WESTPRINT HERITAGE MAPS Pty Ltd
John Deckert became involved in the publication of maps in 1986 when he assisted a Melbourne publisher with a map of The Little Desert in Western Victoria.
At the time John and wife Bev were operating Escorted Outback Tours, mainly through the Simpson Desert and Outback Australia. It was not surprising they decided to go on from the Little Desert map and produce the very first tourist map for the Simpson Desert area. This map was also the first of a new style designed for 4WD use that included travel advice, contact phone numbers and outback warnings as well as the now famous number-coded heritage information.
During the first few years John gradually developed maps of the Outback areas in which he was most interested. Areas such as the Oodnadatta Track, Birdsville Track, MacDonnell Ranges and the area around Alice Springs.
John and Bev have a long-time interest in Australian history and outback travel. They bring this love of the bush and the heritage of Australia to all people through their specialised maps, which are skilfully drawn by John Frith of Flat Earth Mapping in Magill, South Australia.
Westprint Maps now have a range of more than 25 maps of some of the most remote parts of Australia. Areas such as the Canning Stock Route, Gunbarrel Highway, and South West Queensland are featured in detail never before available.
Four Wheel Drivers are constantly seeking more information and this has led to Westprint stocking over 1000 different book titles, covering exploration, history, fossicking, travel and camping, as well as a range of videos depicting travel in some of the more remote desert regions of Australia.
John and Bev Deckert, through Westprint Maps, aim to give the map user a broad insight into the rich heritage of Australia. Their maps enhance the traveller’s awareness of the country and increase the enjoyment for people travelling through Australia's Outback.
In December 1996 Westprint purchased land and buildings at 6 Park Street, Nhill. Since then two offices and a showroom have been built inside the existing premises. The remainder is used for storage of Westprint's large range of products.
Digital mapping has enabled the production of maps on CD for use with GPS. This series is constantly being revised as are all of the Westprint series.