If you are going from Ballart, California to Sydney, Australia.. make sure you bring a snack or two.. it will take you 55 days according to google maps.

I don’t know why they think a kayak is the best mode of crossing an ocean though..  Like other “Google WTF? Directions”, this one may also go away.. so below the trip is saved for future laughs.  I like the directions starting at step 33 myself

Driving directions to Sydney NSW, Australia

14,572 mi – about 55 days 7 hours

Ballarat California

1.	Head southwest on Ballarat Rd toward CA-178/Trona Wildrose Rd		3.6 mi
2.	Turn left at CA-178/Trona Wildrose Rd Continue to follow CA-178		45.4 mi
3.	Turn right at 395/CA-178/N China Lake Blvd Continue to follow CA-178/N China Lake Blvd		2.0 mi
4.	Turn left at CA-178/W Inyokern Rd/Ridgecrest Inyokern Rd		12.2 mi
5.	Slight right to stay on CA-178/W Inyokern Rd/Ridgecrest Inyokern Rd		171 ft
6.	Turn left at CA-14/CA-178/Midland Trail Continue to follow CA-14		41.4 mi
7.	Turn right to merge onto CA-58 W		57.7 mi
8.	Take exit 110B for State Hwy 58 W/State Hwy 99 N toward Sacramento		0.7 mi
9.	Merge onto CA-99 N		230 mi
10.	Slight right at CA-4 W (signs for Downtown Stockton/State Hwy 4 W/I-5)		3.1 mi
11.	Take the exit onto I-5 N toward Sacramento Passing through Oregon Entering Washington		802 mi
12.	Take exit 168B for State Hwy 520 toward Bellevue/Kirkland		0.3 mi
13.	Merge onto WA-520 E		0.5 mi
14.	Take the Montlake Blvd exit		0.2 mi
15.	Turn left at E Montlake Pl E/WA-513		0.4 mi
16.	Turn left at NE Pacific St		0.7 mi
17.	Continue on NE Northlake Way		0.2 mi
18.	Turn left to stay on NE Northlake Way		1.0 mi
19.	Kayak across the Pacific Ocean Entering Hawaii		2,756 mi
20.	Slight right at Turtle Bay Hilton		0.1 mi
21.	Turn left at Kuilima Dr		0.5 mi
22.	Turn right at HI-83		10.5 mi
23.	Continue on Joseph P Leong Hwy		1.9 mi
24.	Slight right at HI-99/N Kamehameha Hwy Continue to follow N Kamehameha Hwy		8.6 mi
25.	Merge onto I-H2 S via the ramp to Honolulu		8.2 mi
26.	Merge onto I-H1 E		4.5 mi
27.	Take exit 13B to merge onto I-H201 E		4.7 mi
28.	Continue on I-H1 E		3.8 mi
29.	Take exit 23 for Punahou St		0.2 mi
30.	Turn right at Punahou St		0.1 mi
31.	Turn right at S Beretania St		0.1 mi
32.	Turn left at Kalakaua Ave		1.9 mi
33.	Kayak across the Pacific Ocean Entering Japan		3,879 mi
34.	Continue straight		0.3 mi
35.	Turn right		184 ft
36.	Turn left toward 県道263号線		0.2 mi
37.	Turn left toward 県道263号線		0.2 mi
38.	Turn right at 県道263号線		0.3 mi
39.	Slight left to stay on 県道263号線		200 ft
40.	Turn left to stay on 県道263号線		0.3 mi
41.	Turn right at 国道125号線		0.4 mi
42.	Turn left at 国道354号線		0.4 mi
43.	Slight left to stay on 国道354号線		2.0 mi
44.	Turn right to stay on 国道354号線		1.0 mi
45.	Take the ramp to 常磐自動車道 Toll road		0.3 mi
46.	Keep left at the fork, follow signs for 東京 and merge onto 常磐自動車道 Toll road		23.8 mi
47.	Take exit 三郷ＪＣＴ toward 首都高・銀座・湾岸線 Toll road		0.7 mi
48.	Merge onto 首都高速6号三郷線 Toll road		5.7 mi
49.	Take exit 小菅ＪＣＴ toward 湾岸線・銀座 Toll road		0.4 mi
50.	Merge onto 首都高速中央環状線 Toll road		0.4 mi
51.	Take exit 堀切ＪＣＴ on the right toward 銀座・箱崎 Toll road		0.3 mi
52.	Merge onto 首都高速6号向島線 Toll road		5.4 mi
53.	Take exit 江戸橋ＪＣＴ toward 新宿・北池袋 Toll road		0.4 mi
54.	Merge onto 首都高速都心環状線 Toll road		3.8 mi
55.	Take exit 谷町ＪＣＴ on the right toward 東名・渋谷 Toll road		0.3 mi
56.	Merge onto 首都高速3号渋谷線 Toll road		6.9 mi
57.	Continue on 東名高速道路 Toll road		189 mi
58.	Take exit 豊田ＪＣＴ toward 東海環状・伊勢湾岸道・豊田東・四日市 Toll road		0.3 mi
59.	Keep right at the fork, follow signs for 伊勢湾岸道・四日市 and merge onto 伊勢湾岸自動車道 Toll road		19.8 mi
60.	Take the ramp onto 伊勢湾岸自動車道 Toll road		12.1 mi
61.	Take exit 四日市ＪＣＴ toward 東名阪道・大阪・伊勢道 Toll road		0.6 mi
62.	Merge onto 東名阪自動車道 Toll road		13.8 mi
63.	Take exit 亀山ＪＣＴ toward 新名神・京都・大阪 Toll road		0.6 mi
64.	Merge onto 新名神高速道路 Toll road		30.9 mi
65.	Take exit 草津ＪＣＴ toward 草津ＰＡ・名神・京滋・京都・大阪 Toll road		0.2 mi
66.	Take exit 草津ＰＡ on the right toward 名神 Toll road		0.5 mi
