Orienteering in South East Queensland

09:30 Sunday 29th April 2007
"Ripley Hills" 2004 1:10,000 5m
UBD 275 D10 36km SW of Brisbane CBD
Red 3c 3.2km 135m (4.2%)

Very long grass made this hard work for everyone although running thuird helped.

I completed my course in 37 minutes (11.6mpk) which was a good time - I think we won M45-59A but uncertainty due to failed SI boxes.

Thanks to Phil and Stephen in my team.

1 7:31 Left round the hill
2 5:13 Left round the hill again
3 5:04 Left round the hill again again
4,5 6:23 Up to the track; box at 5 didn't work
6 3:18
7 4:35 Nearly got sucked into the spur to the south
8 2:14 Round the hill to the right, tough to find in the grass
9 0:54 Tough to find in the grass
10 2:17
Finish 0:24

12:00 Thursday 26th April 2007
"Gap Creek East" 2006 1:10,000 5m
UBD 157 H15 10km West of Brisbane CBD
"Long" 11 controls 3.5km 155m climb (4.4%)

I helped Jacquie to organise this event. We tried to make the courses technically challenging without too much climb or groveling.

Events on this map can be brutal, and this event was no exception. 29 ran the Long course, and despite the winner managing 36 minutes (just over 10mpk), 4 DNFed and only 7 recorded less than 60 minutes, Most Orienteering Prize going to Wendy who took more than 2 hours.

Part of the problem was that the map copies were very faint - we were unable to get hold of the map file or a decent original. But most competitors had navigational trouble on leg 8, although there was no suggestion the course or map were wrong.

I collected the controls a few days later. Two unfortunately were missing. I did the long course plus a diversion for one other control, did a fair amount of messing about putting water bottles into my pack and took 62 minutes. I had some trouble at 8 which is correct relative to the track junction but approaching from below I found an unmapped gully.

The short course gave less trouble to experienced runners but 10 schoolkids turned up and every one of them DNFed, largely on the leg which went from near 2 across to 9, a leg I was very pleased with.

09:00 Sunday 22nd April 2007
"Kholo Hills" 2007 1:10,000 5m
UBD 173 R6 24km West of Brisbane CBD
"Red 3" 12 controls 5.2km 250m climb (4.8%)

It felt much steeper than that! I had a reasonable run but it was a very rugged grovel which took nearly 75 minutes, which is 14.4mpk. Winner on my course was only 13 minutes faster and 8 of a field of 35 DNFed. Only two runners in the whole event did better than 10mpk.

Start>1 I went straight but some went south round the road which is simpler and more reliable but not actually less steep.

1>2 This control is shown as being 7 contours below the hilltop but I felt like I had dropped only half that distance when I fell over it. Many people had trouble here, probably explainign the high number of DNFs. I suspect the map is not quite right as exiting the control to the south everything seemed right. The setter assured us she had triple-checked it.

2>3 more or less straight.

1 15:14
2 5:49
3 10:01
4 6:49
5 4:21
6 6:21
7 5:34
8 1:27
9 2:42
10 3:48
11 4:52
12 5:57
Finish 1:58

Thanks to Geoff for the remap, UG for the event and Anna for the course.

12:00 Thursday 19th April 2007
"Bunyaville State Forest West" 2003 1:10,000 5m
UBD 117 R2 14km NW of Brisbane CBD
"Long" 8 controls 4.2km 135m climb (3.2%)

I was 4th out of 27 (7 DNFs) in 47 minutes, 11 minutes behind the young winner.

John C gashed his arm and spent two days in hospital. Ouch.

Start>1 left round the track to minimise climb
1>2 along the track
2>3 left along the track and down the big spur; aimed off to the right, found the gully and battled along it with a puzzled air until I found it.
3>4 straight
6>7 up the track, along the road to the right, down the big spur

Thanks to Jim for the event.

12:00 Thursday 12th April 2007
"White's Hill" 2005 1:10,000 5m
UBD 181 C10 7km SE of Brisbane CBD
"Long" 4.15km 160m climb (3.9%)

I think I came 2nd or 3rd behind Ian in 45 minutes (10+mpk)


Thanks to the Spriggs for the event.

12:00 Thursday 5th April 2007
"Daisy Hill State Forest" 2001 1:10,000 5m
UBD 223 B20 21km SE of Brisbane CBD
"Long" 8 controls 4.0km 135m climb (3.4%)
"Short" 5 controls 2.6km 85m climb (3.3%)

This was my event. Some youngsters on the Short course spent an hour or so getting from 2 to 3 and then again from 4 veered left and hunted around on the wrong spur for a while.

09:00 Sunday 1st April 2007
"Parkinson Bushland Reserve" 2007 1:10,000 5m
UBD239N14 20km S of Brisbane CBD
"Long Red" 14 controls 5km 100m climb (2%)

A brand new map on previously unused area and an interesting course of two halves. The first half on vague undulating terrain with thickish understory and point feature control sites led to lots of compass work, careful navigation, conservative route choice, and rather slow. The second half was a contrast with relatively open forest, some hills to give the terrain definition, much easier navigation but not much faster orienteering because of the rocks underfoot.

Start > 1, 1>2 slow and steady and hunted inside the circle
2>3 aimed off right and picked up the tracks
4>5 tried to aim left for the depression but actually hit the control straight on
5>6 aimed off left a bit too much, along the pylon line to the major track
6>7 the green was well mapped and led straight to the control
13>14 left of the line for the tracks.

I orienteered reasonably well but spent too much time in the circle(s) and did 50 minutes (10mpk) about 14 minutes behind the winner.

Thanks to Rob for a new map and TF for the event.