With the rogaining season now well underway and a busy calendar of events ahead, there are a couple of important deadlines to keep in mind.

• If you are interested in the training evening being hosted by Paddy Pallin on Thursday, 3rd of July, then you need to let us know by Monday, 29th June. Details are on the Winter Wander entry page.
• For those Uni or TAFE students wishing to apply for the travel bursary to attend this year’s Intervarsity Champs, you need to let us know by Monday, July 5th. Details are below.

Otherwise, our upcoming events are progressing well. We always need and love our volunteers. In particular, we need some on-the-day helpers for the Paddy Pallin Winter Wander, and vetters for the Wombat Waddle being held in November. If you can help, please send a message via the contact form.

The 2026 Australasian Championships, The 24-Severn, is being hosted by the Queensland Rogaining Association on August 29^th and 30^th. More details and terrain photos for can be found on the event website. Early entry fees end on 28^thJuly. Regular entries close on the 15^th August.

The 2027 Australasian Championships will be held in Tasmania. The Tiers of Joy, being held on April 17th and 18th, is also progressing well. The course is now fully set and vetting has begun. The website is under construction, but features some terrain photos. We are looking for volunteers to help over the event weekend, and there are a couple of key positions that we need help with. These are to coordinate the merchandise and liaise with our catering contractor.

See you at the Paddy Pallin Winter Wander.

Gary

By Tara Powell

Circle Sunday, the 26th of July, on your calendar and get ready for a 3 or 6-hour winter wander in the Midlands. Wander through open fields, skip through picturesque gorges, explore eucalyptus-covered hills, and have a staring competition with some sheep. The event area, only an hour out of Hobart, is so beautifully varied, blink and the landscape will change.

This event has been designed for everyone from newcomers to the die-hard rogainers. So if you're thinking of graduating from metrogaines to bush rogaines or if you're heading out for your 121st rogaine then this is the event for you. This event will be the inaugural Tasmanian Paddy Pallin Rogaine. Generous sponsorship from Paddy Pallin has allowed us to greatly reduce entry fees. We'll also be running a training event for those new to rogaining. This will be held in Hobart on the evening of the 2nd of July. See the event information for details. 

So, gather some friends and/or family and get your winter coats out of the cupboard for some winter fun.

Entries for the event close on July 17th, but entries for the training evening close on the 29th of June.

Detailed event information, photos of the event areas, and online entries are now available here.

By Peter Tuft

Intervarsity rogaining has been a thing since before the word “rogaining” was invented. Each year, a travel bursary is provided from the Nigel Aylott Memorial Sports Foundation (NAMSF) to cover the travel costs of one team from each state to compete in the Intervarsity Championships. Team members must be students at the same Tasmanian tertiary institution. The funding covers the cost of flights, coach transport, and accommodation (if necessary) for a team of two to compete. Team members are responsible for additional costs, such as the event entry fee.

Further information about the 2026 Australian Intervarsity Championships and the background to the NAMSF can be found here. If you are interested and have a team that meets the requirements please email  before the closing date of 5 July.

By Gary Carroll

The Autumn Amble (24th May) saw RT return to the Kingborough region for the first time since 2020. There has been some development since then, in particular the Spring Farm Estate. Who knows, but perhaps next time we visit the Huntingfield land release will be populated and the sports precinct considerably changed, including the AFL high performance centre.

Map updates began in January, and setting kicked off in earnest in late February. Stephen and Jenny Walker tackled the north, and I set those checkpoints in the south. Becca Lunnon and Kristin Raw efficiently and accurately completed the bulk of the vetting by early April. We were well ahead of schedule, which allowed for some finessing of a few checkpoints. 

Event day eventually arrived. We had 234 starters in 90 teams. Great to see 24 teams in the family category and a few more teams with kids slightly too old to be in that category. There were 55 mixed teams, and two teams of extreme vets (over 75).

The setting and vetting team were precise with the questions and answers, but there is always the unexpected. This time, a question on a TasWater installation became a fenced construction site. We gave the points to those teams who went there and couldn’t read the distant answer, but well done to those who used their phones to take photos and then zoomed in to see the answer. 

Our team of marshals, scorers, and data entry had the results processed by 2:22 pm, so well done to them. 

Congratulations to our winners:

• Overall and Men: Ryan King and Chris Arvier
• Third overall and Women: Melissa Robertson and Jinni Kruger
• Mixed team: Max Keating and Océane Richet.
• Tom Burford and Edward Burford were first Family
• Tom Killalea, James Howard and Alex Rose were the winning Novice team

Full results are available at the RT results page.

For the nerdy-minded, you can visualise where all the teams went from this bubble plot, and where a selected team went here. 

If you enjoy metrogaines or are sad because you missed out on the Autumn Amble, there is another opportunity on Hobart’s eastern shore on September 6th when we Explore Clarence.

Melissa and Jinni - 1st women and 3rd overall

By Melissa Robertson 

This was our first Tasmanian Rogaine, having only done NSW Rogaines. I'd moved down in February and Jinni came down for the rogaine and some touristing. So we weren't really sure what to expect, especially the question and answer format and not having a checkpoint flag to look for.
 
The map was pretty decent sized when we got it, but we did what we always do, plot the entire thing and plan to cut in in a desperate sprint towards the end. It was a strong start with Jinni sprinting out of the hash house and me desperately trying to keep up while yelling out the turns. (Jinni was doing the Answer sheet & I was doing the nav). We got the hang of the Q&A pretty quickly and it actually really added to it, especially with the discussions about whether a car was red or orange, we settled on "Reddish Orange" or trying to read the number on an electricity box that was now behind a fence with Rogainers clinging to the outside discussing whether or not it's against the rules to use a phone to zoom in. We tried our best on that one, and took a photo in front of the fence as evidence.
 
I'd moved to Blackmans Bay so the rogaine also involved a lot of touristing and pointing out landmarks and good running trails (while running very fast). We definitely should have dropped a couple of the lower point controls early on, but we were optimistic about how far we'd get on the map. Our score was definitely due to running ability and not route choice.
 
Things started to get desperate around Blackmans Bay. With about 20 minutes to go from #95 (near the blowhole) I decided our best option was directly over Boronia Hill. So we hit #96, #76, #44 and back to the hash house, with just over a minute to go on the clock. It was a very very tough leg. But I stand by the decision. Even when I wanted to die on the way up the hill (Jinni was fine).

I'm looking forward to the next Rogaine.

Edit: Their route can be seen on the RT results page.

The World Champs are returning to Australia on Thursday the 16th and Friday the 17th of September 2027, to be held in the Flinders Ranges in South Australia.

Don't think that this isn't an event for you. The event is open to all rogainers, from beginners to elites. The scenery is spectacular. The terrain and vegetation allows for open and fast travel. 

More information, photos, a video, and Bulletin 1 are now available at wrc2027.rogaining.au

Paddy Pallin Winter Wander

Sunday 26th July 2026: A bush 3-hour and 6-hour, just north of Kempton.

The 2026 Australasian Championships

The 24-Severn. 29th and 30th August 2026, Stanthorpe, Qld.

Explore Clarence 

Sunday 6th September 2026, Howrah

Wombat Waddle

Saturday 28th of November 2026: A bush 6-hour and 12-hour, at Bangor, Dunalley

The 2027 Australasian Championships

Tiers of Joy. 17th and 18th April 2027, Ross, Tasmania

20th World Rogaining Championships

16th and 17 September 2027, Rawnsley Park Station - Flinders Ranges, South Australia

For a full list of rogaines in other states, visit the Australian Rogaining Association calendar.