Results: On Eventor | Routegadget
Splits: On Attackpoint
Hard Long: https://www.attackpoint.org/ra
Hard Medium: https://www.attackpoint.org/ra
Hard Short: https://www.attackpoint.org/ra
Mod Long: https://www.attackpoint.org/ra
Mod Short: https://www.attackpoint.org/ra
Easy: https://www.attackpoint.org/ra
Very Easy: https://www.attackpoint.org/ra
From the Course Setter
Thank you to all of you who came and enjoyed orienteering in the fantastic autumn weather. (Was this close to any sort of record for numbers at a local event?) An even bigger thank you to the following people for their help with making the event run smoothly.
Set up: Carolyn Chalmers and Viola O’Connor
Registration desk and computer: Joy and Jeff Guy
Gate Monitor: Denis Lyons
Map printing: Geoff Todkill
Pack up: Joy and Jeff, Margaret Peel
Control collection: Margaret Peel, Neil Curryer, Rudi Landseidel, Lynda Hewson and friend, Rob Vincent.
Apologies if I left anyone out.
As a novice course setter, I was pleased that competitors seemed to enjoy the challenge and appreciated the effort put in. I couldn’t have done all the hard work without help from vetter Malcolm Roberts. Come Sunday afternoon, after the event was run and won, we both were really appreciative of those who stayed behind to help pack up and to bring in controls.
Finally, I would like to encourage everyone in the club to have a go at setting a course or even just to help out at an event. Yes, it is a bit of work but someone has to do it and it is rewarding. Oh, and many hands do make light work!
Carolyn Matthews
Directions: From Wallsend: Head north-west along Minmi Road. 4.8 km after the turn-off to the waste facility, turn left into Blue Gum Hills Regional Park.
From Newcastle (via Link Road): Head north-west along the Newcastle Link Road, straight ahead through 2 roundabouts. At the major intersection with Cameron Park Drive / Woodford Street (traffic lights), turn right. Continue another 2.0 km on Woodford Street into Minmi, turning right into Minmi Road at the traffic lights. After 700 m, turn right into Blue Gum Hills Regional Park.
From the M1 or M15: Take the Newcastle exit from the M1, or proceed straight ahead for Newcastle from the M15. In all cases, you need to be in the LEFT-most lane, so that you can turn left at the major intersection with Cameron Park Drive / Woodford Street (traffic lights). Continue another 2.0 km on Woodford Street into Minmi, turning right into Minmi Road at the traffic lights. After 700 m, turn right into Blue Gum Hills Regional Park.
Important note: Orienteers are not to use the main car park. Orienteering parking is beyond the “normal” car park, through a manned gate. This unsealed road has large drainage humps which may not be suitable for all vehicles. Vehicles with low clearance or a long wheelbase would be best to park in the cemetery car park back on Minmi Road, which is on the sharp bend, about 200 m on the Minmi (western) side of the main park entrance. From there, walk through the parkland to the manned gate and beyond (and hopefully pick up a lift).
Map: Blue Gum Hills (1:10000, 5 metre contours)
Terrain: Basically spur/gully terrain but with areas of thick vegetation (i.e. lantana!) in many of the main watercourses. There is an extensive track network across the map. The terrain is steep in southern part of the map that leads up to the Link Road. There are some rock outcrops in this steeper part of the map.
Planner: Carolyn Matthews
Vetter: Malcolm Roberts
Courses: Full range of NOY courses
| Course | Length(km) | Climb (Meters) | ||
| Very easy | 2.2km | ? | ||
| Easy | 2.5km | ? | ||
| Moderate short | 2.6km | ? | ||
| Moderate long | 3.3km | ? | ||
| Hard short | 3.6km | ? | ||
| Harm medium | 5.0km | ? | ||
| Hard long | 6.7km | ? |
Entry Fees: See the current schedule of Entry Fees
Safety: There is no one obvious safety bearing on this map (it depends on where on the map you are!) although heading south will always bring you to the Newcastle Link Road. Of course this is a long way from the assembly area. If you are somewhere on the east part of the map heading north will bring you to the trail where the cars are parked. If you are somewhere on the west side of the map, heading west should bring you to Woodford Rd (i.e. the road joining the Link Rd with Minmi). Alternatively there is a trail that runs right across the map from the roundabout on the Link Rd in a northwesterly direction. Maybe you can find that.
Start times: 9:30 to 11:30am with course closure at 1pm. Please ensure you start your course with enough time to complete it prior to course closure
Sunday 9th April - NOY 1
Directions: Follow the new Hunter Expressway towards Branxton, a trip of about 45 kms and 30 minutes from the Ibis Budget Motel at Wallsend. About 1 km past the end of the new road works, turn right at a sign marked "Lower Belford 3". The assembly area is at the right hand bend about 500m along this road. This narrow road is well used, so for safety reasons (and to avoid upsetting the local residents), please only park on the southern / western side of the road and try and get your vehicle off the tar and onto the grassy verge. Please be careful exiting vehicles and escort children along the road.
Map: Belford National Park (1:10,000 5m contours). This map was updated by Ian Dempsey in 2015 so is pretty good, except mountain bikes have started creating new tracks everywhere. It won't be long before these tracks will need to be mapped, but at present they are still fairly indistinct. With the area being handed over from State Forest to National Parks, a cessation of cattle grazing has meant the herb and shrub layer have grown back. However, due to a hot dry summer the area is remarkably open and very fast running. National Parks have sprayed the African Olive which was prolific on the eastern side of the map. Some thickets are still there as stands of dead shrubs. National Parks have decided which tracks will become their management trails and which will be left to grow over. So the tracks that will stay have been slashed and the ones that will be let go are growing over. With the growth of more vegetation there has been a rapid increase in the number of termite mounds. The termite mounds are likely all mapped but way too profuse to be much use , so please do not use them for navigation, except in the immediate vicinity of a control.
Course Planner: Peter Newton
Vetter: Toy Martin
Gear Van: Peter Newton
Courses::
| Course | Length(km) | |||
| Very easy | 2.3 | |||
| Easy | 2.7 | |||
| Moderate short | 3 | |||
| Moderate long | 4.3 | |||
| Hard short | 3.7 | |||
| Harm medium | 4.6 | |||
| Hard long | 7.8 |
Easy length assumes people are confident enough to cut corners. If not, then add a few hundred metres. All Moderate and Hard courses get at least one water stop.
Start times: 9:30 - 11:30am. Course closure 1pm. Please aim to be back at the assembly area by that time.
Start & Finish: For this event there are 2 starts and 2 finishes, both adjacent to the assembly area. Very Easy, Easy and Moderate courses are contained within the paddock on the western side of the road, so use Start1 and Finish1 in that paddock. All Hard courses start in the eastern paddock, so use the remote Start2 and Finish2 over there. Only Hard Long needs to cross the road at the fence styles at the northern end of the map. A control is located at the break in the fence to ensure people use this mandatory crossing.
Control collection: Every year it is basically the same group of people doing all the work. So if you could, why not aim to start late and stay back a bit to collect some controls. Control collection can be quite a pleasant walk as you get to see things you don't when running and get a chance to have another go at finding a control you may have had a bit of a problem with. The map is fairly flat with good visibility which adds to the enjoyment of walking around.