For 35 years, Rosemary and Terrence Alick's maps have had pride of place in the homes and vehicles of regional and rural Australians.
Admired by thousands over steaming cups of tea, and consulted on long dusty country roads, the maps and atlases are a firm favourite. He saw the opportunity and reached out to cartographers in the state land department to learn the tricks of the trade."For the first year we made reproductions of the old Robinson maps, which were photo reproductions," Mr Alick said.
The couple travelled to rural shows, hit the phones and checked property names on the electoral roll and phone books to ensure they were getting accurate information.In their 35 years spent travelling across Queensland, the Northern Territory and New South Wales, Mr Alick said they'd had some interesting interactions."Someone would come up and say, 'If it wasn't for your book the ambulance driver never would have found me,'" he said.