Earth Rivers and Ironbark Planner

Use this AI Planning tool to answer questions about the Earth Rivers and Ironbark route and generate individual ride plans.

The ERI Planner is free to use. However, it has limitations:

The underlying product is Google’s NotebookLM – so you will need a google account to access the Planner.
The AI in NotebookLM operates on a closed environment of static data. This means –
- The ERI Planner cannot search the internet or get new updated information.
- The ERI Planner cannot give you a live internet link.
- If you want a live link for current or more detailed information use the Earth Rivers and Ironback route page. That page has many live links.

Read the Instructions and Examples below before using the Planner for the first time.

Use this link to open the AI Planning Tool – Earth Rivers and Ironbark Planner – in a new tab.

Questions, Comments and Suggestions

This AI Planner is very new and still a work in progress.

I am very keen to hear from users what they think of it. What works, what didn’t, any suggestions for improvement?

The fastest and easiest way to comment is to use the comments section below. Access to the comment section is set so anyone can use it. You don’t have to login or give any personal details. Just type your thoughts. I get an email when anyone posts a comment.

Instructions: How to Use the Earth Rivers and Ironbark Planner

When you open the ERI Planner it has 3 panels as shown below.

The main panel you will use is called ‘Chat’. It is in the middle. You type your questions in the box at the bottom of the panel. Both these are highlighted in yellow.

If you have a widescreen (i.e. PC) you may see side panels. If you are on a narrow screen the side panels are menu options.

The left hand panel is called Sources. It has a list of sources. The AI uses the selected (ticked) sources to answer your questions. Leave all these sources selected so the AI can provide the most thorough answers. You can minimise the left panel to get it out of the way. Click on the icon at the top right of the panel (highlighted pink).

The right hand panel is called Studio. This panel has a an upper area of buttons which reprocess all the source material into various forms. I don’t think users will find these useful. The lower section of the right panel stores all the files users create. You can minimise the right panel to get it out of the way. Click on the icon at the top right of the panel (highlighted pink).

Examples of Use

Examples of using the Earth Rivers and Ironbark Planner

Initial Prompt	AI Response
I live in Melbourne. I am thinking of a getting a train for a weekend overnight ERI ride from either Nagambie or Murchison East station to Heathcote and back to the other station (either Nagambie or Murchison East). I want to go via Rushworth on one leg. Tell me which station I should start at and which station I should finish at (given weekend timetable).	AI Plan for Nagambie-Heathcote-Rushworth-Murchison with Trains

Default Assumptions used by Earth Rivers and Ironbark Planner

The model uses internal assumptions in its Ride Plans when the user does not specify something. These assumptions are deliberately conservative. Users can over ride the default assumption by stating whatever suits the User.

Riding Speed and Time: The average riding speed is 15 km/hr, which includes incidental stops and time spent negotiating obstacles.
Ride Duration: Rides start at 09:00. The Ride Plan gives warnings if there is over 6 hours of riding per day or rides finishing after 17:00.
Route and Direction: Unless specified otherwise –
- The Plan assumes you are riding in a clockwise direction.
- The Plan assumes you want to go via stage 2A (via Nagambie).
- If there is no end location, the Plan assumes a the full loop returning to your starting point.
Overall Strategy: The Plan aims to spread the total riding time evenly across all days of your trip.
Breaks and Supplies:
- Lunch – The Plan includes a daily 45-minute lunch break. Lunch is scheduled when convenient, usually in period between 12:00 and 2:00.
- Breaks – The Plan schedules 15-minute rest breaks in the middle of any continuous riding block that exceeds two hours.
- Supplies – The Plan includes 15-minute stops to buy supplies when needed. These are triggered when heading into remote areas or planning to camp overnight outside of a town.
Transport and Transitions:
- Bikes always – The Plan assumes the User has a bike. The Plan only recommends trains that carry bikes.
- Which Timetable – The Plan uses the Monday to Friday train timetable when a day is not specified.
- The Plan schedule includes a 30-minute transition time when moving between a train and your bike. If more than 30 minutes exists before a train departs, the activity is listed as “wait for train” instead of transition.

Nix-Tracks