67.	Merge onto 名神高速道路 Toll road		30.1 mi
68.	Take exit 吹田ＪＣＴ toward 中国道・山陽道・宝塚・岡山 Toll road		1.1 mi
69.	Merge onto 中国自動車道 Toll road		18.8 mi
70.	Take exit 神戸ＪＣＴ toward 山陽道・岡山・徳島 Toll road		0.9 mi
71.	Merge onto 山陽自動車道 Toll road		192 mi
72.	Take exit 廿日市ＪＣＴ toward 山陽道・岩国・北九州 Toll road		0.7 mi
73.	Merge onto 広島岩国道路 Toll road		7.4 mi
74.	Take the ramp onto 山陽自動車道 Toll road		59.4 mi
75.	Take exit 山口ＪＣＴ to merge onto 中国自動車道 Toll road		40.5 mi
76.	Continue on 関門橋 Toll road		5.9 mi
77.	Continue on 九州自動車道 (signs for 九州道・福岡・熊本) Toll road		59.1 mi
78.	Take exit 鳥栖ＪＣＴ toward 大分道・大分・長崎道・長崎・佐賀 Toll road		0.3 mi
79.	Keep right at the fork, follow signs for 長崎道・長崎・佐賀 and merge onto 長崎自動車道 Toll road		75.0 mi
80.	Take exit 高速長崎ＩＣ toward ながさき出島道路・（長崎市街） Toll road		0.5 mi
81.	Merge onto ながさき出島道路/国道324号バイパス Toll road		1.9 mi
82.	Take the ramp onto 出島海岸通り/国道499号線 Partial toll road		0.4 mi
83.	Turn left at 江戸町通り		0.2 mi
84.	Turn left		486 ft
85.	Turn left		400 ft
86.	Take the 長崎~奈良尾~奈留島~福江 ferry Toll road		60.8 mi
87.	Continue straight		0.2 mi
88.	Turn right toward 国道384号線		0.3 mi
89.	Turn left at 国道384号線		1.3 mi
90.	Slight left at 県道27号線		7.0 mi
91.	Turn left at 県道31号線		0.4 mi
92.	Continue on 県道164号線		4.7 mi
93.	Turn left to stay on 県道164号線		0.2 mi
94.	Slight left at 国道384号線		2.9 mi
95.	Turn left		0.6 mi
96.	Kayak across the Pacific Ocean Entering Australia (Northern Territory)		3,358 mi
97.	Turn right at Myilly Tce		0.2 mi
98.	Turn left at Kahlin Ave		0.2 mi
99.	Turn left at Gilruth Ave		1.1 mi
100.	Turn right at Goyder Rd		0.2 mi
101.	Turn left at Stuart Hwy		598 mi
102.	Turn left at Barkly Hwy Entering Queensland		395 mi
103.	Turn left to stay on Barkly Hwy		74.8 mi
104.	Continue on Flinders Hwy		9.1 mi
105.	Turn right at Landsborough Hwy		207 mi
106.	Turn left to stay on Landsborough Hwy Go through 2 traffic circles		177 mi
107.	Turn right to stay on Landsborough Hwy		257 mi
108.	Slight left at Warrego Hwy		57.3 mi
109.	Turn left to stay on Warrego Hwy		0.3 mi
110.	Turn right at Alice St		0.8 mi
111.	Continue on Mitchell St George Rd		126 mi
112.	Turn left at Balonne Hwy		3.3 mi
113.	Turn right at Carnarvon Hwy Entering New South Wales		73.6 mi
114.	Continue on George St		0.8 mi
115.	Turn right at Yarouah St		0.8 mi
116.	Continue on Carnarvon Hwy		42.0 mi
117.	Carnarvon Hwy turns slightly right and becomes Railway Pde		20.1 mi
118.	Continue on Boolooroo St		9.2 mi
119.	Continue on Mungindi Rd		1.8 mi
120.	Turn right at Newell Hwy Go through 1 traffic circle		62.8 mi
121.	At the traffic circle, take the 3rd exit and stay on Newell Hwy Go through 1 traffic circle		2.6 mi
122.	At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit onto Kamilaroi Hwy		33.8 mi
123.	Turn left to stay on Kamilaroi Hwy Go through 2 traffic circles		83.1 mi
124.	Turn right at New England Hwy Go through 1 traffic circle		52.8 mi
125.	Turn left to stay on New England Hwy		29.4 mi
126.	Turn right at Campbell St		0.2 mi
127.	Turn left at John St		0.7 mi
128.	Continue on Putty Rd		5.2 mi
129.	Turn left at Broke Mount Thorley Rd		8.3 mi
130.	Continue on Wollombi St		1.1 mi
131.	Continue on Paynes Crossing Rd		18.4 mi
132.	Continue on Great North Rd		4.0 mi
133.	Turn left to stay on Great North Rd		10.5 mi
134.	Continue on George Downes Dr		17.2 mi
135.	Turn left at Mangrove Mountain Rd		1.7 mi
136.	Slight left to stay on Mangrove Mountain Rd		2.7 mi
137.	Continue on Peats Ridge Rd		3.0 mi
138.	Take the ramp onto Sydney Newcastle Fwy		31.8 mi
139.	Take the exit toward Pacific Hwy		0.2 mi
140.	Turn left at Pacific Hwy		8.4 mi
141.	Turn left to stay on Pacific Hwy		118 ft
142.	Take the ramp onto Gore Hill Fwy		0.9 mi
143.	Continue on Warringah Fwy		2.9 mi
144.	Continue on Bradfield Hwy Partial toll road		1.2 mi
145.	Slight left to stay on Bradfield Hwy		407 ft
146.	Slight left to stay on Bradfield Hwy		0.2 mi
147.	Turn left at Grosvenor St		0.1 mi
148.	Turn right at George St		0.3 mi

