The Watagan Mountains are West of Australia’s largest coastal saltwater lake. The event will be held near Heaton Lookout with spectacular views of Lake Macquarie and only 2 hours North of Sydney.

The Course traverses both Watagan National Park and Forests NSW areas. Entrants will experience fascinating rainforest, pristine creeks and friendly fauna.

Large areas of the flora open up into stands of spotted gum, turpentine and ironbark. There are stunning spurs and gullies with gymea lillies abound, banksias in the drier flats, and amazing bungalow palm forests in some creeks.

There are many unsealed roads, 4WD tracks and foot single trails criss-crossing the Course to allow easy access to different parts of the forest before careful navigation into checkpoints.

Thanks to the dedication and technical know-how of Hamish Mackie, a quality 1:25000 topographic map with 10 metre contours has been produced. Tracks and trails have been field checked, and any map updates from the forest completed by experienced Mapper & Course Planner, Rob Vincent. The quality of the map and contours supports unambiguous, accurate navigation across the area, even through the deepest rainforested valleys.

Bob and Pam Montgomery are committed Vetters checking tagged checkpoint sites. Pam using map & compass, while Bob verifies with GPS technology (FORBIDDEN for use by competitors!), they have covered almost 100% of the Course so far.

This is a popular event on the Annual Rogaining calendar. Entrants have the option of either a 6 HOUR or 12 HOUR event. There will be user-friendly options and routes for Novices or family groups closer to the Hash House, while longer technical routes for the experienced, fitter competitors will provide challenges that are both navigational and physical.

No matter which route you choose to follow there are plenty of checkpoints boasting spectacular views! Competitors aiming to clear the course or be in the winning top 10 will need to use strategy in their route planning. Arrive early to give yourself planning time. The little things count!!!

As per usual there will be a tea and damper on the map and water drops.

Two options will be available – a 12 hour event with an 11am start and a 6 hour event with a midday start.

Whilst all catering will be provided at the hash house start unfortunately camping will have to occur off site. Watagan Headquarters Campground is the closest to the start location – about 7km away. The start location is drivable via 2wd. We recommend setting up camp and bringing your cutlery, change of clothes etc with you to the start on Saturday morning.

We will have fire pits setup to help keep you warm after you have finished your event.