The weekly e-newsletter of

Bendigo Orienteers Inc.

Issue 19/14: 28 May, 2014

Contact (for this publication): Peter J. Creely: luddcreely@impulse.net.au (Ph. 5443 1975)

Web site: www.bendigo-orienteers.com.au

If you wish to unsubscribe from this bulletin, please click the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of this email. If you would like this Bulletin to be emailed directly to you, please email bendigo.orienteers@gmail.com.

 Any Juniors? You may have noticed the paragraph in last week’s Bulletin re our juniors and their successes at the Secondary Schools Champs in Melbourne. These kids are part of Bendigo’s JSquad, made up of young people from 8 or 9 years old onwards. Our Squad numbers approximately 15 or 16 kids and you will see them at our local events most Saturdays, and also their names usually high up in the results list on the Monday after. It is a great little group and is always open to more people. If any parents have kids who come out to orienteering and who are showing an interest, I would be happy to put them on my mailing list for 1. a weekly e-Bulletin similar to this one and 2. a small monthly colour newsletter with items on map reading, navigational techniques and such like. It is not heavy stuff but kids may find it of interest and helpful to their participation. If you and/or your children are interested please let me know and I will add you to my list.

Map reading exercise. After the present Space Racing series has finished (late June) I will be conducting 3 or 4 map reading exercises for the SR people (and others) who express an interest. The exercises will consist of a short walk (approx. 1.5 to 2 kms) through an area of forest that has a good range of features – pits, rock, contour feature etc. I would like to give the kids (parents are most welcome also) the opportunity to see how features actually look on the ground and how they are represented on the map. At this stage I intend to do a couple of these in Castlemaine as we have some interested people from schools down there. More details later.

Congratulations Bendigo Orienteers! Our club featured very high in the honours list at the recent Victorian Orienteering Association presentation day. We took out the Rockhopper Trophy which is awarded to the club that has gained the most points in the 12 month period leading up to the annual presentations day. Points are awarded in the Victorian Individual Long, Middle and Sprint Distance Foot Championships, the Victorian Club Foot Relays, and all State Series Foot events.

We also had 6 State Series Champions

Bryan Keely

Jimmy Cameron

John Wilkinson

Serryn Eenjes

Jenny Ball

Raelee Eenjes

Daryl Fleay was named 2013 Course Setter of the Year, for his Easter Saturday courses at Yorkshire Hill, well done Daryl

Clare Brownridge and Jim Russell were named in the group that received the ‘Coach of the Year’ award. This group coached the Junior Schools team that won the Aus Schools Champs

Well done to all and well done Bendigo.

Newcomers. Our club has made a strong commitment in recent years to having people who front up to an event as ‘newcomers’ being put in the picture as to procedures for registration, a recommendation for a course suitable for them on the day and, of course, enough of the orienteering basics so that they will enjoy their experience and (hopefully) come back again …and again.

The ‘Newcomers’ Table’ which is set up each week does need orienteers who feel that they would like to give to others some of their excitement in our sport and to pass on some basic introductory messages. A table without enthusiastic and experienced orienteers is nothing. Please consider giving a bit of your time (you can still go on your run – before or after) so that this great initiative of our club is maintained. Spread the load – this shouldn’t just be the responsibility of a couple of people in the club. There are orange caps to wear and these can be used on the day for identification of you as a helper – they are in the box at the Newcomers’ Table.

Bendigo Primary Schools Champs. Friday 6th June at 10am. We are looking for more people to help in this important event. We have a few but are after as many as we can get to make it a bit easier all round. If you have a few hours to spare on that day (or can alter your schedule to suit) could you please advise David Jones on jones.d@impulse.net.au It would be great if you could help – it is an important event and it is a fun day.

