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Created: 11 October 2015

Article by: Jess Fuller-Smith

Omar, Charlie and I have recently returned from the Australasian Rogaining Championships (10-11 October 2015), where we were fortunate to receive Nigel Aylott Memorial Sports Foundation funding to represent the University of Tasmania in the Intervarsity component of this event.

Having not competed together in an event like this before, we headed off to a night orienteering event near Hobart for some training. This was great in confirming that we would be alright if lost together in the bush at night, as we never quite found the first control but had a really good time all the same.

Given our limited team experience with night navigation we decided to plan for off track routes during the day and track routes during the night. This worked out really well, as we could keep up a good pace through the night.

At some point in the early morning we decided to have a short nap under a space blanket, assuming that we’d soon get cold and uncomfortable and then be on our way. Surprisingly, we discovered we could nap relatively comfortably huddled up in a space blanket cocoon, so our short nap lasted a couple of hours longer than anticipated.

With less than hour to go we had one final decision – finish a bit early or continue straight through the Hash House to a control past it for an extra 30 points. As it turned out getting this control was the right decision, as we beat another intervarsity team by 20 points to place second out of nine teams in the intervarsity competition. Overall we placed 41 out of 143 teams in the Australasian Championships.

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Created: 04 March 2015

The 2015 MTBNav-Bush was held at at Sandford on 1/3/15

Dry, fast paths and comfortable walking weather provided a base from which seventy two people enjoyed riding or walking the Sandford area in the latest MTBNav-Bush event held on 1st March 2015. Organisers Keith Carroll and Mark Hey had created a course using forty eight controls where participants needed to visit sites to find the right answer to a question given three options.

After four hours of traverse, in the Female Foot division the first two Teams arrived back at the Hash House with 510 points each. While the Team of Rosie Rutledge, Robyn Chapman and Adele Winslow focused mainly east and west from the Hash House and south of Rifle Range Road, that of Liz Canning and Dorothy Steane ventured into the maze of bike tracks on private property between Dixon Point Road and Dorans Road. Both Teams visited twelve controls. Well done ladies.

Most traveled Team in the event was that of Gordon Taylor, Paul Kleywegt, Jules Evans and Lester Dion in the Male Bike who in fours hours visited thirty nine controls at all points of the compass. Dorans Road was the main area they bypassed, along with a few controls in the Clifton Beach area. A very solid ride, and one that compares with the thirty three controls visited by second placed Team Jeff Dunn and Jemery Day. The next seven Teams in Male Bike also scored high points, indicating a high depth of capability.

Mixed Bike over four hours also provided a close finish with Sophie Marshall and James Hattam just 110 points ahead of Sally Wayte and Lindsay Pender.

While there were only two Teams in Female Bike, Karen Wild-Allen and Rachel Allen ended up just 150 points to the good of Nadine Rowell, Helen Burford and Nicole Carter.

In Male Foot, the youngsters Dexter Canning and Tarn Leith, assisted by Dexter’s dad Hugh, achieved a ninety point advantage over the mature Team of Ross Kelly, Ian Woolford and Rob Hunter. Running solo and unofficial in this category, Andrew Mackay once again displayed his running prowess by gaining almost twice the points of the leading Team.

In the two hour event, Graham Sargison and Renny Duckett in Male Bike and Diana Cossar-Burgess and Sebastian Burgess in Mixed Bike were the only entries, and both Teams enjoyed solid rides mainly in the area to the south west of the Hash House.

When it came to tallying the points, a gremlin was encountered in that an earlier version of the QnA had been printed inadvertently, meaning that the answer sheet contained four incorrect answers. Thus those questions were marked as incorrect when in fact they were correct. Presentations were based on the erroneous values, and made subject to later validation given there was not the time to redo the figures on the spot. Keith and I apologise to those affected, which mainly means Male Bike where there was a remix of the first seven placings.

