Best Maps for Remote Outback Travel

by Christopher O'Keeffe June 03, 2026

When the bitumen ends, good maps become more than useful — they become part of your safety kit.

Remote outback travel is one of the great Australian experiences.

The long red roads.

The dry creek crossings.

The silence between towns.

The old railway ruins, desert tracks, station country, salt lakes, gorges, ranges, roadhouses, and horizon lines that seem to go on forever.

But the outback is not a place to treat casually.

Distances are immense.

Mobile coverage is unreliable.

Weather can close tracks.

Fuel stops may be hundreds of kilometres apart.

Road conditions can change quickly.

And in many areas, the wrong turn can become a serious problem.

That is why good mapping still matters.

GPS is useful. Apps are convenient. Satellite devices have their place. But experienced outback travellers know that a serious trip should be planned with proper paper maps, atlases, touring guides, and route-specific outback maps.

At Mapworld, two brands stand out again and again for remote Australian travel:

Hema Maps and Westprint Maps.

Hema provides some of Australia’s most trusted touring, 4WD, regional and outback map products. Westprint specialises in highly detailed outback route maps rich with practical travel information, historic notes, and remote-area context.

Together, they form one of the strongest map combinations for anyone heading beyond the easy roads.

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Why Remote Outback Travel Needs Proper Maps

Outback travel is different from ordinary road travel.

In the city, navigation is often about finding the fastest route.

In the outback, navigation is about understanding the country.

You need to know:

• Where the next fuel stop is

• Which roads are sealed or unsealed

• Where camping areas may be found

• Which tracks are suitable for your vehicle

• Which roads may require permits

• Where towns, roadhouses and stations are located

• How far it really is between services

• What alternatives exist if a road is closed

• How the route relates to desert, ranges, rivers and remote communities

A good outback map gives you that wider picture.

It helps you plan before departure and make better decisions on the road.

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Hema Maps: The Outback Touring Standard

Hema is one of Australia’s most recognised names in touring and 4WD mapping.

Our Hema range includes atlases, touring maps, 4WD guides, and laminated wall maps, with over 100 Hema titles available for serious 4WD adventurers, caravanners, touring families, and outback explorers.

Hema maps are especially useful because they are designed around how Australians actually travel.

They focus on:

• Major and minor roads

• 4WD tracks

• Touring routes

• National parks

• Camping areas

• Fuel locations

• Remote communities

• Attractions and points of interest

• Road distances

• Regional context

For many travellers, Hema is the best starting point for planning a remote trip.

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Westprint Maps: Route-Rich Outback Detail

Westprint maps have a different but complementary strength.

They are loved by outback travellers because they often focus on specific remote routes and regions, combining navigation with history, travel notes and practical information.

Our Westprint range includes route-focused maps such as:

• Oodnadatta Track

• Plenty Highway

• Tanami Road

• Corner Country

• Outback Victoria

These are not general road maps. They are designed for outback travel, where clarity, route notes and local context matter.

Westprint maps are particularly valuable when your trip follows a named outback route.

They help turn a line on a map into a journey with meaning.

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Hema vs Westprint: Which Should You Choose?

The best answer is often:

Both.

Hema is excellent for broader trip planning and regional coverage.

Westprint is excellent for route-specific detail and historical context.

Choose Hema If:

You need:

• An Australia-wide atlas

• Regional 4WD coverage

• Touring maps

• State and outback maps

• Route planning across large distances

• A trusted general outback navigation foundation

Choose Westprint If:

You need:

• A specific outback route map

• Historic route notes

• Detailed remote-track context

• A field-ready map for a famous outback journey

• More narrative and regional background

For example, if you are planning an outback loop through South Australia and the Northern Territory, a Hema atlas gives the broad framework, while a Westprint Oodnadatta Track or Plenty Highway map gives richer route detail.

That combination is hard to beat.

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The Best Hema Maps for Remote Outback Travel

Hema Australia Road & 4WD Atlas

For many travellers, the Hema Australia Road & 4WD Atlas is the first map product to buy.

It provides national coverage in a format that suits long-distance touring.

A good road atlas allows you to see how regions connect, where roads run, where remote routes begin, and how one leg of the journey leads to the next.

It is ideal for:

• Big Lap planning

• Caravan travel

• 4WD touring

• Long-distance road trips

• Regional route comparison

• Backup navigation

For serious outback travel, an atlas is often better than relying only on folded maps because it gives continuous coverage across state borders.

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Hema Great Desert Tracks

The Great Desert Tracks series is one of Hema’s most important map ranges for remote-area travellers.

These maps are designed for Australia’s desert country, including some of the most challenging and iconic outback routes.

They are especially useful for travellers planning desert crossings and remote 4WD routes.

