Jun
Big Lappers, Planning, Routes
20+ Best Maps & Guides You Need to Drive Around Australia
No matter how good electronic mapping and navigation gets, we still need to have a good set of printed maps in our kit when travelling around Australia.
This is especially true when planning a road trip around Australia when we will be travelling off the beaten track and outside of mobile phone range.
These days most of us do our navigating using electronic devices like our smartphones, tablets or dedicated units like the Hema HX-2 Navigator.
But printed maps still give you a much better 'helicopter view' of an area so you can plan your route for the days and weeks ahead.
They also make it easy to spot nearby landmarks and features that you might miss on the narrower field of view of an electronic map.
And of course they are an analogue backup in case your electronic navigation stops working.
On this page I've compiled a list of the best maps that provide full coverage of Australia as well as more detailed coverage of specific regional areas.
I've also included some of the most popular guides that have more in depth local information and where to find camp sites.
You most likely won't need every map and guide on this list for your road trip around Australia but using the reference map below, you can see at a glance the areas you plan to travel to and the map that covers that area.
This page is a work in progress and I'll be adding new maps & guides to the page over time so be sure to bookmark it and check back as your trip plans come together.
And let me know if there's a map or guide that should be added to the page.
The list of maps 1-20 below correspond to the overlays on the reference map above.
Click the map on the list to jump down the page and get more info.
- Australia Wide Coverage Maps
- 1. HEMA Cape York Map (14th edition)
- 2. HEMA North Queensland Map
- 3. HEMA Outback Queensland Map
- 4. HEMA Central Queensland Map
- 5. HEMA South East Queensland Map
- 6. HEMA North East New South Wales Map
- 7. HEMA New South Wales Map
- 8. HEMA Outback New South Wales Map
- 9. HEMA Victoria Map
- 10. HEMA Tasmania Map
- 11. HEMA South Australia Map
- 12. HEMA The Red Centre Map
- 13. HEMA Central Australia Map
- 14. HEMA Top End & Gulf Map
- 15. HEMA The Kimberley Map
- 16. HEMA Western Australia Map
- 17. HEMA Pilbara and Coral Coast Map
- 18. HEMA Mid West Western Australia Map
- 19. HEMA South West Western Australia Map
- 20. HEMA Australia Map
- Regional Australia Maps
- Guides
Australia Wide Coverage Maps
1. HEMA Cape York Map (14th edition)
Featuring the Old Telegraph Track
Features:
- Detailed 4WD tracks
- National parks
- Camping areas
- GPS surveyed roads & tracks
- GPS Positions
- New inset maps for the CREB Track and Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park
- Waterproof paper
2. HEMA North Queensland Map
Features:
- Detailed coastal inset map
- Camping areas
- Points of Interest
- National Parks
- Tourist areas
3. HEMA Outback Queensland Map
Marked on the map are:
- points of interest
- camping areas
- caravan parks
- Fuel
- Key touring routes.
Accompanying the mapping is extensive visitor information for the Channel Country, Matilda Country and the Overlanders Way, with a town and locality index in addition to necessary contact details covering the majority of information for touring the region. Also includes maps of Bladensburg, Idalia, Currawinya, Diamantina and Carnarvon Gorge national parks.
4. HEMA Central Queensland Map
Key features:
- Inset town and city maps
- National parks
- Tourist information
- Camping and rest areas
- Index and distance charts
5. HEMA South East Queensland Map
Key features:
- Inset Maps (Brisbane City and Gold Coast)
- Camping & rest areas
- Caravan Parks
- Fuel Locations
- National parks
- Rail & ferry network maps
- Brisbane region suburb and location index
6. HEMA North East New South Wales Map
Key features:
- Top scenic drives
- Camping and rest areas
- Fully indexed
- Events and information
- Points of interest
- Waterproof paper
7. HEMA New South Wales Map
Key features:
- Points of interest
- 24-hour fuel
- National parks
- Camping areas
- Rest areas
- Fully indexed
8. HEMA Outback New South Wales Map
Key features:
- Detailed National Park Maps
- Tourist information
- Camping areas
- Points of interest
9. HEMA Victoria Map
Key features:
- Camping & Rest Areas
- Caravan Parks
- Fuel Locations
- 4WD tracks
- National Parks
- Fully indexed
10. HEMA Tasmania Map
Key features:
- National parks, fuel locations, campsites and caravan parks
- Detailed maps of the Zeehan and Region (including Lake St Clair and Franklin-Gordon Rivers National Park), Freycinet National Park, Southwest National Park and Hobart & Region
- Visitor Information Centres
- National Parks and Reserves with key features and facilities
11. HEMA South Australia Map
Key features:
- Inset city and national park maps
- Information Centres
- Camping & Rest Areas
- Distance grids
- Fuel locations
- Points of interest
- Fully Indexed
12. HEMA The Red Centre Map
Key features:
- GPS surveyed roads and tracks
- Fuel stops
- 4WD tracks
- Camping areas
- Historic sites
- Detailed inset maps
13. HEMA Central Australia Map
Key features:
- GPS surveyed roads and tracks
- Fuel stops
- 4WD tracks
- Camping and rest areas
- Historic sites
14. HEMA Top End & Gulf Map
Key features:
- GPS surveyed roads and tracks
- Fuel stops
- Self-drive 4WD tracks