Space Racing, 24 May: Down to Spring Gully Creek! Different terrain – different race planning. No participant visited all controls, 12 being the maximum (out of 15), by two teams. Anyway, it was a good event and I’m sure everyone learnt a little more about technique and tactics. Next week we will be at Kennington Reservoir at the BBQ area on Reservoir Road, a few hundred metres north from the traffic lights in Condon Street (at the Reservoir Hotel). A full report can be found on the Space Racing web page.

A preview of forthcoming attractions. Queen’s Birthday double header – Maldon – Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June 2014.

Bendigo Orienteers and Nillumbik Emus Orienteering Club invite you to enjoy the long weekend in the historic goldfields with a taste of granite thrown in on Saturday

Saturday 7 June – King and Queen of the Mountain (Tarrengower) – Bendigo Rocks Series #1

· Courses 1, 2 and 3 will find their way into the granite before returning to the town.

· An excellent intro for newcomers to bush orienteering.

· Enter on day for all courses.

· Start any time between 12.30 pm and 2.00 pm.

· Courses by Mark Hennessy.

Sunday 8 June – State Series Event #7 – South German, Maldon State Forest, near Newstead – Nillumbik Emus Orienteers

· The terrain is mostly spur-gully; some strongly expressed, some subtle, mixed with rock features and gold mining.

· Pre-entry is recommended, on-line via Eventor, early bird by next Tuesday 3 June (late on-line entry until Thursday 5 June).

· Enter-on-day available, while map stocks last.

· Start times from 10.00 am to 1.00 pm. Registration closes 12.30 pm. Courses close from 2.30 pm.

· Full details next issue.

Course setting for a Space Race. Thanks to two people – we now have all Space Races catered for.

Fiddlers Green. Full details can be found on our webpage.

Coming Events: Saturday 31 May.

Map: Sedgwick

Organiser: Nigel McGuckian

Course Setter: Jack Wigney

Start: 12.30 pm to 2.00 pm

Comment: Sedgwick is one of the best orienteering maps in Victoria. Beautiful forest – especially at the moment, and good contour. And of course, great course setting by Jack Wigney. It would be a shame if you missed it!

From Bendigo, travel to Strathfieldsaye. Turn right into Emu Creek Road and follow O signs. From Mandurang , take Mandurang Road and turn left into Storeys Road. At Emu Creek Road turn right and follow O signs. From Melbourne, exit the Calder Fwy at the Elphinstone exit and turn right into the Bendigo –Sutton Grange Road. This becomes Axe Creek road. Turn left into Emu Creek Road and follow O signs.

Next Bulletin 4 June

The weekly e-newsletter of

Bendigo Orienteers Inc.

Issue 18/14: 21 May, 2014

Contact (for this publication): Peter J. Creely: luddcreely@impulse.net.au (Ph. 5443 1975)

Web site: www.bendigo-orienteers.com.au

If you wish to unsubscribe from this bulletin, please click the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of this email. If you would like this Bulletin to be emailed directly to you, please email bendigo.orienteers@gmail.com.

Vic Secondary Schools team — well done to our JSquad people. Congratulations and very well done to the following Bendigo JSquad people for winning inclusion to the state representative squad for the Australian Secondary Schools Orienteering Championships: Caitlyn Steer (Junior Girls – first time in – well done!), Leisha Maggs (Senior Girls), Michael Loughnan and Jimmy Cameron (Junior Boys), Louis Cameron, Lachlan Cherry and Tavish Eenjes (all Senior Boys).

Also, I am taking the opportunity to let you know where our Junior people placed overall in the Secondary Schools Champs:

Girls 13A: Karina Cherry 1st. 14A: Caitlyn Steer 2nd; Open A: Leisha Maggs 1st. Boys 14A: Glenn James 2nd and Michael Loughnan: 3rd. 15A: Jimmy Cameron 1st. 16A: Lachlan Cherry 2nd. Tavish Eenjes 3rd. Open A: Louis Cameron 3rd.

Congratulations to all these people: you are a credit to your families, to the sport and to our club. Well done!

