Their first guidebook about the Blue Mountains was a top-seller when it was released in 2020.
Now the team behind the popular This Aint The City publication plan to put the Blue Mountains on the map again when they release two new guidebooks in late 2022 - but this time with what could be a world-first twist.
Titled Wild and Epic, the guidebooks will feature more than 200 QR codes for every destination inside. The codes will download a live map directly to the user's phone as well as giving them useful, up-to-date information about the locations.
Believed to be a world-first for the way it incorporates QR code technology in a guidebook, the initiative is a partnership with adventure mapping app, Capra, and the lostmtns team behind the books.
The lostmtns brand is a group of Blue Mountains residents who have built a strong following promoting the region via their social media platforms - all while closely guarding their anonymity.
Capra co-founder, Matty Abel, said the project was a perfect fit for the business.
"Our goal from day one has been to help people explore with confidence," he said.
"When the lostmtns team came to us with a problem they had with their first book, of helping people go from inspiration to getting out in the wild and exploring, we knew we could help bridge that gap. We know being out in nature has massive benefits on one's physical and mental health and we're really excited help people explore more of what the Blue Mountains has to offer."
Abel said the Capra team was excited by the groundbreaking nature of the guidebooks and the incorporation of QR codes.
"We're changing the way people explore and that is really exciting," he said.
"Knowing we are going to change people's lives by providing an easier, more convenient experience is what drives us each and every day. We hope to see more guidebooks, destinations and hotels of the like start to incorporate this technology over time."
A crowd-funding campaign for the new guidebooks has tripled its $22,000 target since it was launched by the team from lostmtns on July 4.
When they started researching their next publication after This Aint The City they quickly realised they had too much material to shoehorn into a single volume, so Wild and Epic were born.
Wild will showcase the area's best swimming holes, trail running experiences, star-gazing, waterfalls, rock climbing and rafting, plus local restaurants and bars. Epic will focus on hiking adventures for people of all skill levels, from kids to experienced bushwalkers, as well as camping spots, limited mobility and wheelchair-accessible destinations and the best places to eat, drink and sleep.
The publications have garnered support from many leading businesses in the Blue Mountains including Mountain Culture Beer Co, the Escarpment Group, Scenic World, Summit Gear, Dryridge Winery, and more.
This level of backing isn't a surprise when This Aint The City sold more than 12,000 copies two years ago, after its initial print run of 6000 sold out in just 20 days.
The lostmtns team is aiming for a mid-October publication date for Wild and Epic.
To pre-order copies of the guidebooks, or for more information on lostmtns, visit lostmtns.com. For more information on the Capra app visit capra.app/home.
