I know it sounds counterintuitive; you head bush to get off grid and turn off the never ending notifications, but there are some apps so helpful for adventuring that you just may be able to justify a little bit of screen time!
The right app can enhance your experience, provide helpful tips and tricks, encourage you to camp in unfamiliar territory and read real life reviews from everyday campers. With so many more people out and about exploring our country than ever before there are an influx of apps on the market for adventurers. Here are the top five I would recommend you download.
1 - Wikicamps
Possibly the best money I’ve ever spent on an app was the day I downloaded Wikicamps. This interactive map is a must-have for campers of any level and of all setups as it provides an array of options not only for you to camp at but to find potable water sources, day areas and points of interest. It’s the perfect companion for when you stumble upon a town and want to know where’s worth checking out and where you can either free camp or book to spend a night at. One of my favourite features is that you can read reviews from past campers who may provide tips of which site is the best, updates on the road conditions in and/or whether or not it’s worth heading there.
I have found many gems on Wikicamps as well as discovered warnings such as “don’t use tap, e-coli outbreak in town” that without the app I wouldn’t have known about.
A one time fee is payable at the time of download and it is available on both the Apple store and Google Play store.
2 - Gaia GPS
I downloaded Gaia GPS when I was travelling the Gibb River Road and was heading on a solo hike. It provides topographic maps and trail data which is particularly helpful if you’re heading on an unfamiliar walk and the directions aren’t super clear.
In my experience, I was following a vague track that had many river crossings, uneven areas of ground and rocky surfaces and on a few instances I found myself at forks in the road, confused on which path to take. Thankfully I had pre-downloaded the track on Gaia GPS and all I had to do was simply open up the app and work out whether I was still on the right path.
It was also helpful in seeing how far along the track I was and how far I had to go before reaching my waterfall destination. This allowed me to correctly ration my water and gave me some motivation as to how far I had to go before I received a much needed rest and swim.
It’s available on both the Apple store and Google Play store and is free to download with premium options.
3 - First Aid by Australian Red Cross
Josh and I have a particular affinity for travelling to very remote and sometimes inhospitable areas. The thrill of this adventure comes with an equally large responsibility to be both safe and alert to any dangers the area could throw our way. Being very far from other people and medical attention can be very intimidating, especially if you’re not medically trained yourself.
One way to equip yourself with up-to-date knowledge is to download First Aid by Australian Red Cross which provides a step-by-step comprehensive guide to first-aid and CPR. Even if you are trained, seeing your loved one in a state of panic or pain can send even the most calm person stressed, which often causes mind blank. Having this app at the tip of your fingers will arm you with guides suitable for even those with little to no first-aid knowledge.
Of course I would always encourage any adventurers who head remote like we do to also regularly update and practise their first-aid knowledge, however this app is another very valuable asset to keep in mind for travel.
It’s available on both the Apple store and Google Play store.
4 - FuelMap Australia
If you’re crossing the Nullarbor or heading on any other long road trip, you’ll want to have FuelMap Australia at the ready to help you locate fuel stations. Not only does this crowd-sourced database allow you to plan ahead for which fuel stations you’ll stop at and provides the information on how many are in your vicinity, but it will also allow you to compare fuel prices helping you save money.
The app shows real-time fuel prices for WA, NSW and QLD sources from government resources. The fuel stations in WA even show prices for the next day after 2:30pm, allowing you to plan even further ahead and save some crucial money.
I personally am a huge planner when it comes to travel, down to the meal we’re having on which day, so this app is a priority of mine in knowing where we’ll fuel up. Plus, who doesn’t love to save a few dollars here and there?
FuelMap Australia is available on both the Apple store and Google Play store.
5 - The BOM Weather App
Living on the road means that I have the flexibility to change my plans if the weather is looking less than ideal, however there was a time where I was limited to my 4 weeks of annual leave a year and knowing the weather ahead of my holiday was imperative to planning.
The BOM Weather App is one of my favourites when it comes to checking the forecast because you can receive a really comprehensive overview via the radar, hourly forecast, coastal forecasts and tide times and even evaluate past weather to see a 72 hour overview of temperature, wind and rain.
If you’ve got a few favourite locations you can implement widgets for the locations that matter to you and/or are relevant to your upcoming adventure. Not to mention push notifications for warnings so you never miss a message even when you’re not actively scrolling the app.
I am an advocate for dancing in the rain and making the best of whatever weather comes your way, however I can understand more than most how devastating rain can be to an adventure especially when it ends up closing a track you were looking forward to.
Download BOM Weather App on the Apple store or Google Play store and thank yourself later!
caravan travelling on outback dirt road
Hiking trails, camping spots, water fill up locations, fuel stations along the route, the weather that will be hitting you and the information you’ll need in a medical emergency… It’s all provided in these five handy apps! Of course there’s an array of valuable resources elsewhere, however these are my five top recommendations that I’d encourage adventurers of all levels of experience to download.
Like to explore off the beaten track?
Make sure you've got insurance that can go there too.