How to Navigate — Map & Compass Skills for Australia

By Caro Ryan · 3rd Edition (2026)

The essential guide to real-world navigation in the Australian bush.

How to Navigate by Caro Ryan is the modern Australian classic for anyone who wants to confidently find their way using map, compass and environmental awareness — not just screens. Written by an experienced bushwalker and search-and-rescue operator, this beautifully produced book strips away old jargon and replaces it with clear, practical, field-tested navigation skills you can actually use.

Whether you’re just starting out or refining decades of experience, this book gives you the tools to navigate safely and confidently in Australia’s unique landscapes.

🧭 Navigation the Way It’s Really Done

This is not a dry textbook. It’s a hands-on, visual and story-driven guide to how people actually move through the bush:

• How to read maps properly

• How to use a compass in real terrain

• How to plan routes

• How to navigate when tracks disappear

• What to do when things go wrong

Caro Ryan blends technical skills with deep environmental awareness — teaching you how to read the land itself, not just the lines on a map.

🏕️ Written for Australian Conditions

This book is specifically tailored to Australian terrain, vegetation, track systems and mapping standards — something international navigation books rarely get right.

The 3rd Edition (2026) is fully updated for GDA2020, Australia’s modern mapping datum, ensuring all grid references, coordinates and techniques are current and correct.

🧑🚒 Trusted by Professionals

How to Navigate is used by:

• NSW State Emergency Service

• NSW Police Rescue Squad

• Volunteer Rescue Association

It’s also endorsed by Australian explorer Dick Smith, who says:

“I’ve spent my life on expeditions where I’ve had to rely on a map and compass. Caro’s book brings a fresh approach, breaking down old-fashioned jargon and making learning how to navigate with a map and compass easy.”

📖 What’s Inside

Across 102 pages of clear photography, diagrams and explanations, you’ll learn:

• Maps — how to interpret and use them

• Compasses — how to take and follow bearings

• Route planning — before you even step off

• How to navigate — in real bush conditions

• What to do if you get lost — calmly and effectively

It’s practical, honest and deeply grounded in real outdoor experience.

📐 Book Details

🌿 Why This Book Belongs in Your Pack

✔ Learn real navigation skills
✔ Designed specifically for Australian conditions
✔ Used by rescue professionals
✔ Clear, visual and easy to follow
✔ Perfect for hikers, scouts, leaders, schools and adventurers

🧭 The Skill That Never Runs Out of Battery

GPS can fail. Phones can break. Batteries go flat.

But the ability to read a map, use a compass and understand the land will never let you down.

How to Navigate by Caro Ryan is the most trusted guide to learning that skill in Australia.

Add it to your kit and take control of your navigation.