NOY 6 Brush Creek
Venue: Open area under power lines opposite intersection of Northlakes Drive and Minmi Rd Cameron Park.
Map: “Brush Creek” – 1:10,000 (Western extension to map completed by Denis Lyons, April 2012
Terrain:Typical spur and gully areas, some heavy vegetation in the creeks, forest areas mostly open running. Numerous trail bike tracks in all areas, new tracks have been mapped but do not be surprised if you find new ones!
Courses: Standard NOY range of courses (7) available. Very Easy, Easy, Short Moderate, Moderate, Hard
Entries: Enter on the day, at time to suit you, 9:30 – 11:30. Courses close at 1:00pm.
Directions: As the start is opposite a busy intersection all competitors are required to enter from the north ( Link Rd ) If you are coming from the south along Minmi Rd, travel past the intersection and turn around at the Link Rd round about. The entry will be sign posted. Click here for a google map of the start.
Course Planner: Greg Bacon
From the course setter
Thanks to a break in the recent rainy weather, competitor’s were greeted with near perfect conditions for the event. By the end of the day over 100 competitors had completed the various courses. The tracks were still on the slippery side but most of the creek crossings could be negotiated without getting your feet wet. It is a great new area for the club even though it was a little hilly with some steep descents and climbs out of the creeks.
The course had been set to include the Brush Creek area up to the water towers; however, there was a problem with Xstrata (the land holder) so we had to confine the area to the new west map (Rio Tinto land holder). This meant that the courses had to use more of the hilly sections plus continual changes in control direction were required to allow for the normal course distances. Thrown into the mix were several new tracks made in the area after the maps were printed as, Brush Creek gets very busy with motor bikes and firewood collectors during the school holidays.
As the event got under way I dropped down to the finish control to take a few pictures of the families / kids climbing to the finish. While I was taking pictures Stuart Kurtz breezed by and said, that I had a problem with one of the controls on the hard course! Not doubting him, I followed him back to the finish to see what I had done. In the last three weeks I have been to two MTBO events where controls were in the wrong place and I know how cranky I got when I could not find controls! My apologies to anyone that wasted too much time on control 4/5! The control circle covered the first creek off the track. The control was in the right creek and near the boulder and rock face except one creek was missing because of the control circle. I should have cut the circle! Unfortunately when this happened it took the gloss off what where generally interesting and challenging courses.
The very easy and easy courses also had some challenging legs with a few hill climbs and creek crossings. They had several taped areas through the bush, which added a new dimension to their orienteering. The moderate courses also had some challenging hilly sections and slippery descents into the creeks.
A lot of work went into getting approval to use the land and mapping a new area for the club. Once again Denis Lyons has put in a lot of time and effort for the club. After completing the moderate hard course, Denis noted a few features that he had missed or needed tweeking so, no doubt he will be back out fine tuning the map in the coming weeks.
There are several club members that give up their Sundays to keep the bush series a success. Once again thanks to Joy Guy for running the entries desk, Carolyn and Russell Rigby for helping with the set up and entries and Kerry Bacon, Tim Hackney and Denis Lyons at the finish desk. It was a long and busy day! Thanks to David Messenger for setting up and staying till the end to look after the results. A big thanks to Peter Newton for the early start and late finish with the club gear! Thanks to Merrilyn McSporran , Rudi Lanseidel and Denis Lyons for control collection.
GREG BACON