Space Racing, 17 May: After becoming so used to Kangaroo Flat, Strathdale was a bit of a challenge to some of the kids – it was also the first day of the competition. We had eleven kids competing – far less than the ‘glory days’ but still a significant number. Really, the competition is just the beginning, the real work comes in looking beyond SR and working out how we get them into the bush and keep them in real orienteering. We’ve never quite managed to capture the knack of doing that – sadly, but where we did manage it we have had great results! See item above re Bendigo Orienteers representation in the Vic Secondary Schools team.

Course setting for a Space Race. We have two vacancies for course setting in our SR program: Sat. 7 June on Strathfieldsaye Linear Park and 21 June at Spring Gully (north end on Norfolk Hero, at the end of Wattle Drive, where we started the Bush Classic a few weeks ago)

Kangaroo Gully. A full report and results can be found on our webpage.

Coming Events: Saturday 24 May.

Map: Fiddlers Green (Eaglehawk)

Organiser: Leisha Maggs/Colin Walker

Course Setter: Leisha Maggs/Colin Walker

Start: 12.30 pm to 2.00 pm

Comment: Fiddlers Green is predominately old gold mining with a good track network and not a lot of steep contour. It almost reeks of history and was a very significant area for the small gold miners of the late 1870’s around Bendigo. It can be a very challenging area navigation wise. Go carefully and enjoy it!

Courses: Courses 1, 2 and 3 difficult navigation, 4 moderate nav. And 5 easy.

DIRECTIONS From Bendigo travel to the township of Eaglehawk. Continue along Eaglehawk Road and take the right, Sailors Gully Road, at the V intersection. After approx 1km, turn right into Hodgson Street and after a couple hundred meters, left into Whipstick Road. Parking and assembly a few hundred meters down the road.

Next Bulletin 28 May

The weekly e-newsletter of

Bendigo Orienteers Inc.

Issue 17/14: 14 May, 2014

Contact (for this publication): Peter J. Creely: luddcreely@impulse.net.au (Ph. 5443 1975)

Web site: www.bendigo-orienteers.com.au

If you wish to unsubscribe from this bulletin, please click the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of this email. If you would like this Bulletin to be emailed directly to you, please email bendigo.orienteers@gmail.com

Space Racing, 10 May: there are some things that we can be sure will happen in our lives – taxes, death and – the Certainty of the Unexpected! Saturday at Kangaroo Flat Gardens we had the drizzly rain — I suppose we expected that, it was forecast. But the unexpected: the closure of all the roads by which we could gain access to the start area! Anyway it seemed that everyone got there and it was a good morning.

Thank you to everyone – parents and helpers for their assistance on Saturday – it was greatly appreciated! Special thanks to Michael and Leisha for their help and example and for injecting into orienteering the vision of young junior elites in action!

Upper Crusoe. A good attendance in spite of the weather. A full report and results can be found on our webpage.

Coming Events: Bendigo Bush Classic – Kangaroo Gully Challenge
On Saturday the 17th of May, Using the 1996 Victorian Championship elite (men’s) course as a template, this event will offer the opportunity to run that course and challenge yourself to compete against the original winner’s time! There is also a wide range of alternative courses to choose from.

Kangaroo Gully offers an enjoyable blend of spur gully terrain with areas of gold mining detail. Runability is generally very good through open Box-Ironbark/Heathy Dry Forest vegetation, with good visibility throughout.
Directions: From Bendigo: From the Hattam St intersection, travel south along Allingham Street. Continue south into Kangaroo Gully Road. Turn hard right at Read Lane (O sign) and park immediately in open area adjacent. Walk to registration 300m southeast following tape.

Early arrivals before 1pm drive through (along Read La) into paddock.

