Sunday, November 4, 2012

Offroading Lets You See Everything that Australia has to Offer



Whether you prefer the powerful, Aussie-made Tomcar, a durable and tough off-road ATV, all-terrain vehicle that can stand up to the most demanding and rugged conditions or a conventional Jeep, off roading in the Land of the Oz is an incredible way to experience the best it has to offer.

Off roaders can choose from some amazing trails like the Gibb River Road in Western Australia, that isn’t far from the Pentecost River near Kununurra to Derby. It’s a former cattle route and is still one of only two major roads in the Kimberly. From November to March you can expect wet conditions but if you make it through, you’ll be treated to some awesome sights.
 With gorges in this area, flora and fauna that include the unusual boab tree or monkey bread tree which is a sponge that can hold up to 120,000 litres of water and remains leafless for most of the year while looking like it has its roots sticking up in the air.

Nothing quite matches the freedom of the trails like off roading. The off roading industry is growing in Australia with Many off roaders get their news and  follow what the professionals are doing on websites like the www.offroadracing.com.au.  They can find out about clubs like Hunter Valley Off Road Racing Association, hvorra.com.au in Singleton New South Whales which hold annual events like  the Milbrodale Mountain Classic and the Come & Try Day and Charity Event. There’s nothing like loading up your ATV on a trailer and riding out to an event!

But even experienced off roaders sometimes get lost. And that’s where the Find A Park app comes in handy. It’s one of the most advanced apps on the market that lists hundreds of Australian caravan parks throughout Australia and displaying information about what you can expect - rates, drive thru sites for and is open to motorhomes and campervans, en-suite sites, cabins, swimming pools, camp kitchens and reviews. It puts the power of information in your hands. 

Our app hasn’t been on the market long and we would like to upgrade its functionality so that it can work with Apple and Android and we would like to add more listings. So we decided to run a crowdfunding campaign, http://www.indiegogo.com/findapark?a=1503816. We need your help to make all of this happen. Please help us fund these modest upgrades today. Help out a fellow off roader and make a pledge today.Hey for a $1 you’ll get a big thanks from the team. Help us help you.



Sunday, October 28, 2012

Practical Technology for Camping in the Outback

Many avid outdoor adventurers  leave home to go camping without nothing more than a sleeping bag, a flashlight and some basic supplies. Others pack most of their house into their RV or caravan! It's hard to argue with either of them but one thing is for certain, it's hard not to leave home with some of the most advanced tools and supplies that we have ever known.

For instance the Samsung W300 Full HD Pocket Camcorder is one of those easy to use video devices that can shoot high definition video and is ideal to capture the natural beauty of the outdoors.  Equipped with a stereo microphone, you can also add background music to your film. And it'll automatically lower the music so as not to drown out any narration for the video. It's a must for the videographer in the family.

Another great tech tool is the Braven 625s speaker which comes with an LED flashlight. Fodor's loves its practicality as it can play up to 16 hours of music, can charge iPad's and iPhones and can also as light station when the sun goes down. At $180, it's highly affordable.

Although we didn't make Fodor's list it's not because we weren't trying. Have you ever been driving on Highway 1 and you couldn't find the map that would get you to the next caravan park? Or when you did locate it, something had spilled on it and you couldn't read it?  Our Find A Park app seeks to solve all of those problems. With hundreds of caravan parks at your fingertips, you'll wonder why you didn't download it earlier.

We are currently running a crowdfunding campaign on indiegogo, http://www.indiegogo.com/findapark?a=1503816, so that we can upgrade the app for more devices and add more caravan park listings. And for the modest donation of $50 you can have a mobile phone desk stand which will help you keep your eyes and hands on the road instead of searching for that map.

Please visit our campaign to contribute, we are offering many other gifts. Visit us at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA3p0n7YxPc&feature=plcp to find out what former AFL star Peter Spida Everitt had to say about our app.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

An App Comes In Handy When You're Camping In Australia

Whether you're a native Australian enjoying your vacation with your family or a tourist who wants to see the whole country, camping in Australia is a great way to experience one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Although, you can drive off in any type of vehicle, many campers choose to experience the real Australia by caravan, RV or motor home.

And why wouldn't they, most caravan parks can offer their guests all of the amenities that they could enjoy if they were staying at hotel. Powered sites, laundry facilities, tennis courts , fishing spots etc... are available at most of the campgrounds in order to make guests feel like they're staying at their home away from home.

Those traveling along the coast between Melbourne and Adelaide will be treated to scenic views of the ocean and will stop at some of the best caravan parks in the New South Whales like the Riverglen Holiday Park or City Southside Caravan Park near Geelong or the Werribee South Caravan Park in Werribee.There are hundreds of parks that caravanners could stop at. The problem is that they aren't always easy to find.

