Newcastle Orienteering Club

Sun 17 Sep: HV Champs - The Powerlines, Abermain

Details

Created: 09 March 2017

Here are the Results.

Special thanks to the Setter Denis Lyons and the many helpers for another successful event.

Directions: 

From the Kurri-Cessnock road, turn onto Old Maitland Rd. at the western end of East Cessnock Primary School. Head North-east along Old Maitland Rd for (approx.) 3.8KM, and be prepared to turn left to park along a power-line on the western side of the road. This turn is not far past a crest in the road. Slow down and prepare to turn.

Anyone coming from the north along Old Maitland Rd should prepare to turn right (approx.) 500M after a double set of power-lines cross the road.

Map (New Area): “THE POWERLINES”    1:10 000     Part of Werakata NP.  (Between Abermain and Old Maitland Rd.) 

Planner: Denis Lyons

Vetter:

Courses:

Entry Fees

Safety:TBA

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

Notes: 

(a) The area is generally fast and open with many tracks and paths and no significant hills. There is some old quarry detail. Much of the green, especially around erosion gullies contains spikey vegetation.
(b) TRAIL BIKES and 4WD’s use the area. KEEP OUT OF THEIR WAY.
(c)  In control descriptions the “ant-hill” symbol may refer to either Termite mound (brown cross) or Meat-ant nest (brown + with a brown dot at its centre).
(d) LATE NEWS.  National Parks has now (Start of August) brought in heavy equipment. Main fire trails have been graded, with some new drains added (Now on the map.). Many of the trail-bike tracks have been ripped/ploughed and are thus not easy to run along. (Unless the 4WD’s flatten out a wheel track in 6 weeks). These tracks will be highlighted with pink/purple hatching. The easy and very easy tracks will NOT be affected. CHECK NOTICE BOARD ON THE DAY.

SPECIAL NOTE:                                                                                                                           

For this event INDIVIDUALS may compete in age classes.

Either:
(a) look for your age class, and enter the course for that class; or
(b) select a class for which you are eligible on the course you wish to complete.

 INDICATE BOTH COURSE AND CLASS ON YOUR ENTRY SLIP.

You do not have to be part of the championship class competition. Just enter your normal course.

The following classes are available on the course indicated.

Sun 3 Sep: NOY7 - Fassifern Ridge, Fennell Bay

Details

Created: 09 March 2017

Click here for the RESULTS.  Apologies for the delay. 

• The Course Setter, Ian Dempsey, would like to give a special thank you to those volunteers who:
  drove the van to and from the event,
  set up the tent, tables & equipment prior to the event,
  ran the Registration,
  helped with new orienteerers,
  ran the Finish tent,
  provided drinks,
  printed maps, and
  collected controls.  

Directions: 

 ENTRY - You can access this area only by travelling north.

• If travelling south on Toronto Road, Fennell Bay. Turn into either Macquarie or Bay Roads and make a U-turn when safe to do so. Then, turn north onto Toronto Road and in 400m at the orienteering sign, turn onto a service road through a gate that runs parallel to Toronto Road. Continue about 300m to parking on the mown verge on either side of the service road.
• If travelling north on Main Road/Toronto Road. From the intersection with Macquarie and Bay Roads, continue for 400m and at the orienteering sign, turn onto a service road through a gate that runs parallel to Toronto Road. Continue about 200m to parking on the mown verge on either side of the service road.

EXIT – You can exit this area only by travelling north. If you need to travel south, continue north on Toronto Road and turn east into Enterprise Way at WOODRISING (corrected -ed), then make a U-turn when safe to do so.

 Map: Fassifern Ridge 1:10,000 4 metre contours. Revised Ian Dempsey August 2017.

Black crosses show car wrecks. Black circles indicate wreckage.

Terrain: 

Undulating to very steep and mostly open forest that has been burnt in the last 12 months. There’s an extensive track network, many parallel watercourses, and rock detail on the higher slopes. The lower gullies have some patches of slow run and walk.

This area was extensively used from the 1980s through to the 2000s when we lost access to it. Orienteers familiar with the area will find that many of the tracks are now indistinct and most of the car wrecks have disappeared.

 Planner:  Ian Dempsey

Vetter:  Andrew Haigh

Courses:

Because of the nature of this area, all courses have considerable climb relative to their length. The Hard and Moderate courses are a little shorter than our normal NOY length and have a single drink control ½ to 2/3 through the courses. Both the easy courses have a single steep climb on tracks to the main ridge. The Hard Short course has been designed to minimise climb but does have legs that involve contouring across steep slopes.

