150 bush tricks for when it goes wrong 200 km from anywhere.
Heat, snakes, breakdowns, creek crossings, crocs, bushfire and flood. Plain steps, the reason behind each one, and printable checklists for the glovebox.
🔊 Tap the video to play. Jack explains what's in the book.
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Download straight away. The book is ready to download as soon as you've paid.
Read it at home, print the checklists. Phone, tablet or computer. Print the checklists and the snakebite card for the glovebox. Nothing is posted and there's no account to set up.
Sound familiar?
The big trip's booked, and you're not sure what you'd actually do if the car broke down 200 km from the nearest servo.
A snake turns up in camp and nobody's quite sure whether it's the bandage, the ice or the shovel. (It's the bandage. Never the shovel.)
You're heading up north for the first time, and creek crossings, crocs and stinger season are all new.
The kids and the dog are coming too, and the bush doesn't make allowances for either.
This book won't turn you into a bushman overnight. It gives you the plain steps for the things that actually go wrong out there, mostly heat, water, breakdowns, tired driving, fire and flood, and the reason each one works, so you remember it when it counts. Read it at home, pack the checklists, and leave a trip plan with someone before you go.
What it costs
One tank of fuel for a weekend away
about A$100+
Jack Hollis's Bush Book
A$39.99, once
Less than a tank of fuel, and it comes on every trip after that. No subscription, no app, and it works with no phone signal once it's on your device or printed out.
Look inside
Every trick tells you what to do and why it works, with a photo. Every field-guide page covers where it lives, what it looks like, how dangerous it is, and the first aid.
What's inside
Part One: 150 Bush Tricks
Before You Leave10Leave a trip plan, set a firm call-for-help time, carry a registered PLB, offline and paper maps, two spare tyres on remote tracks
Water & Heat10At least five litres a day, heat exhaustion vs heat stroke, boiling creek water, why a solar still won't save you
Snakes & Spiders10Two broad elastic bandages, the pressure bandage step by step, why you don't wash a bite, funnel-web vs redback
Crocs & Water Country10Treat every waterway up north as croc water, camp 50 metres back, box jellyfish and vinegar, stinger season
Other Wildlife10Roos at dawn and dusk, brake straight and never swerve, dingoes, cassowaries, freezing a paralysis tick
Getting Lost & Finding Your Way10STOP, stay with the vehicle, find north with the midday sun and south with the Southern Cross
Breakdowns & 4WD10Tyre pressures for sand, rated recovery points only, walk a crossing before you drive it, make your car easy to spot from the air
Camp, Fire & Shelter10Never camp in a dry creek bed, look up for widow-makers, put your fire out with water not dirt
Bushfire, Flood & Storms10Catastrophic days, leaving early, what to do if fire traps you in the car, if it's flooded, forget it
Bush First Aid10Triple Zero first, DRSABCD, bleeding, burns, shock, and why to do a first aid course before your next trip
Driving the Outback10Fatigue, road trains, gravel and corrugations, thick dust, wandering stock, unsealed-road rules for hire cars
Walking & Hiking10Turnaround times, water for the walk not the car park, crossing creeks, the ten essentials for a day walk
Fishing, Boating & the Coast10Rips, lifejackets in the tinny, logging your trip with Marine Rescue, rock fishing, boat ramps in croc country
Caravans, Campers & Grey Nomads10Tow ball, ATM, GVM and GCM explained, tyres and bearings, handling sway, gas and carbon monoxide alarms
Kids, Dogs & Older Travellers10A whistle and "hug a tree", 1080 baits and dogs, scripts and a medical summary, planning for heat
Part Two: Field Guides
Australia's Dangerous Snakes10Eastern and western brown, inland and coastal taipan, tiger snake, death adder, mulga snake, red-bellied black… one page each
Spiders, Stingers & Other Bitey Things11Funnel-web, redback, box jellyfish, Irukandji, bluebottle, blue-ringed octopus, stonefish, paralysis tick… and which ones get the bandage
Region by Region10Top End & Kakadu, the Kimberley, Cape York, Red Centre, Simpson Desert, Nullarbor, High Country, K'gari, Tasmania… when to go and what catches people out
Part Three: Bush Skills Step by Step
Skills Worth Practising12Bowline, clove hitch, trucker's hitch, A-frame tarp, map and compass, mirror signals, a sling from a triangular bandage, changing a tyre on soft ground, a safe snatch-strap recovery…
Kit checklists9Vehicle & recovery kit, first aid kit, camp set-up, day-walk pack, caravan departure, kids' bush kit, dog travel kit, boat ramp, monthly kit & beacon check
Plus: a glossary of 52 bush words, from 1080 and ATM to widow-maker and willy-willy, and a short how-to-use page so you're ready before the trip, not during it.
Jack Hollis's Bush Book
150 bush tricks, each with the reason it works
31 field-guide pages: snakes, spiders, stingers and 10 regions
12 bush skills, step by step
16 printable checklists, including a cut-out snakebite card
165 pages, metric, written for Australian conditions
"Let's be straight about what's dangerous out here. Snakes and sharks get the headlines, but what usually goes wrong is heat, running short of water, walking away from a broken-down car, and driving tired at dusk with roos about. The things that bring people home are simple and a bit boring. Tell someone where you're going. Carry more water than you think you need. Stay with the car. Know how to put on a pressure bandage. Every trick in here tells you what to do and why it works, so you remember it when it counts. Then go and enjoy the place."
Questions
Is this a physical book?
No, it's a PDF ebook, 165 A4 pages. You can download it the moment you've paid. Read it on your phone, tablet or computer, and print the checklists and the snakebite card.
Is it a replacement for a first aid course?
No. It's general information to help you prepare, not training. Do a recognised first aid course before your next trip, and in an emergency always call Triple Zero (000) first. 112 also works from mobiles.
Is it for all states?
Yes. It's written for travel anywhere in Australia, with a region-by-region guide from the Top End to Tasmania. Fire bans, park rules and road conditions differ between states and change often, so check current local advice before every trip.
Is the print easy to read? Can I read it on my phone?
The main text is about 13 to 14 point on A4 pages, two tricks to a page with clear headings. It's easiest on a tablet, computer or printed out. It works on a phone too; you'll just zoom in a bit.
