A high-tech, high-powered mapping vehicle will be putting Branxholm, Derby, Herrick, Pioneer and Boobyalla on the map this week…quite literally.

These little-known Tassie towns will be some of the many new inclusions that Whereis® – Australia’s local mapping expert – will soon be adding to its extensive navigation map database of Australian cities, towns, landmarks and roads.

“The Whereis® four-wheel-drive has a large round Trimble GPS receiver on the roof. It’s been causing a bit of a stir as it passes through towns in Tasmania as people try to work out what’s going on,” Fred Curtis, Commercial Manager of Whereis® said.

“People get quite excited when they find out we’re mapping most of Tasmania’s roads and landmarks so that locals, as well as visitors, have access to the most up-to-date information on Tasmania in their GPS device,” he said.

“After all, Tasmania is one of the most beautiful places in the world, but you wouldn’t know how to get to a lot of areas unless you had local knowledge. With a Whereis® map on board, it’s like taking someone who knows the lay-of-the-land with you.”

The Whereis® car, which logged more than 250,000 kilometres of mainland Australian roads last year, will map more than 50,000 of kilometres of Tasmania. The Whereis® team will convert the data into digital maps to be used in GPS units, the online mapping site whereis.com and for the Whereis® Navigator application which is accessible on selected Telstra mobile phones.

Andrew Wood, part of the Whereis® mapping team has been assigned to this important mission. He has mapped thousands of kilometres of road for Whereis® and has teamed

up with a skilled driver to map Tasmania. “This is the best job in the world, who else gets paid to drive around one of Australia’s most beautiful states? We’re going to be covering about eighty percent of Tassie, and half of that are dirt roads,” he said.

“Some of it is state forest – smaller roads. As you drive along, it’s so close that trees are rubbing on both sides of the car,” he said.

“Some of the rural information we currently have is digitised from older printed maps. These maps were created by surveyors sitting in offices, and many of today’s roads either didn’t exist back then, or changes have been made over the years,” Andrew explained.

The two-man Whereis® team has spent the last couple of weeks mapping beaches in the north east wilderness area, tracking camping areas and access points onto the beach for boat ramps. “We even need to detail whether the boat ramp is unsealed because it allows people to take the GPS out of the car and onto the boat to get back safely,” he said.

Andrew counts seeing a Tasmanian Devil running along the side of the road as one of the highlights so far. He was also amazed by the 360 degree views seen from Mount Horror.

The Whereis® car began in Launceston and travelled to the north east corner visiting Binalong Bay before heading south to St Mary’s. It will return inland, back past Launceston and up towards the north west, where it will follow the northern seaboard from Devonport to Stanley. The car will track down the west coast all the way to Queenstown, and will then head back to Hobart for its final leg.

About Sensis

Sensis is Telstra's advertising business and Australia's leading directories information resource, helping Australians find, buy and sell. Sensis delivers innovative and integrated local search and digital marketing solutions via print, online, voice and mobile channels to connect Australians 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Sensis' powerful, multi-channel portfolio provides an unparalleled local information source incorporating the White Pages® and Yellow Pages® directories; the MediaSmart digital advertising business; the Whereis® digital mapping business; the Citysearch® entertainment and lifestyle website; the sensis.com.au search engine; the 1234 operator-assisted, premium voice information service; and the accommodation website gostay.com.au. Sensis is also a partner in some of China's most popular websites including real estate and home furnishings website, SouFun.com; auto websites Autohome.com and Che168.com; and digital devices websites IT168.com and PCPop.com.cn.