Start: The start is an easy 400m walk from the assembly area. Allow 5 minutes.

Entry Fees

Safety: 

• The steeper slopes are gravelly – take care.
• Safety bearing is east to the service road.
• Although trail bikes are not common in the area, move to the side of the track if you encounter them.

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

Sun 13 Aug: Minor/Training - Seaham

Details

Created: 09 March 2017

A big thank you to the volunteers, the landowner and the 60 participants.

Here is the full listing of Results - click here.

Here are the Results for the combined Hard 1 & Hard 2 events:

Something a little different for a bush event – the courses have been designed to have a stronger emphasis on navigation, with compact course layouts, pivot controls and multiple controls within a small area. Thus, we have been able to avoid much of the steeper, less runnable areas of this map (sigh of relief). However, the close spacing of controls and high level of map detail will make quick thinking a necessity.

As a bonus, Hard entrants have the chance to be the first ever participants in “Yard-O”, a totally new form of orienteering in which the backyard becomes the ultimate challenge! Think sprint map meets bush map, meets mad landholder…  A must for anyone who has ever wondered if orienteering could ever become a backyard sport.

Directions:

From Newcastle/Sydney: Take the A1 to Raymond Terrace, turning left at the large roundabout at Heatherbrae. Follow the Old Pacific Highway (Adelaide Street) through the town, turning left into William Bailey Street at the traffic lights at McDonalds. Proceed straight ahead through the roundabout (becomes Seaham Road) and onto the bridge. From the river, it is approx. 7.2 km before turning left into Brandy Hill Drive. Follow this to the end (stop sign) and turn LEFT again, then after 1.1 km turn RIGHT into Croft Road. At the end of Croft Road turn left into Giles Road. Morundah is the third gate on the right. Look out for the 'O' Flag on the Morundah sign.

From Maitland: Leave Maitland through Lorn and Bolwarra, following Paterson Road through Bolwarra Heights and on to Woodville (becomes Clarence Town Road). Continue straight ahead for 6.4 km after the Woodville Store and turn LEFT into Croft Road. At the end of Croft Road turn left into Giles Road. Morundah is the third gate on the right. Look out for the 'O' Flag on the Morundah sign.

From East Maitland: Alternatively, you can travel through Morpeth, over the bridge and turn right, then over the Hinton bridge and turn left, then drive through Wallalong up to the stop sign on Clarence Town Road. Turn right and proceed for 2.5 km and turn LEFT into Croft Road. At the end of Croft Road turn left into Giles Road. Morundah is the third gate on the right. Look out for the 'O' Flag on the Morundah sign.

Map: Morundah 1:5000, with a 1:1000 inset for all Hard courses, Updated 2017

Notes: As the Hard courses really do involve the back yard, we would request that people refrain from wearing spikes, to minimise damage to the paving and watering system.

Parking is somewhat limited around the assembly area. Please park close and tight!

Planner: Joy Guy, with unhelpful advice from the landholder

Vetter:David Kitchener, with unhelpful advice from the landholder’s wife

Courses:
Very Easy 1.7 km & Easy 1.9 km. Very easy & Easy should expect some proper bush legs, following watercourses as well as tracks/paths.

Moderate: 2.3 km. Emphasis on attack points and catching features.
Hard: There are two Hard courses of 2.7 km and 2.0 km. Competitors will have the choice of doing:

• only the 2.7 km course (equivalent to Short Hard – includes “Yard-O”)
• or both the 2.7 and 2.0 km courses (in that order, equivalent to Medium to Long Hard, with cumulative time determining the result. But you’re allowed to have a drink and a rest in between.)

 Entry Fees

Safety: 

The area is mercifully free of trail bikes, 4WDs, mine subsidence and rubbish, but you may find the vegetation scratchy and some slopes steep and slippery. Rocky ground areas are not easy to run on, similar to Wallaroo SF & NP. Leaning trees which are potentially dangerous are marked on the map in pink.

Safety bearing is south to residential area & Giles Road.

 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

Location change for upcoming Minor Event (13th August, 2017)

Details

Created: 24 July 2017

Please note: Due to difficulties securing access to Pothana for the upcoming minor event (13th August 2017 ), the event will be moved to the "Morundah" map at Seaham. 

More news/info will be provided as it comes to hand.