Later arrivals after 1pm park in large clearing adjacent to Kangaroo Gully Rd

From Melbourne: turn right off Calder Hwy into Taylor St at the second set of traffic lights along Hwy (Wesley St to the left). At the top of the hill follow around left into Railway St. Turn right at end of Railway St (watch for traffic coming under the bridge!) Travel under bridge for 250m and turn right into Allingham St. Continue south along Kangaroo Gully Rd and turn hard right at Read Lane (O sign), park immediately in open area adjacent.

CAUTION: DUE TO A CROSS-COUNTRY RUN IN THIS AREA, THERE MAY BE A LARGE NUMBER OF VEHICLES WITHIN THE VACINITY DURING SATURDAY AFTERNOON.

PLEASE WATCH FOR RUNNERS AND ORIENTEERS CROSSING or MOVING ALONG TRACKS WHEN ENTERING/LEAVING THE EVENT/PARKING AREAS

Next Bulletin 21 May

The weekly e-newsletter of

Bendigo Orienteers Inc.

Issue 16/14: 7 May, 2014

Contact (for this publication): Peter J. Creely: luddcreely@impulse.net.au  (Ph. 5443 1975)

Web site: www.bendigo-orienteers.com.au

If you wish to unsubscribe from this bulletin, please click the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of this email. If you would like this Bulletin to be emailed directly to you, please email bendigo.orienteers@gmail.com

Tio Mila – Sweden all night relay

While we were all tucked up in bed Saturday night, 3 of Bendigo’s top Orienteers, were getting ready for the biggest Club relay in Sweden. Running for their Swedish clubs, Evan Barr (Lidingö) and Leon Keely (Sävedalens) ran the long (17k) night leg, starting at 1:30 in the morning, while club mate, Toph Naunton was running the slightly shorter, 15.6k morning leg for his club, Nolaskogsarna.

As one of the competitors was heard to say ”Fun is not the word I would use to describe that. Survive is more apt. 17k night orienteering in green grunge, 1 degree, I’m stuffed”

Space Racing: It was a good opening day for Space Racing last Saturday. We had about twenty kids try out the course at Kangaroo Flat and the enthusiasm (and enjoyment) level seemed high – next Saturday will tell the tale! A lot of the people on Saturday had been in SR’ing last year and it was good to see them back. Next Saturday (10 May) we will register and organise teams and competition rules will apply as a try out for them before the main competition starts.

SR Registration

Day and date: Saturday 10 May

Place: Kangaroo Flat Gardens.

Time: Assemble by 9.45, planned to wind up by 11.00am

Directions: From Bendigo: travel south through Bendigo to Kangaroo Flat. At the traffic lights at the Lockwood Road intersection turn left into Camp Street and continue for approx. 200 metres until it ends at the Gardens. From Castlemaine and points south: travel to Bendigo on the Calder and turn right into Camp Street at the Lockwood Road traffic lights in Kangaroo Flat, then as above.

Again, it would be great if we could have a good roll up of members to help.

Coming Events. Saturday 10 May

Map: Upper Crusoe.

Organisers/Course Setters: Neil Barr

Start: 12.30 to 2.00 pm

Format: Bendigo Bush Classic – five courses: 1 difficult, 2 shorter difficult; 3 shorter still, difficult; 4 Moderate and 5: easy.

Comment: This will be e good event – don’t miss it! A good course setter and a map relatively new in Bendigo. See you there!

Directions: The assembly for this event is at Tuckerman’s Lane, off the Calder Highway. Access to the event and exit from the event requires careful driving because of the speed of traffic on the Calder Highway (at this point 100km/hr) and because there is no crossing of the divided Calder Highway at Tuckerman’s Lane (west).

FROM BENDIGO Drive 300 metres south past Tuckerman’s Lane (east side) to a Calder Highway crossing point. At this point you can do a U-turn . Take extreme care making this U-turn as the traffic from Melbourne will be travelling at 100 km/hr. You need to cross into the far lane and travel back north for 300 metres and then turn left into Tuckerman’s Lane. It is a rough dirt track and you will need to slow down significantly to make the turn. Watch for traffic coming from behind you.

