eNewsletter 195 - Monday 27^th January 2025

G'day fellow rogainers

THE FIRST ROGAINE OF 2025

Our rogaining year begins with a 3-hour minigaine at Kurnell on Sunday 23^rd February. It features a solo entry option.

In this Issue:

Time to Enter the Kurnell 3-hour Minigaine
Sunday 23^rd February
(Solo Rogainers Welcome!)

Entries are open for our first rogaine of 2025. We will be visiting the unique suburb of Kurnell and the adjacent Kamay Botany Bay National Park. No rogaines have ever been held here before.

Registration commences at 7:30am. The event starts at 9 and finishes at 12 noon. Prize giving will be around 12:30pm.

Costs will be Adult: $40, Concession: $28, and Child under 14 free.

The popular location means our numbers have been capped at 400. Shorter events near the City such as this fill fast. The last rogaine at Manly in November attracted almost 500 participants and more than 170 have already entered this one, so you are strongly urged to enter as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Enter Now

This will be the one time in the year where you can either enter as a team or choose to go solo. Snacks and drinks will be provided at the end and are included in the entry fee. The course is suitable for everyone from walkers, families, and competitive runners/orienteers.

Kurnell is a site of rich aboriginal heritage and also where Cook first landed. There is only one road in and it is bordered by Silver Beach to the north, cliffs and ocean to the east, wetlands to the west, and an oil terminal to the south. Kamay Botany Bay National Park is right next door to Kurnell and features heavily in the course. There is also rainforest, coastal scrub, mangroves, open rock faces, beach shacks, cafes, a lighthouse, sandstone cliffs, and plenty of ocean. Look out for wallabies, birds, lizards and maybe some dolphins.

The northern half of the course is flat and relatively easy to navigate - rogainers will be off to a flying start. But don't sprint off on a Kamikaze mission because the course setter, Mat Collin, has found many interesting control locations in the southern half of the map too.

Event related queries can be directed to: admin@nswroganing.org

NSW Rogaining's Year End Survey

Please don't forget to do this survey. We are very interested in your opinions about rogaining and what we can do better.

Complete our survey by February 1^st for a chance to receive a $200 reward or free event entries.

Take the survey.

ACTRA 24-hour Australasian Champs
Snowy Mts, Sat & Sun 15-16^th March

Entries are also open for the 2025 Australasian Championships -- the 'Murrumbidgee Wayfaring' rogaine, hosted by the ACT Rogaining Association. The ACTRA have 24 hours of fun organised for you and your friends, and although a 'championship' event, it is open to all levels of ability.

The event is approximately 3 hours 15 minutes from Canberra and 5 hours 30 minutes from Sydney.

Enter here

The course is being set by champion rogainers David Baldwin and Julie Quinn, with help from other ACT rogainers. They want you to experience the open plains and high country bush of northern Kosciuszko National Park. Situated at the northern end of Long Plain around the headwaters of the Murrumbidgee River, this area features long tracts of unburnt tall forest with grassy plains. Expect lots of variety in this course, from limestone sinkholes to boulders with good views, a few fire trails and single tracks together with loads of untracked areas. The setters will lure you on a rogaine in an area that is a bit different, and you'll see it all.

Above all, you should expect a course that rewards careful navigation and will encourage you to get off the few fire trails.

For more info and to enter, visit the Event Website.

Go Bananas: the Coffs Harbour 6/12-hour Autumngaine Sat 26^th April

Please don't slip on this opportunity! The setters, Keelan Birch and Mark Hurry, insist this will be a very a-peeling experience for all. Located at Bucca in the Coffs Harbour hinterland, the area is easily reached by freeway from both Sydney and Brisbane. Bring your scarves and flags along too because this rogaine will be a 'State of Origin' battle between NSW and QLD.

The event will be held over the ANZAC Day long weekend with both the 6 and 12-hour rogaines commencing at 11am on the Saturday 26^th. Free camping will be available on the Friday and Saturday nights but it is also only a 30 minute trip to Coffs Harbour city, and only 15 minutes to the nearest shops.

Costs will be Adult: $70, Concession: $50, and Child under 14 free.

Entries have just opened

Keelan and Mark are keen to point out that a rogaine has never been held here before. Highlights include lovely rainforest lined creek lines, waterfalls, old mining relics, and lookouts. The forest contains a mix of dry blackbutt, tallowood, flooded gum, brush box and some old NSW Forestry plantations so it is likely to become part of the new Great Koala National Park. Most of the area has previously been logged by Forestry, resulting in some lantana and other spikey plants, but these have been avoided as much as possible when setting the course.

In the spirit of true rogaining, almost all of the controls have been set off track but at the same time course access is facilitated by a large network of Forestry and informal tracks.

There will be an All Night Cafe set up at a lookout, approximately halfway through the course.

To find the most up to date info closer to the event, visit the Autumngaine page on the website.

Take the Annual Rogaining Quiz

The annual quiz has developed a reputation for being fun and entertaining. If you haven't taken it yet, here is the link.

2025 World Rogaining Champs, Spain 5-6^th July

Entries have recently opened for the 2025 World Rogaining Championships to be held in Spain on Saturday & Sunday 5-6^th July.

The rogaine will take place in the mountainous municipalities of Quintanar de la Sierra and Neila, ~170km NNE of Madrid in the northern interrior of Spain. The scenery looks magnificent, and no rogaining or orienteering events have ever been held there before.

The course comprises about 200km² of mountainous terrain with a wide elevation range, including 2 quite large areas exceeding 2,000 metres in altitude, although open pine forest still covers ~70% of the map. High up on the mountains, glacial cirques have alpine meadows and stony areas. An extensive network of roads, forest tracks, and trails allows good accessibility to the entire map.

For much more info and to enter, see the event's home page and start planning your trip!

(The photos below have been taken from the WRC 2025 website.)

2025 Calendar (updated)

The 2025 calendar has been locked in - check it out below or grab one of the flyers at the next event. You can download the 'fridge-friendly' version from the website where you will also find the latest info. Put these dates in your diary, but remember to check the website as there may be changes.

Thinking of Volunteering This Year?

There are still lots of opportunities for you to help with delivering our events this year, including filling some key positions, such as those under the Where and Setting Team columns in the calendar above.

Please drop an email to Robin, our Volunteer Coordinator - volunteer@nswrogaining.org or register to help in any event here.

(NSWRA celebrates its volunteers. Volunteers earn points. 100 points earns entry to a subsequent event. There is a volunteer rewards points table where you can monitor your progress toward a free entry voucher. For more info see the Volunteer Rewards Policy.)

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