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Rogaining NSW Newsletter |
Thank you to our contributors this
month. We have a preview of the Nightgaine by Tristan White who is the setter
of this event and has overcome some daunting hurdles to set an interesting and
fun course. Our President, Graham Field encourages all of us to view the NSW
Rogaining Blog which is a fascinating and entertaining trove of our sport’s
history. NSW Rogaining is hosting the Australian Championships at Goobang National Park on 30th September to 1st October and
Julian Ledger encourages all of us to have a go at this event which is very
much open for all standards of rogainer. There is some beautiful country out
that way so make a fun trip of it and
mark it down in your diary. We are also
going to need you to step up and support the event through volunteering as
there is a load of work to be done before, during and after the event. The
Paddy Pallin was a great success and the Paddy Pallin
evening workshop was also a hit. Keelan Birch reminds us that the North Coast
is a very picturesque destination and we should
seriously consider going outside the Sydney bubble to experience events in this
region.
Dale THOMPSON
Editor
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CONTENTS
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Pages 3-4 “The North Shore in a New Light”
2023 Night Rogaine, Upper Lane Cove Valley Saturday 29th July by
Tristan White.
Pages 4-5 President’s Note by Graham Field
Pages 5-7 The Australian Rogaining Champs
– Sept 30th - Oct 1st Goobang NationalvPark, NSW by Julian Ledger
Pages 7 A Call to Arms for the Aus Champs at Goobang, 30-Sep by Trevor Gollan
Pages 8-9 Paddy Pallin Sydney Store's
Experience Series By Nicole & Brooner
Pages 9-10 Paddy Pallin 2023 By Greig Scott
Pages 11-14 Rogaining on The North Coast by Keelan
Birch
Pages 14-15 My Rogaining Mishaps by Dale
Thompson
__________________________________________
“The North Shore in a New Light” 2023 Night Rogaine,
Upper Lane Cove Valley
Saturday 29th July by Tristan White ___________________________________________________________________________
Have you wanted to give night rogaining a go but not
yet been up to enter a 12 or 24hr rogaine? Or plonk yourself in the middle of
the bush with no civilization within 50km?
The night rogaine was introduced to the NSWRA calendar
in 2019 to ease into nighttime navigation by having an event that combined
streets and bushland and wasn’t too long or far away from Sydney metropolitan
area.,
Owing to some issues obtaining approval to access some
of the land, we have had to make some last-minute changes to the Hash House and
course area, and now this year’s event will include 5 and 3-hour options and
will have it’s Hash House at
West Pymble Scout Hall, situated in Bicentennial Park
(not Sydney Olympic Park!). The course will comprise the abundant nearby
pockets of bushland, including Blackbutt Reserve, Sheldon Forest, Bradley
Reserve, Twin Creeks Reserve and Coups Creek which have an abundance of tracks
and watercourses winding through them, and may have a few creative twists to it
to add additional planning challenges.
The area was last used in the 2015 Metrogaine, with
the Hash House on the opposite side of the map in Pennant Hills. Some updates
to the tracks in the years since and of course being in the dark, will make it an
entirely different event for those who can even remember back that far! Now you
can see some of Sydney’s classic bushland and parks in, literally, a completely
new light*.
The course is being set to ensure that there will be
plenty of checkpoints near the start for novices and casual entrants, but a
physical, navigational and route-planning challenge for anyone trying to fish
for a high score.
Maps (A3, 1:15,000 scale, 10m contours) will be
available from 3pm with a mass start at 5pm; but stick around at the end for a
warm meal supplied by our catering team (Chris & Dianne Stevenson) to
compare your route and stories of what we hope to be a very enjoyable event for
rogainers of all levels.
We are currently fishing for a few more volunteers
either before, during or after the event. If you would like to contribute to
helping keep our events running, please message Robin and Katherine at volunteer@nswrogaining.org.
*Or old one, depending on the age of your headtorch!
_______________________________________________________________________________________
President’s Note by
Graham Field
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Finally something good has come out of
the spam folder – well, Treasurer Mike’s anyway. I’ve had this forgettable spam email as well, but quickly dispatched
it to the bit-bucket. Mike actually read it! An
enterprising web publisher suggests that we need a bit more fashion content on
the NSW Rogaining blog – an opinion cleverly derived from scanning the
index. I had to find out whether this
was humanly or AI’ly possible so I had a deep dig
myself into the vault.
