NSW are hosting the 2023 Australian Rogaining Championships, a 24-hour rogaine held on Dharawal country, in Goobang National Park and adjacent private land. It’s about 300km WNW of Sydney and a similar distance from Canberra.
The Intervarsity Championships will be held in conjunction with the ARC, and an 8-hour non-championship event will be available for those who want to compete in a shorter event.
What is Rogaining? The sport of cross-country navigation. Teams of two to five members travel entirely on foot, navigating with the aid of a map and compass. Read more here.
Goobang is believed to be an Aboriginal word for a species of the acacia tree.
Goobang National Park sits at the western edge of the Central Tablelands, with panoramic views across the western plains. It is an ecotone, a transition zone with flora and fauna species from western New South Wales as well as those more commonly found on the Great Dividing Range.
The base camp (Hash House) is between Parkes and Orange, 300km north of Canberra and 330km west of Sydney CBD.
A mixture of grazing farmland with plenty of natural bushland in Goobang NP. Altitude varies from 400 to 800 metres above sea level.
David Williams and Ronnie Taib are the course setters. They are the best long-distance rogainers in NSW, having finished in the top ten at every AusChamps since 2014 (apart from West Australia 2016 which they didn’t attend.) David and Ronnie’s last course creation was the memorable NSW Champs at Kanangra in 2016.
The Hash House will be on a level, cleared space with ample room for camping, from Friday 29-Sep until Monday 2-Oct, noting that the Monday is a public holiday for ACT, NSW & SA.
Most people find their own way to the site, but we encourage use of buses provided especially for the event. Cost for this service will be subsidised, in order to make it attractive.
1. A coach will run from Canberra on Friday afternoon;
2. A bus will connect from Lithgow Railway Station on Friday evening;
3. If there is demand, a connection can be arranged from the Orange or Parkes Airports – if you arrange separately with the event organisers.
Detailed timings and costs will be announced later in the year, before registration opens.
At the moment we would like expressions of interest in use of the above options…
Refer any questions to AusChamps2023@gmail.com