In the end, the original Male Bike winners of Gordon Keith and Glenn Hyland moved to fourth, and the original runners-up of Gordon Taylor, Paul Kleywegt, Jules Evans and Lester Dion gained first place. Jemery Day and Jeff Dunn moved from fourth to third. Phil Tracey and Ewan McIvor remained third.

Mixed Bike were also affected by the corrected points tally in that third to fifth position finishers were rearranged. First and Second remained unchanged, as did the placings in all other categories.

At the conclusion of the event, a lovely afternoon tea was provided by Gayle West and the Orienteering Tasmania Juniors, and spot prizes were drawn being vouchers and merchandise provided by Ride Bellerive. Appreciation is also acknowledged to Andy Nuss and Jock Campbell for allowing access onto their respective properties.

Keith and I are pleased the event was enjoyed by all those who participated, and we encourage you to reuse the map, excluding private property, for future rides or walks in the Sandford area.

Event Results can be downloaded here.

Regards – Mark Hey 2/3/15

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Created: 23 November 2012

A field of seventy participants enjoyed riding or walking the trails of Sandford on Sunday 18/11/12 on a warm and dry spring day. The Team of Jeff Dunn, Jemery Day and Mike Fuller led home the Men's Four Hour MTB with 1610 points, just ten ahead of Jules Evans, Gordon Taylor, Paul Kleywegt and Roger Jackson. Both Teams visited 31 of the 32 controls, and both bypassed a thirty point control, though different ones. The difference was the ten points lost by the Jules Evans Team by finishing just 41 seconds after the time limit. In the Mixed Four Hour MTB Mike Dowling and Sue Hancock amassed 1150 points to be 360 points ahead of the next placed Team. 

Ian Hawkes and Colin Terry in the Four Hour Men's Foot also had a close win, on 570 points and just ten ahead of Ross Kelly and Julian Roscoe. These scores compare with the strong Teams in the Four Hour Mixed Foot where Sam Jarvis and Kelly Aitken gathered a huge 870 points and Amy Buckerfield and Stewart Lawrie just behind with an impressive 840 points.

Full results from the event are on the Rogaining Tasmania website (Results).

Thanks to private land owners Andy Nuss and Jock Campbell, to Ride Bellerive for supporting the event with prizes and promotion, to the Clifton riding Club for use of the arena, and to Orienteering Tasmania for the catering, loan of equipment and printing of maps. My appreciation to all those who entered, and to Gayle West for coordinating the magnificent afternoon tea obo the OT Juniors. 

Mark Hey

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Created: 27 September 2011

Download results              

View photo gallery

There was a good turn up for the 2011 MTBNav Metro Foot and Bike event, and with the day looking like it was going to be bright and sunny, all looked set for a great event.

 Waiting for the crowds to descend ...

 6 Hour briefing ...

It was an amazing event, with congratulations going to Justin Woolford and Andrew Shore for not only winning the 6hour event, but for also clearing the course and getting back to the hash house with nearly 45 minutes to spare (that was really just showing off).  John Whittington and Jon McComb also achieved the amazing feat of collecting all the controls and getting back with 35 minutes to spare to take a very credible second, and rumour has it that if Jon hadn't stopped to bake the other John's birthday cake they may have even won ...

In the three hour event, Dirk, Brodie, Ashley Nankervis and Louis Coad, managed to break the 1000 point barrier to amass a score that would have been credible in the six hour event, with Jarrah Day and Conrad Lindner coming in a very credible second.

For full results, visit:

    Download results by course 

    Download results by class

The rest of us mere mortals had a great time (thanks so much to Jeff, Darryl and the team).

Mark and team. Rumour has it they were seen soon after searching for controls inside Banjo pastries ...

Finally at the top of Mornington Hill - ascended the hard way.

We definitely go left here, or right ... it could be straight ahead.

Click on the Album Below to view all the photos from the day:

2011 MTBNav Eastern Shore