In this issue, we accentuate our great outdoors with 194 pages of ‘destination, exploration and conservation.’ A whole gamut of destinations have been explored, covering all compass points around this vast island. The plight of wildlife is put under the microscope in our extensive foray into conservational issues. And if you are planning an ambitious travel itinerary, there are tips to take on board among a raft of feature articles.

Ex-drover and bush poet Bruce Simpson looked at the shallow waters of the Georgina River just out of Camooweal. He pushed a battered Akubra hat back on his head and squatted in the way drovers had in years past.

How often have you been studying a distant feature or animal and wished you were a bit closer to see more detail? If you think about it, I’ll bet it’s more often than you previously thought. Even with 20/20 vision, it’s still difficult to see fine detail at long range. This is where a good pair of binoculars come in to their own. By ‘good’, I refer to ‘high-quality optics’ designed for specific purposes, which in my case is mainly hunting where I use binoculars with a built-in rangefinder.

Protecting Australia’s unique wildlife from feral and introduced pests is a never-ending task and one which becomes more challenging year-on-year as predator numbers continue to rise. But in a remote corner of far western New South Wales the battle is being won albeit with baby steps initially, after a 40km/sq sanctuary for indigenous wildlife was created with major input from scientists from the University of New South Wales.

Michelle Pares has three main passions: “Wildlife, shooting and the outdoors.” At first thought, you may not see a connection to conservation, or even at all. But they are intrinsically intertwined for this new mum from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. The same goes for numerous conservation-savvy women and men across the country.

Anyone venturing out on a trek into the great outdoors via a camping excursion or a hiking proposition will know the importance of proper preparation and possessing the right gear. This should involve the correct choice of sturdy attire, footwear, handy utensils, logistical knowledge and letting people know your intended route and schedule before setting off.

Get in early to be one of the first people to receive the latest edition of Great Australian Outdoors magazine, out early next month. From cover to cover Issue 4 emphatically accentuates our great outdoors with 194 pages of ‘destination, exploration and conservation.’

By almost any measure, insects are by far the most numerous animals on the planet. Scientists estimate there could be anywhere between five and 30 million species of insects on Earth, one million of which have been formally named and described. In comparison, there are a paltry 6495 known species of mammals and an estimated 18,000 species of birds.