Depending on the sheet, Great Desert Tracks mapping may assist with regions such as:

• Simpson Desert

• Great Victoria Desert

• Great Sandy Desert

• Gibson Desert

• Canning Stock Route regions

• Gunbarrel Highway regions

• Anne Beadell Highway regions

• remote Western Australian and Central Australian tracks

For desert travel, this is a key Hema range.

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Hema Red Centre Map

The Red Centre Map – Hema Maps is a strong choice for anyone exploring Central Australia.

It as a detailed and durable travel map covering Central Australia’s most iconic outback region, suitable for explorers, campers and 4WD adventurers.

This map is ideal for trips involving:

• Alice Springs

• Uluru

• Kata Tjuta

• Kings Canyon

• West MacDonnell Ranges

• East MacDonnell Ranges

• Mereenie Loop

• Central Australian touring routes

The Red Centre is one of Australia’s great travel regions, but distances are significant and conditions can vary. A dedicated map gives the area the attention it deserves.

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Hema Outback Queensland Map

Queensland’s interior is vast, historic and deeply rewarding for travellers.

The Outback Queensland Hema Map — 5th Edition is a newly updated edition released in May 2023, covering outback highways, unsealed roads, national parks, heritage towns and remote communities. 

This map is ideal for:

• Channel Country

• Longreach and Winton regions

• Birdsville approaches

• Gulf routes

• western Queensland towns

• dinosaur country

• remote station country

• outback touring loops

For travellers heading inland from the coast, this is a very useful Hema map.

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Hema Outback New South Wales Map

Western NSW is one of Australia’s most underrated outback regions.

The Outback New South Wales Hema Map is an essential touring map for discovering the raw, remote and richly historic landscapes of western New South Wales. 

This is ideal for travellers exploring:

• Broken Hill

• Menindee Lakes

• Darling River country

• Corner Country approaches

• White Cliffs

• Mutawintji

• Kinchega

• western NSW touring routes

For caravanners and 4WD travellers heading beyond the Great Dividing Range, this map provides valuable regional perspective.

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Hema Kimberley, Pilbara and Gascoyne Maps

Western Australia’s north and interior are major outback travel regions.

Our Western Australia collection contains Hema's dedicated regional 4WD maps for the Kimberley, Pilbara & Coral Coast, and Gascoyne.

These maps are especially useful for:

• Gibb River Road

• Kimberley gorges

• Pilbara tracks

• Karijini

• Ningaloo approaches

• Coral Coast touring

• remote station and coastal roads

• regional 4WD exploration

Western Australia is too large to rely on one small map. Regional Hema maps help break it into more manageable travel areas.

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The Best Westprint Maps for Remote Outback Routes

Westprint Oodnadatta Track Map

The Oodnadatta Track Map – Westprint is one of the classic outback route maps.

The Oodnadatta Track is one of Australia’s most iconic outback journeys, tracing ancient Aboriginal trade routes and the Old Ghan Railway through gibber plains, mound springs, salt lakes and historic ruins. The Westprint Oodnadatta Track Map is a comprehensive navigation resource with detailed cartographic data, travel insights and historical context. 

This map is ideal for:

• Marree to Oodnadatta

• William Creek

• Lake Eyre / Kati Thanda region

• Old Ghan railway history

• mound springs

• South Australian outback travel

For travellers who love history as much as navigation, Westprint’s Oodnadatta Track map is a superb companion.

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Westprint Plenty Highway Map

The Plenty Highway Map – Westprint is another important remote-travel map.

This map is tailor-made for 4WD explorers, campers and caravanners. It covers the Plenty Highway in the Northern Territory, the full Sandover Highway, and the Diamantina Developmental Road between Birdsville and Dajarra in outback Queensland. 

This makes it ideal for travellers linking:

• Alice Springs

• Boulia

• Birdsville

• Dajarra

• Sandover Highway regions

• remote NT and Queensland tracks

The Plenty Highway is a serious outback route. A specialist Westprint map gives the road and its surrounding country the detail it deserves.

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Westprint Tanami Road Map

The Tanami Road Map – Westprint is built around one of Australia’s most important remote shortcuts between the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

The Tanami Road passes through desert plains, Aboriginal lands and mining towns, and offers a test of endurance for serious outback tourers and overlanders.

This map is ideal for:

• Alice Springs to Halls Creek travel

• remote desert touring

• WA/NT connections

• overlanding routes

• travellers linking the Red Centre and Kimberley

The Tanami is not a casual shortcut. It demands preparation, and a good map should be part of that preparation.

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Westprint Corner Country Map

The Corner Country Map – Westprint is designed for one of Australia’s most fascinating border regions.

This is the country where New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia come together.

The Westprint Corner Country map is built specifically for 4WD, touring and remote travel, where accurate information and clarity are critical. 

