Hi ExplorOz Reader,Here's this week's ExplorOz newsletter. Change is in the air as we enjoy springtime. Read on for all our news and tips to help you ExplorOz better.
Edition 401: 24th September 2015 Today's Super Specials
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 | ExplorOz Goes Responsive
For
the last few years, ExplorOz has operated a separate Mobile Site in
addition to the main full site. This was to provide easy reading and
navigation when using the site from a smartphone however from a
development point of view it had limitations and some content &
tools were not available. Over time we've watched the increased use of
our site being accessed from a range of devices and as a result we have
been in production of a whole new re-development of ExplorOz using
responsive web design.
To achieve this, we have had to change
some of the standard look/feel elements of the site so yes it will look
different. For example, the right side bar is gone as is the top menu and header layout.
Instead, everything is clean, uncluttered and navigation is simple. On
first sight, you may get quite a shock but we encourage you to give it a
try for a few days and we're sure you'll find the changes are a big improvement - you just will have to rethink how
you use the site until you get used to it. Once we go live, this will
completely replace the current full site and the existing mobile site.
In fact, it's about to roll-out live any day now so get ready for a BIG
change. ExplorOz is changing and we're confident you're going to like
it!
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| New Edition for Spring
Bob Liddelow has just released a new edition to his already popular Guide to Native Orchids of South Western Australia.
This is a well presented book that would be a handy addition to any orchid enthusiast's library. Available now from the ExplorOz shop. Members Price just $37.95 
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 | Bloomin' News
Whilst many of us enjoy soaking up nature's wonders in the outback, there are a couple of great Springtime events that make it worth heading to the big smoke at this time of year.
The annual showing of 120,000 tulips planted throughout the picturesque grounds of Araluen Botanic Park in Perth is a spectacular annual event from August to September and is now at its end. But you can still head over to Canberra for Floriade. This iconic Canberra event runs until Sunday 11 October and is Australia’s biggest celebration of spring, showcasing one million flowers in bloom. Best of all, entry is free! See this review on the event for a sneak peek by ExplorOz Business Member Australian Landscape Jewellery.
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 | Border Crossing
The trip between Perth & Adelaide was once fraught with bulldust and potholes but today the Eyre Highway poses few problems other than fatigue and straying stock.
For those that seek the road less travelled, we have several Trek Notes on ExplorOz with alternative route options and side trips with details on how to access some fascinating points of interest that aren't widely known. Our latest travel spotlight features The Bight & Nullarbor and is complete with a reference list to the maps and guidebooks that will complement this information. Full Story Here.
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 | Road Alerts
Our Road Alerts section is a resource for the ExplorOz community. It features a compilation of facts/data publicly available through a very wide array of external sources. The purpose of this is to provide you with a standardised, Australia-wide report for areas of relevance to the ExplorOz community. This means that the roads in our list are generally only unsealed roads that are prone to changing conditions (ie. maybe affect access). We analyse the external reporting sources and record a track's condition as either: open, caution, or closed. The status is tracked and a graph shows the trend in status over time for each track. Since ExplorOz first starting tracking road status changes in 2005, some of these charts prove invaluable when making advance travel plans.
In June this year, our volunteer Road Conditions Coordinator - Life Member - Mike (SA) advised he could no longer continue in the role due to personal circumstances. We then advertised for volunteers to take over and thanks to an excellent response through this newsletter, we have since appointed a new coordinator Frances R, as well as four administrators: cookie1, Peter C10, Member - Mortdad, Member - John & Sonia (SA). Over the past few weeks, there have been extensive updates made to the sources listed, as well as a lot of work put in to bring the Road Conditions list up-to-date. We continue to encourage you to post your own anecdotal experiences after travelling the roads shown into the Traveller's Comments section available for each road listed in the reports.
You can see all of the updates and information on offer in ExplorOz Road Alerts.
Also, if you believe you have information concerning the status of a road that should be changed by our Admins, please email: roads@exploroz.com.
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 | Classifieds Ad of the Week
Truelux 8.5M (28ft) custom built 5th wheeler, 2011 delivery.
Light-weight Composite Fiberglass Construction; Australian built and
fully compliant comfortable van for living and working around the big
lap.
$140,000 ono.
See: ExplorOz Classifieds - Caravans |
 | Keeping Track of What You've Read
One of the NEW features we've added to the new ExplorOz responsive site (coming soon) - is a feature in the Forum that will highlight posts that have had new replies or followups since YOU last read it. This has never been offered before. We have previously offered you a list (in My Home) to view new post activity since your last session. The new change is far more intuitive and useful. I told you you're going to love all the new changes!
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