Shared layer · In 2 states

Premium LiDAR Hillshade

Explorer

High-detail shaded relief built from LiDAR. Each variation below reads the same ground a different way, so a working that is invisible in one can be obvious in another. Hillshade: the familiar one, lit from a single direction. Best all-round read of the country, but anything running parallel to the light can disappear into its own shadow. Multi-Light PCA: eight hillshades combined into one, so nothing hides in shadow whichever way it runs. A good first pass over ground you do not know. SVF + Slope: sky view sharpened by steepness, so the rim of a working reads as hard as its floor. The one for picking edges out of scrubby ground. SVF/LRM Composite: depth and relief in one colour image, slope-tinted. The most information in a single view, for reading a whole field at a glance. RRIM: red relief image map. Ridges and hollows both read without any light direction at all, so nothing is lost to shadow whichever way a working runs.

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4.7 / 5 from 2,400+ ratings on the App Store and Google Play · 10,000+ prospectors and detectorists
Premium LiDAR Hillshade in the Detector Maps app, New South Wales© Mapbox, © Maxar

Satellite imagery © Mapbox, © Maxar. Layer data from the sources named on each card.

About this layer

LiDAR uses laser measurements to map the shape of the ground. Hillshade adds simulated light and shadow so banks, channels, diggings and other surface features are easier to see. It shows ground shape, not buried metal.

What it is for

Zoom in and compare shapes with the basemap. If this layer offers lighting or rendering controls, compare more than one view.

Limits

Natural features and modern disturbance can resemble old workings or archaeology. Coverage and detail vary between surveys.

Plans

Where it works in Australia.

Pictures

Drawn in each state.

Satellite imagery © Mapbox, © Maxar. Layer data from the sources named on each card.

Source

Where the data comes from.

For New South Wales

Data provided by The State of New South Wales (Geological Survey of NSW, GSNSW, Dept of Planning and Environment, Forestry Corporation of NSW, Spatial Services NSW, Department of Regional NSW), licensed under CC BY 4.0

For Queensland

Data provided by The State of Qld (Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Manufacturing and Regional and Rural Development 2025, Department of Resources 2024), licensed under CC BY 4.0

Filters in the app

Looks

Draws from zoom 10.

Plans

What the pills mean.

Every layer shows the plan that opens it. The free plan never runs out. Prices are shown once, here.

Free

Open on every plan, forever. Includes gold records.

Explorer

Opens every base layer, and offline maps for the areas you choose. A$99 a year or A$9.99 a month.

Pro

Tenement alerts for a drawn area or a whole state. Report search across decades of exploration reports. A$249 a year or A$34.99 a month.

Add-on

A layer sold on its own: the Victorian LiDAR add-on, A$39.99 a year.

7-day free trial on yearly plans · Nothing charged until it ends · Cancel anytime.

Satellite imagery © Mapbox, © Maxar. Layer data from the sources named on each card.

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Free to download on iPhone and Android.

On iPhone? Get it on the App StoreOn Android? Get it on Google Play

Free to download on iPhone and Android.

7-day free trial on yearly plans · Nothing charged until it ends · Cancel anytime.

Scan with your phone camera to get the app
Start free trialOpen the web map

On your phone: App Store · Google Play

7-day free trial on yearly plans · Nothing charged until it ends · Cancel anytime.

Or open the web map

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