Location: Singleton Heights
Directions: For Newcastle people: follow the Hunter Expressway/New England Highway to Singleton. After crossing the Hunter River, travel 600m, and turn right at the traffic lights into Bridgman Road. Ignore the first Gardiner Circuit street sign, and drive on to the second Gardiner Circuit street sign on your left which is 2.8km from the traffic lights. Travel 400m and park near the children's playground on the left side of the road.
From Muswellbrook: head towards Singleton and 1.2 km after Singleton Hts railway underpass, turn left at the traffic lights into Bridgman Road, then follow the instructions above.
Map: "Nowlan Park" scale 1:7500 with 4m contours. The map is bounded on the west by the railway line and on the east by Bridgman Road. The map was developed by Russell Rigby for the come-and-try-it event on 29/10/17.
Planner:Peter Newton
Courses:
A choice of 3 courses:
a short 2.8km line course: 13 controls, numbered 161 - 173, no need to leave the park (no road crossing).
a longer 4.7km line course: 20 controls, randomly numbered, need to run a few streets to join them up.
45 minutes score course: 28 controls, see how many you can register, and get back before 45 minutes is up.
All controls, except one, are located in grassy park areas, but for the Long course you will need to zig-zag through a few streets to get from one grassy area down to the next grassy area.
Start and Finish for all courses is in the park with the playground equipment on the southern side of Gardiner Circuit. Look for Orienteering banners.
Facilities: There are clean toilets and a nice sandy playground, with shade cover, in the park.
Start times:There is a 2 hour start window from 1:30 - 3:30pm.
Course closure: Please aim to be back at the assembly area by 4:30pm. That leaves time to collect the controls before it gets dark. Walking time for the short line course is about 40 minutes at casual pace and for the long line course about an hour. The score course should take 45 minutes as there is a points penalty for returning late.
Notes: This event follows the urban format: all controls will be tethered to a tree or fence post in a mown grassy area. There will be 28 controls scattered around the course. For line courses you must follow (as best you can), the connecting lines on the map and visit the controls in order. If you accidentally record a control that is not on your course, it is not a problem. However, if you miss one of the controls on a line course, then you are recorded as having failed to complete the course. So navigate carefully and make sure you find all the required controls. Check the number on the control stand before registering it on your p-card or SI stick. All the sculptures in the park have been mapped but many signs are not mapped. A black cross often means a big concrete sewer cover.
Safety: I have tried to select course legs that do not go past easily upset dogs. If doing the long line course, or score course, you should wear bright clothing so drivers notice you on the side of the road.
Please call back to the assembly area, download at the computer and tell us you have finished your course, so that we don't get concerned that we have not seen you come back yet.
Belford - Setters Report
Thanks to the 82 people that completed a course and apologies to those that mispunched on the last control. There are rules about how far apart controls need to be and how controls nearby need to be on different features with different numbers. I guess I was not smart enough to figure out some Hard Medium course runners would punch control 110 when looking of the 10th control on their course. It was the next one, 'near' the track corner 111 that you were after. I say near as being a Very Easy control I had moved it some metres up the track towards the Finish to ensure those Very Easy course runners did not take the wrong track. It was simply too much extra work to hang out 'wrong way go back signs'. As it was, it took 1.5hours on the morning of the event to push the water out on course in a wheelbarrow. It then took a further 30 minutes to stand up some controls along the fence and hang a streamer trail to mark the indistinct track the Very Easy course runners needed to follow. And that is why we nominate a 9:30 start, to give the setter a chance to do those last minute jobs; I phoned the registration desk at 9:29 to say the courses were ready!
Thanks to Toy Martin for checking I had the controls in the right spot and thanks to Denis, Lyndy and the Guy's for collecting controls. An extra big thankyou to David Kitchener for walking all the way out to the back of the map to collect some controls and pack up and bring back 3 water controls. After 8 hours to place the controls on Friday, my feet were too sore to do much more, those controls would have had to wait a few days to find their way back to the gear van. So whilst the effort for most competitors is over in 45 - 60 minutes, the organisers still have a lot to do after you have left. It would be really nice if a few more people aimed to start late, or have a picnic lunch after their run and then offered to go and collect a few controls. The setter would really appreciate that offer.
Speaking of organisers, the event would not have started at 9:30 had it not been for Viola O'Connor who was left with a set on van keys and asked to set up the assembly area as she saw fit. I think it was Malcolm Roberts who was roped into going for a run out on the highway to hang the 'turn here' orienteering signs. Thanks Malcolm.
A comment was made about the stands of poisoned African Olive being marked green on the map. Although you can see through the dead tangle of tree limbs, you can't run through them, so green seems to be an appropriate colour until a fire cleans out those dead trees. I know it is odd having a patch of green on the map representing vegetation that is not green, that is just a quirk of the map!
O’DONNELLTOWN
COACHING OPPORTUNITY: Stephen Craig has offered coaching to those who are new to bush (cross-country) orienteering at the minor events this year. This could be juniors or adults new to the sport. If you are interested please let him know via email to arrange a time This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
DIRECTIONS:
From Newcastle: 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 left. Continue 1.8 km along Cameron Park Drive, straight ahead at the next roundabout (becomes Carrington Street). Proceed straight ahead through the centre of town (becomes Railway Street) turning RIGHT at the O’Donnelltown Road cross-intersection. The event site is approx. 1 km west of this intersection.
