Find your next
Australian trail.

A short walk can still be a steep one. Compare the route distance, estimated time, grade and elevation profile together, then explore the track in 3D before choosing your day out.

Start with a city or regional guide, or browse by waterfall, coast, rainforest and more. Each trail page brings the mapped route and practical details into one place.

• Browse maps and trail details without an account.
• See where the climbs sit along the route.
• Follow a regional guide into individual walks.

Distances and elevation are calculated from mapped data. Times are estimates; check current park conditions before leaving.

Save satellite and terrain tiles while you have a connection. The offline-area tool offers 10, 25 and 50 km radii around your location, with a wider area trading some detail for coverage.

Open the individual trail page while online too, so its route data is loaded. Check the downloaded map and trail on your device before relying on them away from reception.

• Free offline-area downloads from the trail browser.
• Download progress makes incomplete saves visible.
• Use the same device and browser when you return to the map.

Downloads depend on available storage. Clearing browser data can remove saved maps. Buddy messages and current weather still need a connection.

The live location marker helps you compare your position with the trail geometry. With the map and route loaded in advance, the map view can remain useful beyond mobile reception.

A free account adds hike sessions and GPS track recording. Start and finish a session from the trail page; the recorded track can then support a review of your walk.

• Allow location access on the device you are carrying.
• Open the trail map before leaving reception.
• Keep the app active when using live hike tracking.

Location accuracy and background tracking vary by device, permissions and conditions. A location dot is an aid to navigation.

With location enabled, Aus Trails compares the available GPS fix with the mapped route and shows an off-route warning when it detects a deviation. This is included in the free app.

During an active hike session, an off-route change can also update your connected buddies. Their updates depend on your phone being able to send data.

• Free warnings on the trail map.
• Check the route and your surroundings when a warning appears.
• Connected buddies can receive changes during a hike session.

Warnings depend on GPS accuracy and mapped route quality. They do not contact emergency services or guarantee detection of every wrong turn.

Give the walk another layer: look through the plants and animals associated with a trail or park, then follow through to the individual species guides.

The guides bring names, habitat information and available conservation details together. They describe species associated with an area, rather than promising a sighting on a particular day.

• Browse the species library without an account.
• Follow species pages back to relevant trails.
• Read recent community comments and photos on trail pages.

These are reference guides, not an automated photo-identification tool. Wildlife sightings vary with season, habitat and time of day.

Link your account with the people you want to keep informed. Start a hike with an expected return time and connected buddies can see your session updates.

The same connections work for future walks. Updates include starting, finishing and changes in off-route status when your device can reach the service.

• A free account is required for both connected people.
• Set your expected return time when starting a hike.
• Finish the session when your walk is complete.

Buddy updates need connectivity and the appropriate notification permissions. Agree on a separate check-in plan before a remote walk.

GPS track recording is part of the current hike-session flow. Position samples are collected while you walk and saved when you finish a session.

Using recorded tracks to improve shared route accuracy is a separate, planned feature. Recording a walk today does not automatically edit the published map.

• Start a session from a trail page while signed in.
• Keep location permission enabled during the walk.
• Finish online so your recorded track can be saved.

The idea is to pass a small distress message to a nearby device that later regains a connection. Research is still needed into feasibility, reliability and platform restrictions.

This is not a working feature, rescue service or substitute for emergency communications. The available buddy system currently uses a normal data connection.

• Research stage only.
• No launch date or availability promise.
• Current buddy updates require connectivity.

People can already add comments and photos to trail pages. Look at dates and context when reading community reports, and consult park notices for official conditions.

Longer trip stories and photo albums are planned. For now, the trail-guide library and existing comments offer ways to learn about a route before visiting.

• Read available comments before a walk.
• Share your own observations with a free account.
• Keep reports specific to the trail and the day you visited.