Overseas Mayfield Visitors Misguided 323km in the wrong direction by GPS

31 July 2024

An overseas couple planning to visit family in Mayfield, Newcastle, experienced an unexpected detour when their GPS mistakenly directed them to a different Mayfield near Oberon, west of Sydney.

Evert, who preferred not to disclose his surname, and his wife set out from Sydney Airport, excited to reunite with family. The journey began smoothly, with Evert’s wife creating a multi-stop route on her phone, planning to stop for drinks before heading to “Mayfield NSW”.

However, the couple soon found themselves on a 193-kilometre detour, heading west along the M4 motorway through Sydney’s Western Suburbs and into the Blue Mountains National Park. They made a brief stop at Mount Victoria for a toilet break, unaware they were far off course.

Upon arriving at the destination labelled “Mayfield,” the couple were greeted not by their family but by a locked shed and two empty paddocks. A quick check of the maps revealed they were five hours away from the intended Mayfield in Newcastle.

“We had already been travelling for over 37 hours by the time we arrived in Oberon, so my wife was very upset when she found out, we didn’t think it was this cold in Australia” Evert shared.

The surprising turn of events appears to be due to a fault in the Google Maps app, which mistakenly directs users to a private property called “Mayfield” west of Oberon. The property, known for its picturesque landscapes and gardens, is a far cry from the Newcastle suburb the couple was trying to reach.

After a rest and dinner, Evert and his wife decided to make the five-hour journey to the correct Mayfield, finally arriving in Newcastle very late on Monday night.

Local radio station Newy 87.8 has since lodged feedback via the app, urging for the removal of the Oberon location from search results when users look up “Mayfield” as a suburb in Newcastle. The mix-up serves as a reminder to double-check destinations, even when relying on seemingly infallible technology.

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https://www.facebook.com/newy878/posts/pfbid0rmH6JFTzJ3XNvEFSGTKPWdxEKqDoqQ5GQGhS2dxfhWZCDjEk1PN4dpLYstULvYoXl

To Replicate It

Put in the address of a local service station.
Click “Directions”
Click the three dots top right then “add stop”.
In the last field, type Mayfield.
Yes it will show our Mayfield at the top of the list, but just press enter and it will direct you to Oberon.