The crying need for fashion
content was obvious, but that aside, I was awed at the accumulated knowledge, history and depth of experience that the blog
encapsulates. As a relative newcomer
sitting on the top of this literary iceberg (sorry, I couldn’t think of a more
appropriate Rogaining cliché), the resource that the collection provides is
priceless.
Social media posts are important
but ephemeral – the Blog stands as a persistent historical record and alongside
these newsletters, a step-by-step snapshot of our triumphs, failures,
adventures, attitudes and lack of fashion sense over
the decades. You don’t need to be a wordsmith or even have a startling
revelation or edge-of-the seat experience to tell - this is Rogaining life as
you see it today.
Check it out, get immersed and make a contribution here https://nswrogaining.org/index-of-blog-posts … and be a part of this important
record.
It’s been an interesting first
half of the year with some great events and participation levels that are
exceeding pre-covid levels. We’ve had some fresh, young faces having a go at
Setting and Organising events – not without some
difficulties and tough decisions along the way, but that’s how we learn the
craft and how to do it better next time. I especially want to thank those that
have had a go for the first time and those that have mentored them along the
way.
We’re hosting the Australian
Championships this year and whist this one is in good hands with Past President
Trevor Gollan at the helm and some of our most accomplished rogainers in David
Williams and Ronnie Taib setting the course, we still need a bunch of
volunteers to make this one of the best Aus Champs ever. We’re getting there,
but still need people to help with Catering and the general running of the
event over the whole weekend. Being a
part of the volunteering community at an event adds a whole new dimension to
the Rogaining experience that you’ll never regret. Might even be worth a Blog post.
See you all at the Nightgaine –
it might not be a ‘hoot’, but what would you rather be doing than Rogaining on
a cold, winters night?
________________________________________________________________________________________
The
Australian Rogaining Champs – Sept 30th - Oct 1st Goobang
National Park, NSW by Julian Ledger
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It is
easy to assume that 24-hour rogaines are only for a group of super elite hard
men and women. Nothing could be further from the truth. Think about the event
as a weekend’s bushwalking in springtime in new country to which all are
welcome. The event starts and finishes at midday. These Australian Championships are being run
by Rogaining NSW and only come around in this state every 7 or 8 years. The
course has been set by David Williams and Ronnie Taib and event is being
coordinated by past President Trevor Gollan. NSW 24-hour events have always
been held annually but due to a wicked conspiracy of Covid and wet weather out
west this is the first 24 hour NSW Champs event since
the one at 
Mt
Yengo in 2019 (which Dave and Ronnie won).
I
suggest first time 24s plan a course for the Saturday which will bring the team
back in time for dinner at the HH.
There
are two essential provisions to bring. A bottle of port and a pack of Tim
Tams.
The
Tim Tams are part of the reward for completing a long
days bushwalking. The port (or similar) is for drinking around the campfire and
to help knock you out for a good night’s sleep in the tent. Then, (and this is
the key) the team gets up early and feeling refreshed sets off for another loop
taking advantage of daylight on the Sunday morning.
The
advantages of this strategy are:
·
Most navigation is in daylight
- although it is common for a 7pm return plan to blow out to quite a bit later
due to unforeseen challenges on the course after nightfall.
·
At least there should be no
getting seriously geographically embarrassed around 3.00am when biorhythms are
at their lowest ebb.
·
A night’s rest does wonders for
tired feet and muscles.
·
A hot dinner and breakfast fuel
the energy required.
·
You may well outscore “allnighters” who do it tough.
·
You will want to do another 24 rogaine.
In the
week prior, let it be known to friends family and at
work that you are entered in an Australian Championships. On your return on the Tuesday (Monday is a NSW public holiday which you will need for travel and
rest) you will have tales to tell of your successes and adventures. Remember
that in rogaining, there is no being left behind. First time entrants and
winning teams find themselves at controls at the same time.
If not
quite convinced, there is also an 8-hour event running concurrently but I
reckon to get the best value the 24 is the way to go. Check https://nswrogaining.org for pictures of the open country and granite outcrops you can expect and also the NPWS website for Goobang
National Park.
Course
setters David Williams & Ronnie Taib have explored and set most of the
course for this years champs
near Parkes.
David reports that it is "great rogaining country
... my sort of course."
