The document provides guidance on various navigation techniques for bushwalking such as using grid references, calculating distances and travel times, planning routes, and creating route cards to help navigate unfamiliar terrain safely and efficiently. It discusses tools like compasses, maps, and strategies for staying oriented while navigating including using landmarks, catching features, aiming off, and thumbing the map. Planning routes involves considering the capabilities of the group as well as terrain, weather, water sources, and environmental impact.

1. Navigation Review
How much do you remember?

2. Grid References
● Each vertical and
horizontal line is
numbered. They are
read column, then
row.
● Crawl before you can
walk.
4 figure grid references are 1km
● Eastings then x 1km.
Northings. What is found in grid square
7415?

3. Grid References
6 figure grid references:
● are calculated by dividing
grid square into 100 smaller
squares (10 x 10).
● cover 100m x 100m
● most useful GR for
bushwalking

4. North
True, magnetic, Grid
● True North - the direction of the North Pole
(where longitude meet)
● Magnetic North - direction compass points to
when free from interference
● Grid North - used to orientate each Grid Zone
(result of representing a round object on a flat
surface)

5. Magnetic Declination
● Angle between True north
and Magnetic north
● 360 degrees in a circle.
● N, E, S, W are 0°, 90°, 180°,
270°,360°
● What is the Magnetic
Declination of the Lorne
map?

6. Scale Bar
● Maps are scaled down versions of the land. The
scale bar tells us the ratio of map coverage to
ground coverage.
● On a 1:50,000, 1km = 2 cm of map, or 1cm of map
= 500 metres.
● Grid Interval
● Contour Interval
● Australian Map Grid Zone
● What is the scale of the Lorne map?

8. Orienting a map using land features
Observations
● Shape of the land - don’t be too quick to make
the map fit.
● Gradient - how steep is the slope?
● Aspect - what direction does the slope face?
● Distance travelled - how far have you come, how
far do you have to go?
● Gullies, knolls, saddles

9. Orienting a map using land features
● Other information helpful in confirming position -
huts, tracks, ruins, old mines - do not jump to
conclusion too quickly as human made objects
are not always marked accurately.
● Vegetation coverage
● Shadow - related to direction finding using the
sun
● Time of year, plants flowering, temperature in
gullies in/out of sun, winter/summer.

10. Before you start, ask yourself...
● Position - Where am I?
● Direction - What direction do I need to go?
● Distance - How far do I need to go?
● Time - How long will it take?
● Strategies - What strategies will I use?
● Arrive - How will I know when I get there?
● Overshoot - How will I know if I have gone too far?
● PDDTSAO (Please Don’t Die Today Stressing About
Orienteering).

11. Strategies
● Aiming off.
● Catching features.
● Handrails.
● Attack points.
● Thumbing the map.

12. Aiming Off
● Deliberately aiming to one side of your
destination in order to know which way to turn
when reaching the creek/track
● Used when travelling to a linear feature.

13. Handrails
● Features that help you to follow roughly the
direction of travel that you need to take.
Examples of handrails -
– waterways.
– fences, tracks, power lines.
– cliff edge, ridge.
– vegetation boundaries

14. Catching Features
● A prominent feature beyond your destination that
signals to you that you have missed your
destination.
● Oops, it is back there!!

15. Attack Points
● A point close to your destination which is easier
to locate than your destination.
For example -
– Knoll, saddle, cliff
– Dam, paddock
– Vegetation boundaries

16. Thumbing the map
● Thumbing the map helps you to stay focussed
on your position when in difficult terrain.

17. Map and Compass
Orientating your map.
● Place compass on map. Both must be flat!!
● Align grid lines up on map with grid lines of the
reference arrow within the capsule of the
compass.
● Turn (rotate) the map until the magnetic needle
is inside the reference arrow (Red in the Shed).
● When this has been completed, your map is
orientated north.

18. Bearings
Back Bearings and triangulations.
● A back bearing is from a known point back to you (ie
180°).
● Triangulations - the method used to fix your location
using 3 known points. And using 3 back bearings.

19. Route Planning
● More than just plotting the shortest route from A
to B
● Ensures trip meets expectations of the group
● Provides appropriate challenge
● Allows opportunity for enjoyment

20. Route Planning
There are many factors involved in planning for a
bushwalk:
– Time of year, weather, water etc.
– Maps - availability/accuracy
– Location of campsites, escape routes, rivers
– Capabilities of the group

21. What do I need to know?
● Is the route likely to be affected by weather?
– River crossings, treeless plains etc.
● Is the altitude gained or lost within the
capabilities of the group?
● Obstacles to slow the group
● Type of terrain
● Vegetation – how dense?
● What is the environmental impact of the group?

22. What do I need to know?
● Is the route safe?
– Mineshafts, snow drifts, fire
● Required equipment
● Water availability
– How much needs to be carried?
● Are the campsites at appropriate spots?
● Is there enough time without rushing?

23. Making it easier to plan
● Easier to go up a spur and down a gully
● Vegetation is often less dense on top of spurs
and ridges
● North facing slopes are drier, less scrubby
● South facing slopes are wetter, scrubbier
● Granite country, gullies are easier, spurs have
boulders
● Big climbs should be at the start of trip or day

24. Measuring distance on a map
● String – compass strap
● Edge of paper
● Blade of grass

25. How long 'til we get there?
● Many variables are involved in predicting walk
times
● Naismith's rule works well in Australia
● For an average walker with a medium pack,
allow one hour for:
– Every 4km of easy going
– Every 3km of easy scrambling
– Every 1.5km of very rough country/thick bush

26. How long 'til we get there?
● Then add:
– One hour for every 500m of up
– One hour for every 1000m of down
● Remember:
● This rule is for an 'average' group.
– For fit and experienced walkers, reduce by a third
– For larger less experienced walkers, this rule may be
optimistic

27. Route Cards
● A simple method of recording the information
gained about the stages of a trip
● Break the trip into easy achievable goals
● If you have prepared a route card well, you will
feel like you have already walked the route
before.

28. Route Cards
● Break the trip into short easy stages.
● Avoid change of navigated route within a stage
● Include:
– Distance
– Estimate of time required
– Ascent and descent information

29. Take a broad overview

30. Route Cards
Certificate IV in Outdoor Recreation
Trip Location________________________________________ Date______________ Name____________________________________
Track Notes Bearings Track Track Time Ascend Ascend Descend Descend Total Total Actual
Objectives
(Grid Reference) Location Descriptions Grid
Distance 12,20,40 or ? Distance Time Distance Time Distance Time Time
Mag. Minutes per km
Start point:

31. How to create a route card
● For more info, check out pp 16 in Bushwalking
and Ski Touring Leadership (2000).