From Sydney / M1 (northbound only): Take the Wallsend exit from the M1 (that’s the exit before the Newcastle exit). Turn right onto George Booth Drive, then right into Carrington Street (first roundabout, for West Wallsend). Proceed straight ahead through the centre of town (becomes Railway Street) turning RIGHT at the O’Donnelltown Road cross-intersection. The event site is approx. 1 km west of this intersection.
From the M1 (southbound only) or M15: Take the Newcastle exit from the M1, or proceed straight ahead for Newcastle from the M15. In both cases, you need to be in the RIGHT-most lane, so that you can turn right at the major intersection with Cameron Park Drive / Woodford Street (traffic lights). Continue 1.8 km along Cameron Park Drive, straight ahead at the next roundabout (becomes Carrington Street). Proceed straight ahead through the centre of town (becomes Railway Street) turning RIGHT at the O’Donnelltown Road cross-intersection. The event site is approx. 1 km west of this intersection.
Map: O'Donnelltown Rock - East
Terrain: Spur-gully with light rock and thicker areas in watercourses
Planner: Bert van Netten, Robert van Huisstede, Anita Bickle
Vetter: Kim van Netten
Courses:
| Course | Length(km) | Controls | ||
| Very easy | 1.9 | 10 | ||
| Easy | 2.5 | 11 | ||
| Moderate short | 2.5 | 8 | ||
| Moderate long | 3.5 | 12 | ||
| Hard short | 3.5 | 8 | ||
| Harm medium | 4.9 | 11 | ||
| Hard long | 6.3 | 18 |
Safety:
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
NOY2: POST-EVENT REPORT
You would be hard pressed to find a better day to have seen the Butterwick Crown Reserve than Sunday 6th May, 2018. Beautiful mild, sunny conditions – perfect orienteering weather. Over 90 entrants enjoyed the conditions to experience an area not previously used for orienteering.
Rob Bennett’s blistering 50:58 time on the 7.0 km Hard Long (edging out Justin Stafford by the smallest of margins) suggested fast, open running conditions. Which is true – in part. The trick was not getting tangled in any green along the way, of which there was plenty. Although a few entrants returned bearing the scars of battle, most seemed to have enjoyed the experience. And many felt better upon administration of a chilled beverage and an egg & bacon roll or a sausage sandwich. Apparently, Peter Newton ended up feeling REALLY good – and he didn’t even run a course!
Thank you to those who took time to provide constructive feedback about the map. While updating an existing map is not too threatening an activity, starting one from scratch offers somewhat different and more complex challenges. Will everyone else see what I’m seeing – and the way I’m seeing it? And just how should that be put onto paper? The verdict amongst those I spoke with was that the “Rough Open with Scattered Trees” areas did not really benefit competitors, as the distinction between that and “Open Forest” was not sufficiently clear in the forest itself. Future versions of the map are unlikely to have a lot of yellow on them (sorry, Justin). Maybe if OCAD had a way that you could gradually fade in the colour at the edges of an area... But I enjoyed the experience, learnt a lot from it and am glad that people thought the area was worth mapping.
As always, there were others who pitched in to make it all happen. Peter Newton took on the (often thankless) task of vetting, offered helpful suggestions, set up, packed up and drove the gear van. And it is worth remembering that had it not been for a chat between Peter and Russell Rigby (the master of the base map), this area might still be “undiscovered”. Joy Guy was stalwart, as ever, on the desk, then took time to help collect controls. Jeff Guy coped with an error in the course files that were on the computer, as well as 2 malfunctioning SI units, while manning the finish. Geoff Todkill deserves thanks for the printing, Geoff Peel & Margaret Peel for the string course. Rudi Landsiedel, Denis Lyons and Rob Vincent also went back out to gather in controls, signs and streamers. I was otherwise occupied during the setting up, so apart from Carolyn Chalmers, I’m not sure who helped, but thank you nonetheless. If I have missed you or forgotten a job, please accept my apologies. Of course, thanks are also due to the members of the Hinton Wallalong Pony Club for use of their facilities. Emma and her team provided some wonderful catering - and the very sociable atmosphere that goes with the food & drink. They look forward to seeing us next year. I trust we look forward to seeing them!
Finally, a request. Please take time to post your route on RouteGadget (just follow the link). It doesn’t have to be pinpoint precise and I promise no-one will laugh if you took what I might call “an unconventional route choice”. (Trust me – we have all been there at some stage!) It is easy to do it manually – just tick the “Draw Your Route” box (top right of the screen), select your course and name, then click on the start triangle. Every time you click, it adds another point and joins it up to previous points to show where you ran. Those with GPS units will probably have a rough idea how to load a .gpx track using the “GPS upload” link instead.
“But, why?” I don’t hear you ask. (I’ve got the speakers off.) I find it helps, as a course planner, seeing how people approach some legs. In my head, I have an “ideal” solution, but other orienteers sometimes see good ways of doing things that have never occurred to me. Understanding how people think while on a course helps to design better courses. And you might just get something from seeing how others compete. Give it a go!
David.
As part of World Orienteering Day, our club will be holding an event this Wednesday afternoon. It will be a Park style event starting near the rotunda at King Edward Park.
Starts are from 2:00 pm with courses closing at 6:00 pm.
Three courses will be on offer:
Very Easy 1.3 km;
Easy 1.4 km;
Moderate 1.7 km.
Novices and first timers especially welcome. Bring along a friend and introduce them to our fabulous sport.