Sydney NSW

Sponsored Links

Australia

Was passed this URL a few days ago, and while it is “kind of interesting” to see the authors thoughts, I would take the whole article kind of lightly.

Where do you draw the line with Google Maps?

One of the biggest catalysts for driving the use and adoption of online mapping services in both the consumer and enterprise domains has been the availability of the Google Maps. While the low cost of using the mapping service provides high appeal for organisations – and is placing increasing pricing pressure on commercial providers – users and/or developers considering its use within web mapping applications do need to be aware of its functional limitations and the terms of its use before deciding on how to meet their geographic information needs.

The other night I was watching the “Ivory Tracker” episode of Shadow Force and they were making heavy use of small GPS tracking units hidden in contraband Ivory and tracking it’s location (and therefore the location of the smugglers) in Google Maps.

While they don’t mention the name “Google” or “Google Maps” or show anything with a Google logo on it, you can tell by looking at the map and the marker icons that it is a Google Maps page.  They made a lot of use of the aerial imagery, being able to say that they are located at a specific house.

I am guessing they are using some online service to take the GPS tracker information and put it online so they can track the units, they didn’t go into detail about the background information.

Some may recall my earlier post about the differences between GMaps and Google Earth (How GE is wrong and GMaps is correct on the naming of a lot of roads).  Well, with Google latest change, switching to TeleAtlas from Navteq has now made that post null and void, as now both GMaps and Google Earth are both WRONG now (and in looking around the local area.. there are a lot of side roads and back roads that are now completely wrong in their names).

So, what does that mean?  Maybe nothing at all.  Or maybe if I want to give someone directions, I will have to hand draw them a map because of they try Google.. they will get names of roads that do not match what they will see when driving.

I wonder if there has ever been a major comparison of road-to-road between TeleAtlas and Navteq, be interesting to see just what else is wrong between the two, and which one is more correct.

Now, I would have thought that Google uses the same data for both GMaps and Google Earth.  But I see now that I was really wrong in that presumption.  So, you have to wonder.. since they don’t match up and Google Earth has a lot of wrong information.. can you really rely on them for correct directions?

I am sure that for 90% of the users, it works perfectly and they don’t notice any problems.  But lets say I wanted to give someone directions to Railroad St in Orangeville.  In GMap that would work fine if they searched there.

But lets say they used Google Earth instead.

As you can see, there is no Railroad Street in Google Earth.

You would think that at least road data would be consistant between the two applications.

On a mailing list I am on, a member in the UK was in Cambridge a few weeks back and spotted the Google Street View car and caught a video of it coming down the street and passing him by.

One thing I noticed in the video… Google seems to be keeping a low profile on this.. there is no “Google” all over the car like they are seen in the US.