NSW Rogaining Association

"Your Guide to Rogaining in NSW"

Report by the course setters ...

(as published in the July 1991 Newsletter, Number 29)

Return to Euroka

I had intended holding this year's Paddy Pallin Rogaine on the South Coast and visited two potential sites late last year. Both would have offered a real challenge and had some spectacular features but were a bit too rough to set safe and enjoyable novice controls; and neither 'captured' me the way the Boyd Lookout area had last year. In January I moved to Glenbrook and being a map addict purchased a Penrith sheet the day I moved. I noticed that Euroka Clearing was on the map. I remembered the name from an article on the Paddy Pallin event; it had been used for the first four events from 1964 to 1967. A quick visit to the area proved what those who competed can confirm; it's a. beautiful area which allowed a wonderful introduction to rogaining for novices and a challenge for the old hands ... and the bush was probably more. open than on the South Coast!
From the beginning I was worried about the impact of a big rogaine on the area, particularly the beautiful but fragile Euroka Clearing. It may have been my expression of this concern that won the support of the National Parks and Wildlife Service who from the outset were very supportive. I came across the helipad while setting #41 (correctly) and noted it for future reference as a possible assembly area. (We agreed to a limit of 300 entrants and so I was worried when I rang to say that it'd be closer to 350 but they were understanding. In the end we had 378 with another 50 odd missing out. After years of trying to build up numbers I found turning people down a real problem. If you read this please forgive us and do come back!)
Everything went well up to the "wet long weekend we had to have". I had planned to put out ten more controls on the Monday, including #41, but I arrived at the causeway at 9am to see the height at 1.8 metres. I came back at 3.30pm to see it almost touching 4.0 metres. Contingency plans were in preparation but by Thursday it was clear that we could get across the causeway. However, 200 cars on Euroka was out of the question. "How about the helipad?" I asked. "Great idea" replied Margo Sharp, and we had an event. As it turned out Euroka dried out enough to let campers enjoy its beauty (and leechesl) and the helipad made the perfect assembly area.
Getting the markers out became a problem having lost the Monday so a desperation call went out to Tony Maloney and Cameron Osborne of Big Foot Orienteers. Along with Julian, Gary and Jo-Anne we got them all out on Saturday except for #26 and #42 which couldn't be found and #41! By the time I heard that. #41 was wrong it was too late -its subtle positioning had fooled even the best of navigators. How 84 teams
found the marker to punch reflects very poorly on our navigation!!!

With such a beautiful area and a huge attendance all that was needed for a great event was fine weather. I had ordered "just a dry day, please" and so the magnificent weather came as a real surprise after the previous weekend and last year's event.
Then for six hours I wondered where you'd all gone. A rough check of the cards showed me that you went everywhere. The control card below shows how many teams visited each control. It was also pleasing to note that you visited an average of just under ten controls. Just about all of you spent time in one of the delightful creeks while less than a third found your way to one of the spectacular lookouts; they're worth a visit sometime.

Being so close to home and with a good track network I had been able to set a big course with controls weighted so that there would be (I hoped) no obvious "best" route. The results seem to indicate that this was the case. The first two teams (680 points) both went on different east and south loops while the third team (670 points) went north and west, and of the top nine teams four went either way and one did a middle loop. I had predicted a winning score of 750 to 800 points but it seems that that the leeches slowed the top teams down! The winning route is shown on the accompanying map. The second team's route was 41-22-33-25-27-44-26-12-64-89-43-35-45-36-46-67-37-57-55-21-HH. Ian McKenzie noted that they lost time along the indistinct track along Campfire Creek, which really was very slow, and by going into and out of #57 from the road rather than via #44. By contrast the third team arrived back with 14 minutes spare having decided not to visit #22 and #28 which were just off their route: 41-53-52-61-60-21-54-55-56-73-67-37-44-12-26-11. Tile only con-trol, apart from #41, which caused some controversy was #61 and I have an offer from Trevor Gollan to help collect it so that's its correct position can be confirmed or an apology forthcoming.
And that was the 28th Paddy Pallin. As in previous years, your comments made the efforts in organising well worth it. My greatest satisfaction from the event came from seeing twenty Scout teams. I feel sure that Paddy would've been pleased!, See you all next year.

Warwick and Julian


For general information about this event, contact  ...

Graeme Cooper
phone: 02 6772 3584
email:   webmaster@nswrogaining.org



For documents relating to this and other event see the "Event Archives"


Who could enter?

Like all NSWRA rogaines, anyone could enter. You had to make up a team of between 2 and 5 people. If you were under 14 years of age on the day of the event you had to have an adult in your team.