Bringing nature alive
Daintree app takes tourists on live tour
A GROUNDBREAKING smart phone app is now providing live audio commentary on the Daintree National Park while users drive through the world heritage-listed rainforest.
An Australian-first, the technology uses an in-built GPS receiver and does not require an internet connection.
Based on the Sunshine Coast, app creators Grant and Sandra Schmidt, of Aussie Park Guides, have spent the past 18 months building, researching and testing the app.
“As you travel it automatically plays audio commentary along the way, telling you about the sights, tourist attractions, the indigenous and European history,” Mr Grant said.
“And it talks about the plants and animals as well as giving you directions.”
Mr Grant gave up his job in the CSG mining industry to pioneer the creation of the Daintree guide in what proved to be a huge challenge.
“It’s designed for someone to drive into Port Douglas, have no knowledge about the Daintree National Park and it will provide you with a full guided tour, no matter where you drive,” Mr Grant said.
After being knocked back by a number of app developers who said it could not be done, the couple managed to find a firm who could use the GPS tracker in a smart phone to trigger geographic-specific audio recordings.
“That’s the technological issue we had to solve and that was the issue that a lot of app companies said was impossible to do,” he said.
“We had to rebuild it 24 times to get it to work. I have driven to Port Douglas to Cape Tribulation about 300 times.”
A love of the outdoors, the identifying of an untapped niche and a potential market of up to half a million in Daintree visitors each year combined to make the app a reality. The Daintree National Park app is available to download for $14.99.