Which means it is pleasant walking,
and involves lots of off-track navigation.
This
will certainly be a top-class event, but we need a
catering team and also
someone with 4WD to manage water drops.
How about you and your friends step up?
Let
Trevor Gollan know how you can help (AusChamps2023@gmail.com)
_____________________________________________________
A Call to Arms for the Aus Champs at 
Goobang, 30-Sep by Trevor Gollan
____________________________________________________________________________
Course
setters David Williams & Ronnie Taib have explored and set most of the
course for this year’s champs near Parkes.
David reports that it is "great rogaining country
... my sort of course."
Which means it is pleasant walking and involves lots
of off-track navigation.
This
will certainly be a top-class event, but we
need a catering team and also
someone with 4WD to manage water drops.
How about you and your friends step up?
Let
Trevor Gollan know how you can help (AusChamps2023@gmail.com)
___________________________________________________________________________
Paddy Pallin Sydney Store's Experience
Series By Nicole
& Brooner
____________________________________________________________________________
In May Paddy Pallin’s Sydney store hosted a great 2.5
hour intro to rogaining session on an evening after work.
The event started with Paddy Pallin's Emma Jessup
giving a short history on their involvement with rogaining, before a 15-min
crash course on map reading from Nicole. Then we sent participants off to try
rogaining around Sydney's streets, with a 16 control
course using MapRun (NSW Rogaining’s
first QR code event?).
With a map of Darling Harbour
and Sydney CBD, course setter Brooner had agonised over how large to make the course. Would any
runners attend? When Nicole asked the room, there was a noticeable disdain
among participants - 'Run?!?!'.
Just 35 mins later the room contained the glowing,
sweaty faces of people who’d clearly run as much as possible. There was chatter, laughter and a room full of engaged people wanting to learn
and do more!
We then segued into a fuller discussion of maps,
planning, strategy, finding teammates, kit and more. We also looked at two past
PP rogaine maps as examples of what was to come, with plenty of questions from
around the room.
It felt like a great success, with good feedback from
participants, and in terms of conversion the numbers back this up:
- 30 tickets sold
- 21 showed up (wet evening)
- 20 did the rogaine
- 7 did the 60th PP rogaine
at Currambene
- 1 team signed up within a week!
Thank you to Emma Jessop and Paddy Pallin for thinking
up and delivering this successful event. We certainly think it is a great model
to introduce the sport to newcomers, ahead of accessible events.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Paddy Pallin 2023 By Greig Scott
___________________________________________________________________________
I was a latecomer to rogaining - and it came about
after reading an article by Phillip Adams following a rogaine held on his
property. I remember the sense of anticipation at the start of that first one
and wondering what the bush had in store. Some 20+ years later, that feeling
was still there as we readied for the 60th Paddy Pallin Rogaine.
I arrived late after a long but easy drive from
Maitland, and just in time to hear about the history of the event and Paddy's
support for rogaining. It was a convivial scene around the dining area and fire
drums, and a great credit to the organisers for
making the occasion special.
I found a level patch to camp on
and the mozzies provided the incentive for an early
night, and as promised, it was quite mild. In the morning light the bush around
the camp had light undergrowth and I thought, nice country for a rogaine. Hmm..
We decided to do a clockwise loop, seeing that that
looked like giving more options for getting home, depending on how far we got. It wasn't
too far into the event before the bush showed its true character - tussocky
undergrowth with lots of concealed logs and branches which made for slow going,
and we reassessed our strategy to take some longer track routes between
controls. One of the good things about
having many teams is that we were often able to walk in the footsteps of
others, which made travel through the bush much easier. And it was nice to cross paths
several times with a couple of other teams. the bush.
We
had been promised some challenging navigation and that was the case, with
relatively flat terrain and thickish bush making high points and creek beds
difficult to pinpoint in places. Fortunately my team
mate drifting too far to the right, and nearly said something but fortunately
didn't as we hit the control spot on. Shane is an excellent navigator.
The biggest challenge was control 83. It was in "
the middle of nowhere " and we discovered that the middle of nowhere is a pretty big place, but after backtracking to a small creek,
the only reasonably close feature, we found it on the next try.
During the fifth hour I started to get some cramps
from lifting my legs so much to get through the bush, but as soon as it opened up I was OK- I envied Shane his longer legs and long stride.