Exit is simpler, requiring a left turn only to travel back to Bendigo. Again, be very cautious.

FROM MELBOURNE/CASTLEMAINE Tuckerman’s Lane is 1.9 kilometres towards Bendigo after crossing the high point of the Calder Highway on the Big Hill Range. There is no signage. It is a dirt track. Take care slowing on approach. To exit and return south you need to exit left from Tuckerman’s Lane and travel 300 metres north towards Bendigo to a crossing point. Here you can do a U-turn into the opposite lane of the Calder Hway and resume your journey southwards.

Next Bulletin 14 May

The weekly e-newsletter of

Bendigo Orienteers Inc.

Issue 15/14: 30 April, 2014

Contact (for this publication): Peter J. Creely: luddcreely@impulse.net.au (Ph. 5443 1975)

Web site: www.bendigo-orienteers.com.au

Important! If you don’t want to receive the bulletin, or if, at any time, you wish to discontinue receiving it, please advise me by return e-mail and your name will be taken off my list.

 Norfolk Hero: a great event! Thanks and congratulations to Michael Loughnan for the courses and organisation and to Colin Walker for his tireless watching eye (and advice) over all the preparations. As a club we are gathering a very valuable group of junior course setters, and of Mentors who generously give of their time (and effort) to assist them. Our JSquad is a very valuable asset to our club. Its members are not only the future of the sport in Bendigo, they are very much the present – have a look at the results. Well done Michael and thank you Colin!

A footnote: On his Course 5 (easy) Michael arranged for a large tree to fall over the track between two of the controls, creating an obstacle. This is, to my knowledge, the first time a course setter has been able to achieve this feat (probably it was just as well that it happened a few days before the event!). And of course, don’t forget the flat tyre on the Volvo out in the middle of the forest! Full results are on our web page.

 Space Racing – Introduction

Day and date: Saturday 3 May

Place: Kangaroo Flat Gardens.

Time: Assemble by 9.45, planned to wind up by 11.00am

Directions: From Bendigo: travel south through Bendigo to Kangaroo Flat. At the traffic lights at the Lockwood Road intersection turn left into Camp Street and continue for approx. 200 metres until it ends at the Gardens. From Castlemaine and points south: travel to Bendigo on the Calder and turn right into Camp Street at the Lockwood Road traffic lights in Kangaroo Flat, then as above.

At this Intro we will accompany kids/parents around a short SR course and show them how controls are presented, what they need to do to register their visit, what features on the ground look like on the map — all the stuff that we all take for granted.

It would be great if we could have a good roll up to help.

 Coming Events. Saturday 3 May

Map: Lyell Forest .

Organisers/Course Setters: Julie Flynn

Start: 12.30 to 2.00 pm

Format: Bendigo Bush Classic – five courses: 1 difficult, 2 shorter difficult; 3 shorter still, difficult; 4 Moderate and 5: easy.

Comments: Lyell Forest is a spur/gully area – very subtle. There are few steep hills and a sparse track network. Come out and experience some beautiful forest and some challenging courses from Julie.

Directions: Travel out from Bendigo through Strathfieldsaye. Continue to the Axe Creek Catholic Church where you turn right. Drive 3.5km along Axe Creek Rd to Paton’s Rd where you turn left. Continue for 6km to Doles Rd. Travel south along Doles Rd for 4.9km and follow the orienteering signs to the assembly area. Park as directed.
DO NOT attempt to drive out the way you drove in. Doles Rd is too narrow for vehicles to pass.
On leaving the assembly area after the event, follow directions south along Doles Rd and along McLeod’s Lane to Kelly’s Rd.
To Bendigo: turn right at Kelly’s Rd, then right into Myrtle Creek Rd. Follow this road into Strathfieldsaye.
To Redesdale: turn left into Kelly’s Rd and right into the Bendigo Redesdale Rd. At Redesdale, travel south to Kyneton.

Next Bulletin 7 May