I’ve always liked the capabilities of the OziExplorer software and the price point is pretty good…but the OziExplorer3D software is brilliant for trip planning.

I’ve thrown two screen shots of the Upper Yarra Valley around Warburton showing a section of the standard topo map and a 3D version of the same area.

If you are picking up a copy of OziExplorer i highly recommend that you grab OziExplorer3D as well :)

Silva Expedition 4 Compass, a great baseplate compass for experienced navigators from Silva with almost everything you would need from a compass. Magnifier, millimetre and inch scales. Romer scales: 1:63.360 1:50.000 1:25.000. A compass with extra functionality for GPS users.

Features:

• Easy map/compass works with the Silva 1-2-3 System
• Ergonomically shaped baseplate of scratch resistant acrylic
• Three silicone feet prevent the compass from sliding off the map
• Stencil holes in the base plate for exact position markings on the map
• Luminous points for night navigation
• Romer scales for plotting positions on maps
• Patented red/black north/south lines in the capsule for quick and correct course setting
• Accuracy max 1.0° from true course
• Swedish quality steel compass needle
• North indicator on the red end of the compass needle
• Sapphire jewel bearing
• Magnifying lens

It’s been a while since i’ve used a baseplate compass for navigation…but i’m sure it will all come back to me :)

The first two come from TrackMyJourney, which provides a bundle of GPS related data on your phone as well as linking your location (and recent track) into an image that auto-update’s as well as a standalone still image. While this service doesn’t utilise any of the major online mapping services (Windows Live, Google Maps. etc) on your phone, it does provide a utility allowing you to import any maps you do own after converting them to the TMG format.

Unfortunately, for some reason TrackMyJourney occasionally seems to think that i am located at 0°0’0″N and 0°0’0″E

The next service, from GMap-Track, provides a very simple output showing your last reported location on a map (Windows Live, Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, etc) in your mobile, as well as the ability to embed a Google Map into a web page.

While both applications are good and easy to use, and GMap-Track is great from a web page embedding perspective, TrackMyJourney does provide a lot more info and options, but…it would be nice to see it include the option to utilise map images from Windows Live, Google Maps and others if you required them.

It turns out that they had the following map: Aus148 Plans in Bass Strait – Hogan Group (Nautical Chart). Having never bought a nautical chart before i was surprised to find that they cost substantially more than land based maps at just under $30 instead of around $10.

No doubt it probably costs more to map nautical area’s, and they probably don’t sell a lot of these maps so i can’t say that i was that surprised at the price.

Anyway…i scanned in part of the map and put together a mashup using the MapCruncher Beta for
Microsoft Virtual Earth.

You can click here to access it.

It’s a shame that they are moving from a great location that they seem to have occupied for ever, but I’ve bought many a map from these guys over the last 20 or so years and will continue to visit them at their new location.

It’s on a little piece of rock which measures 85m east-west and 160m north-south, is located about 40km from the south-east tip of Wilsons Promontory and is called Boundary Islet.

Image from wikipedia

Latitude and Longitude details:

Latitude: -39 degrees 11 minutes 54.7362 seconds
Longitude: 147 degrees 1 minute 16.8954 seconds

-39.198537926698286, 147.02136039733887

From the GeoScience Australia website:

Of all the land-based borders in Australia, this is by far the shortest. Officially, the border between Victoria and Tasmania is a parallel of latitude 39°12′. Off the coast of Wilson’s Promontory in Victoria, there is a group if islands and islets known as The Hogan Group. Within this group is one islet, about six hectares in size, that straddles this boundary. Once called North East Islet, the name was changed to avoid confusion with another islet of the same name in the Kent Group, a short distance to the south east. In honour of the islet’s position, lying across the border between Victoria and Tasmania, it was renamed Boundary Islet.

From the Wikipedia entry:

Boundary Islet is an islet about 60,000 square metres in size in the Hogan Group of islands and islets at latitude 39°12′ S, south of the Wilson’s Promontory, the southernmost part of
both mainland Australia and mainland Victoria. The boundary between Victoria and Tasmania is a parallel similarly at latitude 39°12′; on it is thus Tasmania’s only land boundary, and at 85 metres long it is the shortest land border between any Australian states. The position of the island was surveyed in 1801 by Captain James Black, who erred in placing the islet further north than it is. It was later found that the border at 39°12′ S actually passed through the islet.

Boundary Islet was once known as North East Islet.

This article in The Age from 2005 talks about Boundary Islet.

Hmmm…i wonder how hard it would be to get a boat to take you out to Boundary Islet? It would certainly make for a great little expedition :)