This map is ideal for:

• Cameron Corner

• Tibooburra

• Innamincka approaches

• Strzelecki Track connections

• Sturt National Park

• remote border-country touring

Corner Country is one of those places where the map is half the pleasure. It reveals how routes, states, desert country and history meet.

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Westprint Outback Victoria Map

The Outback Victoria Map – Westprint is a valuable choice for travellers exploring the lesser-known outback landscapes of north-west Victoria.

It is a detailed and durable map designed for remote travel, 4WD touring and outback discovery, covering wide-open spaces including the Northern Grampians and Mallee Highway region.

This map suits travel through:

• Mallee country

• Little Desert

• Big Desert

• Murray-Sunset regions

• north-west Victorian tracks

• heritage and camping routes

Victoria is often thought of as compact and settled, but its north-west has a distinctly outback character. This map helps travellers see that country properly.

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The Ideal Outback Map Kit

For serious remote travel, one map is rarely enough.

A strong outback map kit might include:

1. National Planning Map or Atlas

Best choice:

Hema Australia Road & 4WD Atlas

Use it to understand the whole trip and connect the major route sections.

2. Regional Hema Map

Examples:

• Red Centre

• Outback Queensland

• Outback NSW

• Kimberley

• Pilbara & Coral Coast

• Great Desert Tracks

Use it for broader regional navigation and planning.

3. Westprint Route Map

Examples:

• Oodnadatta Track

• Plenty Highway

• Tanami Road

• Corner Country

Use it for route-specific detail, notes and history.

4. GPS or Navigation Device

Useful for position and live navigation.

But it should support your map work, not replace it.

5. Compass and Basic Navigation Tools

Even when driving, knowing how to read maps properly matters.

The best travellers are not dependent on one system.

They build redundancy.

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Paper Maps vs GPS in the Outback

GPS is excellent.

But it has limitations.

Screens are small.

Devices need power.

Apps may depend on downloaded data.

Tracks can be mislabelled.

Electronic systems can fail.

Paper maps offer:

• Large-area visibility

• Better route comparison

• No batteries required

• No mobile coverage required

• Easier group planning

• A permanent backup

• A better sense of distance and context

The smartest approach is not paper or GPS.

It is paper and GPS.

Use GPS to know where you are.

Use maps to understand where you are going.

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Why Mapworld is Australia's go-to source for Outback Maps

We stock a broad range of Australian travel and outback mapping products, including Hema, Westprint, UBD, Cartodraft, NRMA, and Geoscience Australia. 

For remote travel, that breadth matters.

Different publishers do different things well.

Hema excels in national, regional and 4WD touring coverage.

Westprint excels in outback route mapping and historical travel context.

Geoscience Australia and topographic series can add broader reference and terrain detail.

Together, they allow travellers to build a map set that suits the journey rather than relying on a single product.

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Final Thoughts

Remote outback travel rewards preparation.

The best journeys are not improvised entirely on the road.

They begin at the kitchen table, with maps spread out, a pencil in hand, and the route slowly taking shape.

A Hema map shows the big picture.

A Westprint map brings the route to life.

Together, they help travellers understand not only where the road goes, but what sort of country it passes through.

That is the real value of good mapping.

It does not just guide you.

It deepens the journey.

Because outback travel is never simply about reaching the destination.

It is about understanding the country between here and there.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best map for remote outback travel?

For most travellers, the best starting point is a Hema Australia Road & 4WD Atlas combined with regional Hema maps and route-specific Westprint maps.

Are Hema maps good for outback travel?

Yes. Hema maps are among Australia’s most trusted outback and 4WD travel maps, covering touring routes, tracks, national parks, campsites, fuel locations and remote regions.

Are Westprint maps good for outback routes?

Yes. Westprint maps are excellent for specific outback routes such as the Oodnadatta Track, Plenty Highway, Tanami Road and Corner Country. They combine mapping with useful travel notes and historical context.

Should I use paper maps or GPS in the outback?

Use both. GPS is excellent for position and navigation, while paper maps provide the broader context, backup security and route-planning clarity needed for remote travel.

What maps should I carry for the Oodnadatta Track?

A Westprint Oodnadatta Track map is one of the best route-specific choices. It can be paired with a Hema atlas or regional Hema map for broader context.

What maps should I carry for the Tanami Road?

A Westprint Tanami Road map is highly useful, especially when paired with Hema Red Centre or Kimberley mapping depending on your route direction.

What maps are best for Cape York, the Kimberley or desert travel?

Hema’s regional 4WD maps are especially useful for Cape York, the Kimberley, the Pilbara, Gascoyne and Great Desert Tracks regions. Westprint maps are ideal for named outback routes within or connecting those regions.

Does Mapworld stock Hema and Westprint maps?

Yes. Mapworld stocks Hema maps, Westprint maps, atlases, touring maps, 4WD maps, wall maps, GPS units and remote-area navigation resources for Australian travellers.

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