Come the last hour, and the pressure to get as many
controls as possible without being late, the adrenalin (or something) kicked in
and it went quickly as always. There was the satisfaction of knowing we had
given it our best shot, and I was genuinely surprised that we did so well in
the end, so it was a tired but happy trip home, glad that we had made the
effort.
It was a good day, and gratitude and praise cannot be
heaped too highly on all the people who contributed so much time and energy to
make it a success and thereby help keep the sport of rogaining attractive and
alive.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Rogaining on the North Coast by Keelan
Birch
__________________________________________________________________________
Did
you know you can view a map of past NSWRA events here with
a full list of events here?
Fun
fact: there has never been a rogaine organised by NSW Rogaining on the North Coast of NSW.
Our
recent 'Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining' event at
Stroud was the furthest north we have held a rogaine on the eastern side of the
Great Dividing Range. Other northern events have been held by the Rogaining
Queensland, such as their 2022 Queensland Championships, but as we said in our
Blog Post: We need a Wall!
Rogainer
Keelan Birch is active in the outdoor community on the North Coast and talks
about a potential future rogaine event on the North Coast.
The
North Coast as a region covers 12 LGAs between Port Macquarie and Tweed Heads
and links the rapidly growing areas of Sydney, the Hunter and South East Queensland. The recently upgraded Pacific Highway
now makes it a smooth and comfortable drive from Brisbane or Sydney. This is
both a pro and a con for us. It means we are equidistant to the centre of two rogaining associations but also means that we
are a black hole when it comes to events in the region. Granted, this is not
just for rogaining events but also for adventure races and trail running.
I have
been actively trying to change this. I am behind everything to do with Coffs
Trail Runners - a not for profit association that organises low-cost trail running events. There is also the Bush n
Beach Orienteering Club in Coffs Harbour that I am President of and there is also the Hastings Orienteering Group in
Port Macquarie - both with a handful of rogainers that attend NSWRA events. The
Coffs
Hikers are another growing club who actively promote and
attend NSWRA events. Between us, we have talked about organising
an event on the North Coast.
There
are several unique challenges with organising a rogaine on the North Coast.
1. The
vegetation is too dense. When compared to the rest of the State, the North
Coast is characterised by much denser vegetation due
to higher than average rainfall. There is a reason why
between the two orienteering clubs we only have 2 suitable bush orienteering
maps. While we have previously held a long distance
orienteering event (aka a 'rogaine') at Bom Bom State Forest near Grafton. However, the map is only
large enough to cover a 3 hour event and has recently
been logged. This is quite common in our region, with many larger State Forests
now infested with lantana after harvesting events. Finding suitable large areas
for getting off-track for extended periods is challenging.
2.
Protected areas. A large portion of the region has a World Heritage Listing or
is a declared wilderness area. A no go for rogaining.
3.
Remote and challenging terrain. While this might seem appealing to veteran
rogainers, much of the terrain is very difficult to access, let alone possible
to hold an event in. Generally, anything east of the Pacific Highway,
particularly near the Coffs Harbour escarpments is
extremely steep.
However,
wherever there are challenges, there are also opportunities:
1.
Rogaining somewhere new. Who doesn't love a new and exciting environment to
rogaine in?
2.
Large bush areas close to regional hubs. There are large sections of national
parks and coastal reserves close to towns like Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour that show off the coastline and littoral
rainforest.
3. The
opportunity for a 'State of Origin' / interstate event. I think the time is
ripe for a friendly NSW vs QLD rogaining rivalry and the North Coast is the
perfect place to do so. What do you think?
While
i am no expert in great areas to rogaine on the North Coast, and have not
explored private property options, I see events on the North Coast taking being
held in a similar vein to events like the 2016 Paddy Pallin rogaine at
Catherine Hill Bay or the 2021 Metrogaine at Wollongong.
While
i am no expert in great areas to rogaine on the North Coast, and have not
explored private property options, I see events on the North Coast taking being
held in a similar vein to events like the 2016 Paddy Pallin rogaine at
Catherine Hill Bay or the 2021 Metrogaine at Wollongong.
We
have potential options for 12hr events combining the bush and beach but have
not found an area suitable for a 24hr event. We are looking at ANZAC day long
weekend for 2025 if the rogaining community is interested.
