 5 km north of Lyndhurst, are the Ochre Cliffs. We were glad to have our map with us because, without it, we might have missed the turnoff. There’s just a small street sign and a tyre by the road with “Ochre Cliffs” roughly painted on it — easy to overlook if you’re not paying close attention. A short drive along a dirt track leads to a stunning quarry bursting with harsh desert colours — reds, yellows, and browns. This site was important to the local Aboriginal people, and it’s believed that ochre from here was traded with other Aboriginal groups living hundreds ofkilometres away.

By this time, our stomachs were definitely letting us know it was well and truly lunchtime. So, we decided to stop in at Farina and grab lunch at the bakery. This is the most remote underground oven and bakery, open for just eight weeks—from May through to July each year. Although the roads had been pretty quiet, the parking area at the bakery was surprisingly full!

Farina was a railway town about 60 km south of Marree, with 10 historic South Australian stone buildings—though many were falling into disrepair. The Great Northern Railway (the Ghan) and a standard gauge railway both passed through here. The Farina Restoration Group Inc was formed to stabilise and restore the town’s infrastructure, preserving the history and “style of life” of an inland Australian township from the 1880s to the 1960s.

The restoration of Farina is fascinating and definitely deserves its own article in a future newsletter. For now, all we’ll say is that the rye bread we bought was probably some of the best we’ve ever tasted—and it made for a delicious lunch. The multigrain bread will have to wait until tomorrow! The sweet treats we picked up for later were just as good, and our waistlines are grateful we’re not spending more time in the area!

We ended up spending more time than we expected wandering around Farina, admiring the hard work and skills of the volunteers dedicated to restoring the town.

Our last stop for the day was Marree, the town at the crossroads of the Birdsville and Oodnadatta tracks. Established in 1883, Marree’s history is closely tied to its role as a transport hub, especially during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. When the Ghan Railway reached Marree in 1884, it became a vital railhead for the cattle industry, moving livestock from remote areas down to Adelaide.

Marree also has a unique cultural heritage, with a significant Afghan community that settled there in the late 1800s. Many of these settlers were camel drivers, playing a crucial role in inland exploration.

Today, Marree’s population is under 100, and the town now focuses on tourism, acting as a gateway for travellers heading to Lake Eyre or Birdsville and the surrounding desert landscapes.

Meridian Mirth

To share your jokes, please send them torochelle@meridianmaps.com.au.Many thanks to Paul for his contributions!

1. If walking is good for your health, the mailman would be immortal.

2. A whale swims all day, eats only fish, only drinks water and is fat.

3. A rabbit only eats vegetables, runs and hops all day and only lives 5 years.

4. A tortoise doesn’t run and does nothing energetic, yet it lives for 450 years.

And you tell me to exercise! I don’t think so.

I decided to travel to the United States so went to the embassy to apply for a visa. At the embassy for the interview:

Officer: Where to in the United Sates?

Me: San Jose.

Officer: It’s pronounced as in San Hose. The J is pronounced as an “H”.

Me: Ah. Okay

Officer: So how long do you plan to be in the United States?

Me: From Hanuary to Hune or Huly.

VISA REJECTED!

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Disclaimer

Please note that the opinions and articles expressed in The Meridian Line are not necessarily those of The Meridian team. Also, we do not endorse any products (other than our own), or tours listed in my contributed articles.