If you’ve ever stood on a summit and spotted a square concrete pillar, a pile of rocks or a weathered timber tower with a metal plate bolted to it, you’ve met a trig station. These marks were placed across NSW by surveyors from the 1800s onward as part of the trigonometrical survey network — the web of sightlines and measurements that early mapping of the state was built on. Long before GPS, these points were the map.
These days most trig stations are redundant for their original purpose, but they’ve taken on a second life as a hiking goal in their own right. “Trig bagging” works a lot like peak bagging or geocaching: you pick a list, you go and stand at each point, and you tick it off. Trigs are often on high ground with a view, which makes them a satisfying target whether you’re chasing a specific range, a whole region, or eventually every trig in the state.
What’s in these files
I’ve pulled every Trig Station (TS) mark from the NSW Spatial Services SurveyMarkGDA2020 dataset — the same authoritative source surveyors use — and converted it into GPX waypoint files, ready to drop straight into Gaia GPS, or any other GPX-compatible mapping app.
Each waypoint includes:
- The trig name (where recorded) or PSM (Permanent Survey Mark) number
- Survey class and order
- Mark status
- Monument type
- Elevation (AHD)
Downloads
Gaia GPS caps imports at 1000 items per file, so rather than one unwieldy file, these are split by MGA zone and further broken into 1000-point chunks:
- MGA Zone 54 (far western NSW): Part 1
- MGA Zone 55 (central NSW): Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
- MGA Zone 56 (eastern NSW / coast): Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
- All of NSW, combined: Everything (import this one in parts if your app enforces the 1000-item limit — check the per-zone files above if you only need one region)
How to use them
- Download whichever file(s) cover the area you’re exploring in.
- In Gaia GPS: Import → select the GPX file → Save. or drag and drop into the map if using the online app. You can also import into Garmin Basecamp and other similar software.
- Trigs will appear as waypoints on the map, named by trig name or PSM number, with survey details in the description.
- As you visit each one, mark it however you track progress — a note, a photo, a custom list, whatever suits your style — and start building your own record of trigs claimed.
- Send me a comment about your adventure!
A note on accuracy
This data is pulled directly from NSW Spatial Services’ public survey mark register and reflects their records at the time of export. Marks do get disturbed, destroyed, or replaced over time, so treat the exact condition and location as indicative rather than guaranteed — standard caution for anything in the bush applies.
Happy trig bagging.