eNewsletter 202 - Wednesday 30th April, 2025
G'day fellow rogainers In this issue |
Autumngaine summary & results
A cheery post-mortem Peeling back the layers (A summary by Keelan Birch) A total of 80 teams took part in the Autumngaine held at Lower Bucca State Forest in the Coffs Harbour hinterland. It was fantastic to see such a great turnout, especially in the 12 hour event with 39 teams, for our farthest 'northern' event to date. As expected from a rogaine in the subtropics, the course was quite slow to move through with no easy controls. Many people commented that it was very well set thanks to Mark Hurry and assisted by Helen O'Callaghan and Tony Woolford. It was clear that months and months of field work and preparation had been spent checking each compartment on a new map to find the most suitable off-track control locations. The rain did make the event a bit of an epic. It absolutely poured down from about 2 hours in until 10 hours in. The course setters' rain gauge at Moonee Beach said 100ml in 24 hours and the nearby river gauge at Glenreagh where the creeks flowed said it rose 3.5m to almost a minor flood level in just 12 hours. You needed a sense of humour to survive the rain and vegetation. Not to mention the leeches! Our Hash House looked a bit like a murder scene afterwards. Certainly a memorable event. The event was coordinated by local Keelan Birch. What a great Hash House and set up! Catering from Coffs Harbour Scouts, led by Peter Byron, was superb with many glowing comments. News preview Thank you to NBN News for coming out and covering the event, which was broadcast on the local evening news. Results 12 hour:
6 hour:
Amazingly, despite the challenging terrain, only 1 x 6-hour team and 1 x 12-hour team were late! State of Origin results NSW was crowned the first NSW vs QLD State of Origin champion.
NSW wins! Scoring: where both States have category placings, then 1st in cat = 3pts, 2nd in cat = 2pts, 3rd in cat = 1pt, and then the 6hr & 12hr totals are combined. The full results with more detailed statistics, and many quality team photos by our event photographer Bruce Sutton, can be found on the website. A big thanks to all our volunteers Listed below are all those who helped make the Autumngaine such a great success:
Sponsors A special mention to our sponsors:
Chris's blog: "Buccen Leeches" Finally, Chris Stevenson in his quirky blog, entitled "Buccen Leeches", reveals his team's winning strategy for navigating through a leech-infested rainforest: "As the rogaine went on, tracks leading to controls started to develop. After about three hours, it seems that most of the controls we were visiting had some sort of vague track heading in the right direction. So the trick was to get to the best attack point for that particular control and then look for signs of an indistinct track before heading in." Post-event survey 
If you survived the event on Saturday, we’d love to hear your thoughts in this short anonymous survey on how we went this time, and what we can do to make it even better next time. (And, thanks, we're already aware of the leeches 😂)
Photos above by Bruce Sutton. There are a lot more of his photos from Saturday on the website.
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Next rogaine: Belanglo 6-hour Paddy Pallin, Sun 15th June
Entries opening soon Rick Cavicchioli provides the following update: The 6hr Paddy Pallin Rogaine will be held in the Belanglo State Forest, about half-way between Sydney and Canberra and only a short distance off the Hume Hwy. It will foster NSW/ACT rogainer-rivalry at its best. Latest info The course has been vetted and the map completed. There are loads of great options for beginners and the Final Instructions will have some nice advice about basic navigation. A 100m length of tape will be marked out to help people calibrate their pacing (paces per 100m) and timing (time to walk 100m). The course will challenge the elite to choose the best loops to garner the highest points with the most ambitious tested on how to possibly clear the course. Course details The rogaine will be held entirely in native forest with grand canyon views and time-honoured wandering through sandstone country with spectacular flora and fauna. At an elevation of around 700m, the cool forest air can be enjoyed from the moment you arrive at the Hash House site. If you choose to camp, the official camping area will be adjacent to the Hash House site. The area is spacious and easily accessed with plenty of parking. Finally, we thank our friends and sponsors, Paddy Pallin, for supporting this event. Watch the Paddy Pallin event page on the website for the most up to date info. Event related queries can be directed to: admin@nswroganing.org
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Reminder: 19th World Rogaining Champs, Spain 5-6th July
Entries close June 8th 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.)
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Volunteer opportunities -- caterers & trailer towers needed
A call for caterers - multiple opportunities Ever wanted to decide the menu at a rogaine? We are still looking for people who would like to try their hand at the catering for a number of the events this year. The level of commitment can range from leading the menu selection and procurement to just helping on the day. Give it a go. It's a lot of fun, you won't be on your own (it's a highly social role!), and there'll be plenty of recipes and mentoring available. Trailer towers We are also on the hunt for people willing to tow our 2 trailers to events. The trailers are only small, are pre-loaded, and are easily managed. So, if you have a vehicle with a tow bar, towing a trailer once a year is one of the ways that you could really help. Of course, there are also lots of other opportunities to help with delivering our events this year too. Please drop an email to Robin - volunteer@nswrogaining.org or register to help in any event here. (NSWRA celebrates its volunteers. Support our events and earn free entry! 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.) |
2025 rogaining calendarThe NSW calendar for 2025 is summarised below. Check it out or grab a flyer at the next event. An updated ‘fridge-friendly’ printable calendar (pdf) is also available for download. Put these dates in your diary, but remember to check the website as there may be further changes.
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Some useful links |
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About NSWRA: The New South Wales Rogaining Association inc. (NSWRA) is the governing body of the sport of rogaining in the state of New South Wales.
We are incorporated under state law. ABN 15 314 080 648. © 2025 NSW Rogaining Association |