- Camping areas
- Historic sites
- Detailed National Park inset maps
- Waterproof paper
15. HEMA The Kimberley Map
Key features:
- Waterproof paper
- Detailed 4WD tracks
- National parks
- Camping areas
- GPS surveyed roads & tracks
16. HEMA Western Australia Map
Key features:
- Camping and rest areas
- Caravan parks
- Fuel locations
- Information centres
- Desert tracks
- Full index
17. HEMA Pilbara and Coral Coast Map
Key features:
- GPS surveyed roads and tracks
- Fuel stops
- 4WD tracks
- Camping areas
- Historic sites
- Detailed inset maps
18. HEMA Mid West Western Australia Map
Key features:
- Inset Maps
- National parks
- Camping areas
- Fuel Supplies
- GPS surveyed roads and tracks
- What to see and do
19. HEMA South West Western Australia Map
Key features:
- Camping and areas
- All major road networks
- Points of interest with contact information
- Information Centres
- Fuel Locations
- South West Corner inset map
20. HEMA Australia Map
Key features:
- Hema's iconic map of Australia
- Overview of Australia's iconic touring regions
- Outback fuel distances
- National parks
- Road distances
- Aboriginal land
- Distance grid
- Index
Regional Australia Maps
HEMA Flinders Ranges Map
Key features:
- GPS surveyed roads and tracks
- Self-drive 4WD tracks
- Camping, bush camping, walking tracks
- Historic sites
- Detailed National Park inset maps
HEMA Victorian High Country Map
Key features:
- 4WD tracks
- Huts
- Camping areas
- Old townsites
- Seasonal track closures
- Road distances
- Accommodation
HEMA Top End National Parks Map
Litchfield, Katherine & Kakadu
Key features:
- National Parks facility listing
- Popular tourist routes
- Campsites & rest areas
- Tourist information
HEMA Fraser Island Map
Key features:
- Detailed 4WD tracks
- Camping areas
- GPS surveyed roads & tracks
- GPS positions and grid
HEMA Great Desert Tracks Simpson Desert Map
Key features:
- Madigan Line
- French Line
- Rig Road
- WAA Line
- Warburton Track
- Talawana Track
- Hey River Route
- All maps field checked by the Hema Map Patrol
- Printed on durable, waterproof paper
Guides
HEMA Australian Road & 4WD Atlas
Key features:
- Detailed 4WD tracks
- Fuel
- Points of interest
- National parks
- Campsites
- Caravan parks
- Rest areas
- Road distances
- Fully indexed
Camps Australia Wide 11 Spiral Bound A4
Camps Australia Wide is generally considered to be the best book for finding free and low-cost camping across Australia.
Featuring verified free camps, caravan parks, national and state parks, community campsites, showgrounds, station stays and much more.
- over 5,000 free and low-cost sites
- over 4,000 pet-friendly sites
- GPS positions of each site
- Detailed facility information
- Atlas mapping for navigation
This post contains affiliate links and we may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. This helps us to keep the majority of we do at Expedition Australia free. Thanks for your support.
Hey Steve. For me paper maps have had their day and Ive been using digital mapping for many years. I clung to the past for a while, carrying a map book for a while under the seat which never saw daylight and has long been retired in a cupboard. In comparison to digital maps I found paper maps to at least some extent likely to be outdated and not as easy to read as their modern digital replacement. Digital mapping is pinpoint accurate on the fly and the maps are constantly being updated. All digital mapping systems have downloadable maps and don't require mobile data. As far as a digital device failing, firstly that's incredibly rare in my experience, and in my case I use 3 x Android devices, my phone (for primary navigation), an old phone as my drone screen and a tablet for editing and entertainment. All 3 devices have the digital nav Apps installed, should I ever need them. Lapping Oz doesn't really require much in the way of any maps at all really other than possibly Wikicamps. There are not too many places that we call "remote" that are actually remote. Maps used to be a necessity in places like the High Country, but in that environment, the digital nav Apps truly show their worth and are lightyears ahead of paper maps for navigation, information, accuracy, and safety. I enjoy your content mate.
Cheers
Hi Steve, it's funny you should suggest that. A few years ago we were quite actively selling Hema maps and books directly and I started work on the 'Big Lap Map Pack' as a bundle product back then which would included all of the 20 maps and a map wallet to keep them in and a discount of the combined RRP. I made a couple of prototypes and costed it all out but ultimately we didn't launch it because there were always at least a few of the maps out of stock and I would have had to hoard a large quantity of stock in advance to make sure I never ran out of any single map. It all got too hard in the end and I shelved it. We don't sell the maps directly anymore but I had done most of the work so I basically picked up where I left off to make this post and at least get it out there. You never know, Hema might see my post and get inspired to run with it. It would certainly be easier for them to create and distribute it.
Afternoon Steve,
As with all the material you put forth your commentary on the Hema maps covering all of Oz is all encompassing. Have you considered approaching Hema to offer a map "Bundle" such as you compiled and maybe they could offer it at a discount? Cheers, Steve