Maria by Moonlight 12 Hr & 6 Hr Rogaine

Event results are now available here and see the event write up here.

Rogaining Tasmania is running a 6 and 12 hour rogaine on Maria Island National Park on Saturday 19 November 2016.

Maria Island is a very scenic National Park off the south-east coast of Tasmania, with beautiful beaches, rocky mountains, abundant wildlife and a rich history.

It is accessed by a half hour ferry trip from the small town of Triabunna. The island is in the shape of a figure eight, with two mountainous islands joined by a narrow isthmus. It is 20km in length, and 13km across at its widest. There are a number of 4WD and walking tracks on the island, but no vehicles, permanent inhabitants or shops.

The abundant wildlife is a big part of what makes Maria Island special. On a rogaine you will be certain to see Forester kangaroos, wombats, Bennetts wallabies, pademelons, and Cape Barren geese, and very likely to see a Tasmanian devil. Devils have been recently introduced to the island, with great success.

Maria Island also has an interesting history – including Aboriginal visitors, two periods of convict settlement, agriculture, vineyards, and a cement works.

The ferry arrives at the World Heritage listed settlement of Darlington on the northern end of the island. Darlington has many intact buildings as well as ruins from the convict and industrial periods. The Hash House is in the Mess Hall – once used to feed 400 convicts. Bunk-room accommodation is available in the Penitentiary, built in 1830 to house the convicts.

Pleasant camping near the beach is also available.

A 1:33,333 topographic map has been specially prepared for this event. Serious rogainers note that the island is not the perfect location from a rogaining point of view, as the hash-house in Darlington is at the far north of the map, much of the eastern and southern parts of the island are too steep and scrubby to access, and several areas and routes cannot be used due to restrictions required by NPWS in order to conserve the natural heritage of the island. Thus the route planning challenge will not be as great as usual. Instead of a random scatter of controls, locations have been chosen to draw runners to the many and varied scenic places of the island (some rarely visited), and with surprisingly easy travel if heed is paid to vegetation mapping. Despite often using tracks, solid navigation and smart route choice will be rewarded. A small orienteering-style map of the Darlington area has also been created, and in addition to the usual widely-spaced rogaining checkpoints, there will be a number of low-value checkpoints at historic sites in the Darlington area, to encourage visits to these sites, and provide more interest for family teams. The island was last used for a rogaine in 1993.

12 hour or 6 hour?

We encourage all participants to consider entering the 12 hour event, and come back early if you don’t want to be out in the dark. It won’t get dark enough to require a torch until about 9pm. Unfortunately moonrise is not until 12:01am (Sorry, "Maria by Moonlight" was true until we had to change the date to avoid clashing with Triple Top and Point to Pinnacle). Everyone has to stay the night, so you might as well be out exploring the island, and you’ll see more wildlife at dusk.

Entries

The event has now sold out.

Due to the extra complication of getting on and off the island, the number of participants for this event is restricted to 120, and you will need to enter early to secure a bed in the Penitentiary or a berth on your preferred ferry crossing.

Cost to enter is the same for both events: $70 for adults, $60 for concession holders, $50 for juniors and $175 for families.

To qualify for the concession rate a competitor must be a full time student, 18 years or older, or the holder of a Centrelink pensioner concession card.  A family team consists of up to two adult parents or guardians together with at least one other family member under 18 years old.  If a family is spread over two teams, pay for two teams and contact the organisers for a refund after the event.  A team that has a member under fourteen years of age must also have a member eighteen years of age or over.   

The ferry costs $42 for adults and $32 for children aged 1 to 12 years.  A bed in the Penitentiary costs $15 per adut or $7.50 per child.  Camping is $7 per adult, $2.50 per child.  If you don't have a National Park pass it costs an additional $6 per person.  All these fees can be paid via the entry system.

Entries have closed as the event has now booked out.  One person can enter and pay for a whole team, but they will need to know the Date of Birth for each team member.  It is OK to enter seperately as an individuals if you know your team name.

Timetable