Like any other country that has an interconnected network of roads,it is very easy to get lost. Before the Internet, we used to carry around printed maps. They were useful but not very efficient. They got damaged and worn over time. And they weren't always up to date  So we decided to introduce the Find A Park mobile app, the only caravan park directory you'll need on the road. Hundreds of caravan parks throughout Australia displaying information about what you can expect - rates, drive thru sites for motorhomes and campervans, en-suite sites, cabins, swimming pools, camp kitchens, BBQs and reviews - it's all just a click or two away.

No more surprises, just the right information, updated regularly. 






Saturday, October 20, 2012

Our Indigogo Crowdfunding Campaign is Live!

The official Find A Park Australia App Crowdfunding Campaign is now live!  Our goal is to raise $10,000 so that we can produce a version for Android phones and tablets. And we would like to increase the listing and details of caravan parks and campgrounds.
Technology and data research is expensive, but with a small donation from many, we can achieve great things. 

Check us out at http://www.indiegogo.com/findapark?a=1503816


We can’t give you much, but we can try. A big thanks (sometimes love is all you need) will come with a $1 donation. A Find a Park wristband so that you can wear us around can be all yours with a $30 donation. A $50 donation gives you a mobile phone desk stand, so you can keep both hands on the wheel. And a $100 donation puts you in a video on our website.
If you can’t contribute, it’s no biggie. Spread the word and help us connect people to parks.


And you can visit us on the iTunes store to see what we're all about: https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/find-park-holid...

Help a traveler or RVer find the right caravan park or campground today!



Friday, October 19, 2012

Tips Before You Take Off Caravanning



Whether you’re planning a caravanning holiday in Broome, Western Australia, which was named as Reader’s Digest Australia named as the most popular caravanning destination or beautiful Esperance, WA which came in second place, there are some rules that you’ll want to follow so that you have a fun and safe trip. 

If you’re out caravanning for your first time, you’ll have many questions regarding what you should take with you and what you should leave behind.

You’ll definitely want to bring along a BBQ when you’re at the caravan parks and bringing baking paper to put on the BBQ plate will save you the time and trouble of cleaning a plate. It’s also important to bring along a fire extinguisher on board your caravan.

When loading up your caravan you should always place the heaviest items on the bottom of the van, as close as possible to the middle of the van and above the wheels in order to ensure stability.  If you place all of the heavy objects in the rear section of a truck camper you can have steering problems. By placing all heavy objects in lower compartments and towards the middle, you’ll have a good center of gravity. Light items should be stored at the top, across the length of the caravan whilst medium weighted items should be distributed in the middle and both ends evenly.
It also a good idea to make sure that you bring only the necessary items that you’ll need for your trip. You might have to act like your Father did when he used to pack up your family for caravanning when you were a boy and he wouldn’t let you bring your basketball stand but you’ll have to do it. Your towing vehicle can only handle so much equipment such as water, food, camping gear etc…and that will generally add another 300kg to the weight to the caravan. And remember that not all tow bars can handle the same amount of weight, so you will need to purchase a towbar that can handle your caravan plus the additional weight when it’s packed.

Getting lost on the way could be a fun experience when you are with your friends, but getting lost while you're with household members can be a different issue. Young children can get irritable and you don’t want to fight with your spouse on your vacation. Pack a map, a GPS or better yet, FindaPark, our mobile phone app is the only caravan park directory you'll need on the road. Hundreds of caravan parks throughout Australia displaying information about what you can expect - rates, drive thru sites for motorhomes and campervans, en-suite sites, cabins, swimming pools, camp kitchens, BBQs and reviews - it's all just a click or two away. 

Remember, planning ahead will save you time when you’re on the road!

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Find A Park Mobile App Is Using Blogger to Crowdfund!


As the owner and developer of the Find a Park iPhone app, it’s my mission to make sure that travellers know where they can find the right caravan park or campground.

Find a Park is a great tool for travellers, providing up-to date, real-time information about places to go and where to stay in Australia. It takes the place of bulky caravan park print directories that aren’t so great for the environment. It even displays caravan park and campgrounds information on iPhones and iPads - even when you’re out of range.

When we developed the Find a Park app, we focused on creating the best caravan park and campground app at that time…for an iPhone. We would like to produce a version for Android phones and tablets. And we would like to increase the listing and details of caravan parks and campgrounds. Technology and data research is expensive, but with a small donation from many, we can achieve great things. And that’s where you come in. We'll need $10,000 from all of you to help us bring us up to date.


If you can’t contribute, it’s no biggie. Spread the word and help us connect people to parks.

And you can visit us on the iTunes store to see what we're all about: https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/find-park-holid...