GPS Locations

Our Objectives

Our aim is to progressively and carefully provide Latitude and Longitude positions for all key huts and sites, so that they are easy to find, even in a white out, dark or fog. This has the potential to save distress, if not lives.

Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers are now so carried as a matter of course for many bushwalkers, drivers and skiers. Most mobile phones also include a GPS rceiver, although these are not quite as accurate as a dedicated receiver.

 We are progessively building the list below, but PLEASE read the disclaimer attached below.

The best known location for standing huts have been added to the Open Street Map (OSM). Download free routable Garmin maps made from this project here.

(Data Last Updated 4 March 2013).

Hut Locations are in WGS 84

This table can be downloaded as a csv file or kmz (for Google Earth). See the attachments at the bottom of the page. To convert this file for use in your GPS receiver, use GPSBabel. This is a free utility that is easy to use, and is reliable.

GPS Locations by:

OM - Olaf Moon

NI - Narelle Irvine

PW - Peter Woodrow

GMcD - Garry McDougal

IF - Ian Frakes

DD - David Dalwood

Balart, DE, GH, GM, MC, RG - Unknown

Accuracy

(Please tell us if you disagree with these figures, or can provide others)

Note 1: All locations are in WGS84 (World Geodetic System), not the older Australian Geodetic Datum 66 or 84 as shown on the border of many older Australian maps. Check your map Datum before reading off a position using the grid. The difference is about 200m NE for a WGS position, over an old map reading.

A comment field has been included to indicate the accuracy of the coordinates given.

Good - modern GPS reading, should be within 10 metres

Fair - coordinates from Google Earth, may be up to 50 metres error.

Poor - coordinates from topographic map reading, may be out by 500 metres. Hut may be marked incorrectly on published maps, coordinate system may not have been converted.

Accuracy aslo depends on the chip in your GPS Receiover. Newer chips have better accuracy and greater sensitivity than older ones. A Garmin Orogen series GPS will even give a reading indoors to less than 10 metres error.  A good reason to upgrade!

Vertical Accuracy will be 30m or more unless you have a barometer in your device. The barometer needs to be calibrated to either the air pressure or a known height on the day, or at least weekly to acheive an accuracy of approx. 3m.

Datums

The KHA committee is wary of the variations in readings - so there are no guarantees for accuracy! For example, it is important that your GPS unit is set to the either the Geodetic Datum of Australian 1994 (GDA94) or the world Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84) These two systems are equivalent for all intents and purposes.

Any errors in using different datums are your responsibility. Walkers and skiers MUST have other navigational skills before venturing into the bush, particularly in winter, the dark or both.

Most Australian maps still refer to AGD66 or 84. The difference is that GDA94 and WGS84 will lead you to the same spot if your GPS is set in WGS84, but will be 200 metres north east if you are applying the position to an old map.

More Resources

Using GPS Receivers with Topographic Maps

Using GPS for Huts and Tracks

Exploring GPS - the complete story (NSW Dept of Lands Publication)

External Pages about Datums

For those with a real thirst for knowledge, go to this learned paper and learn that the world is a spheroid (sphere that is slightly flattened at the poles). You can learn that Australia's new GDA system was based on the latest ITRF92 calculation and makes GDA about 10cm (on the ground) more accurate than WGS84, but who would care! Therefore using WGS84 is good, as all our maps and GPS receivers have, or will, move to it.

By the way, the difference between the old AGD readings and new WGS readings are about 4mm on a 1:50,000 scale map. So now you know.

Victorian Huts

While the Victorian mountain huts are not usually the preserve of KHA, many members walk and ski in the Alpine National Park as well, so we have commenced the collection of GPS data for southern huts as well.