If an
event, particularly an interstate event / championship, goes well, I have
enough ideas for future bi-annual events.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
My
Rogaining Mishaps
By Dale Thompson
___________________________________________________________________________
I have had a wide variety of
experiences in Rogaining some of which turned into disasters, but from each of
these I have learned valuable skills and lessons. I can look back on them
fondly now and hope to improve my performance. On a particularly wet weekend my
husband and I headed up to Wiseman’s Ferry for a Rogaining event. Bruce seems
to have a sixth sense when it comes to picking the right course and direction (well he has when it comes to
bush running courses) so I took a more passive role in the navigation because I
do not have great faith in my skills.
We managed well for about the
first three and a half when we seemed to lose our bearings and repeat some of
the course we had already covered. It was then that Bruce pointed in a
southerly direction and said it was northerly. I referred to my compass and
contradicted him, pointing in the opposite direction. We debated this for a
while and then Bruce decided to return to a spot where he was sure that he had
the correct bearing. When he arrived there he was
unsure because the land did not match the idea of direction in his head despite
it matching the compass direction. We pressed on for about another hour, not
getting any controls when I decided to pull the pin. I took out my phone and
referred to the compass on it. Sure enough, we were completely wrong about our
direction so we beelined it to the finish and went home wet and cold. I learned
then that if you think that either the map or the compass are
wrong it’s you who is wrong! The compass is right as is the map.
I once headed out on a Rogaine
down Sutherland way with some of my pals, good runners but total rogaining
novices. We were enjoying the event with a variety of running and walking until
about the last hour when, climbing through a fence, I dropped my reading
glasses and was not able to relocate them. As the only competent navigator in
the team, we were totally lost without my glasses. We wandered around for a
while trying to sort out where we were when were lucky to connect with another
team of rather fast rogainers who were headed back to the Hash House. We told
them of our predicament and they allowed us to cling
to them as much as possible seeing them in the distance and we managed to
locate the finish. The lesson from this was to share the navigation with all
the team members, teaching them while in the event and to take a spare pair of
glasses in your pack.
Glasses seem to have been a
problem for me. I managed to drop another pair deep into Belanglo Forest when
helping scope out a Rogaine course. I thought that they were gone forever, but
miraculously, some rogainer came across them several weeks later and they were
returned in good condition.
Robin Cameron and I have
completed many Rogaining events together and on two occasions I have lost my
map. The first time was during a Nightgaine in southern Sydney, but I was
fortunate as it was in the latter stages of the event
and I was familiar with our route home and Robin is less careless of her
possessions. On our most recent Rogaine at Stroud, we were not long into the
event when we made and incorrect assumption (the bane of all rogainers) and
headed perpendicular to our intended course. When the terrain did not match the
map, we did a rethink and headed cross country to the correct route. In our
frustration at having to negotiate dense, steep ground we managed to lose one
of our compasses. A little later I was enjoying a steep uphill short cut and didn’t
notice my map drop from the front of my pack. Fortunately, between the two of
us we had enough equipment to make it back to the finish.
Another time on a course,
somewhere north of Sydney I happened to look down, deep into the bush and
spotted a set of car keys. I picked them up and continued on
in the event. At the finish I happened to mention to Robin’s husband that I had
picked up a set of keys. He checked his pockets and realised
that these were his keys which he had not noticed had disappeared. All these
incidents serve to teach me not to take valuables on the course, to secure my
map and compass carefully, but most of all to enjoy the event.
Event
Calendar for 2023
Further details on https://nswrogaining.org/coming-events/
|
Saturday 15 July 2023 |
27/12 hr Navshield |
TBA |
|
Sunday 6 August 2023 |
ACTRA 6 hr Metrogaine |
Canberra |
|
Saturday 26 August 2023 |
12/6 hr Lake Macquarie |
Watagans |
|
Saturday 2 September 2023 |
ACTRA Night/Day/Cycle |
NSW South Coast |
|
Saturday 30 September 2023 |
Australian Championships |
Goobang NP, Parkes |
|
Saturday 28 October 2023 |
ACTRA 12/6 hr Spring |
TBA |
|
Sunday 29 October 2023 |
Surprise Rogaine |
Newcastle Region |
|
Sunday 19 November 2023 |
Socialgaine |
Sydney Harbour |
. Email b_inglis@bigpond.com
Dale Thompson, Editor