Tired of metrogaines in Hobart? Been there, done that? Then here is your big chance. Or perhaps you are from up north and have been looking for an opportunity to go rogaining closer to home. The GorgeUs Metrogaine will be held in Launceston, which last hosted an event in 2008. Starting from the Max Fry Memorial Hall in Trevallyn, you will have lots to explore, including the bushland trails of Trevallyn Reserve, Cataract Gorge, the CBD and river edge, and suburbia. You will experience beautiful vistas, visit historical sights, playgrounds, monkeys and fountains, and you will have the opportunity to stop and indulge at numerous cafes if you aren’t feeling too competitive.

Like most Rogaining Tasmania metrogaines, The GorgeUs is a question and answer-style event (for example, ‘what’s the name of the house at number 7?’ or ‘how many swings at the playground?’). Our crafty checkpoints will have you taking a second-glance at that house you’ve walked past a hundred times, stopping by one of countless coffee shops on the map, or marching your team up that hill for big points and better views. After the event, kick back at the hash house to see where other teams journeyed and enjoy some afternoon tea, which is provided as part of the entry fee.

This is a great event for rogainers new and old, those looking to hone their skills and improve their fitness, or those wanting a great day out exploring their own backyard. As a team, pick a route that maximises your score while minimising distance travelled (or elevation gained) depending on your strengths and passions. This event is strictly on foot (no bikes or scooters) but you can sprint or stroll to your heart’s content.

There will be help for newbies on the day.

The Metrogaine will be a 4-hour event, enabling Southern entrants to drive up and back in one day. Alternatively, make a weekend of it and warm up with a Saturday local orienteering event the day before. Details of the orienteering event are here.

Entries are now open on the RT events page. Regular-price entries close on Friday 28th of April

We look forward to seeing you at the GorgeUs Metrogaine!

The GorgeUs Team – David Cole, Andrea Schiwy and Paul Pacque.

We noticed when taking entries for the recent Aquagaine that some people who do not have a PayPal account had issues when they tried to finalise their credit card payment using a "guest" PayPal account. The problem stems from new Australian laws that have tightened up on using guest accounts for such payments. Paypal has indicated that they will try to re-implement guest payments but if you strike this problem, you have a couple of options. First, ask your team members and if one of them has an account, use that account to make the team payment. Alternatively go to the official PayPal site and create your own account. This is a relatively straightforward process where the personal information provided to Paypal is not much different to a Guest checkout with the difference being that information is saved for future use.

I have no idea when the idea of an Arthurs Lake Aquagaine took hold. One evening Karen and I drove past Arthurs Lake and camped for the night to avoid hitting wildlife, next I am looking at the Lake on Google Earth, then a paddling visit just to see if, maybe,….. Then, well most of you reading this know what happened next. We had the first Tasmanian Aquagaine in fifteen years.

Setting an event like this is fun. There are stressful moments, yes, but overall what a privilege to purposefully explore an entirely new area in a no agenda, no format kind of way. We loved the few periods that we had just wandering or paddling on the potential map. Karen and I enjoyed discussing the map boundaries, just how big should the map be? We enjoyed deciding the nature of the controls, water accessible, or on water readable (but not all of them). Who got annoyed when they came across the odd control that was not quite readable from the kayak? Sorry to say that was deliberate, to make you appreciate the other ones more. Who was surprised at just how brutal the rock and leaf litter terrain was between 101 and 70. I was when I put the controls out. That little circuit 19-101-70 took me an hour and a half and I was wearing boots and gaiters.

The little cabin at 24 was idyllic, the water path to 71 a little tortuous, but my favourite control overall was 30. What a cute little island, it was so tempting to put the control in the middle of the island just so that everyone would have their ‘Swallows and Amazons’ moment, but we were kind.

The weekend itself? We couldn’t have asked for better weather. An idyllic Saturday afternoon and evening, plenty of happy campers. I have to admit ‘those paddleboarding clowns’ (thanks Cathy McComb for that phrase) did leave us a little concerned when they had to be assisted back to the campsite by Jono McComb during their practise. And the event day, so many people challenged by a ‘bit of a headwind’ throwing off their timing. So many happy, if tired, faces at the end. It was all worthwhile and nobody got hurt! I did hear the phrase ‘fun in retrospect’ used.

Thanks to those of you who collected a few controls, and to Karen who performed her own mini aquagaine to collect all of the controls on the big island in the late afternoon and early evening, finishing in the dark. Thanks to Rogaining Tasmania, both the people and the organisation for making it so easy to turn a ‘what if’ idea into an event. Thanks to the Arthurs Lake Roadhouse for taking the increase in camping numbers in their stride. Finally, thanks to all the competitors for signing up for an oddball event and coming along with open minds and a determination to have fun.

If you have an idea for an rogaine, metrogaine, aquagaine, or other (even if you have never organised event before) contact the Rogaining Tasmania committee. They have the skills and procedures to mentor you through the whole process. It might be time for a new team to think about the next Eastern Shore bike/foot event using the Tangara trail network. Planning an event is a great excuse to get out on your bike and explore your local area with a purpose and discover those cut-throughs, trails and secret spots. 

The results and winners’ route are on-line on the RT results page. 

 

--Simon Allen (pictured left with fellow organiser, Karen Wild-Allen)

If you’d prefer not to read about how a ‘social event with an emphasis on fun’ was treated by Ryder Jamson and I as though winning was a matter of life and death - then I’d suggest you skip reading this report! The event provided a great strategic challenge, perhaps more so than an ordinary foot-only rogaine, with many added variables and tactical possibilities. We both had some kayaking experience, so we were confident we could plan and execute a competitive route.

During our pre-event planning it was clear to us that a double kayak would be the best watercraft option because they are quicker than 2 singles and would allow us to maintain movement even when 1 person stopped paddling to navigate, have a break or eat food. A family member's old Pittarak double was dragged out from under the house, a bit of fibreglass patched up, a bilge pump replaced and the rudder pedals fixed – good to go!

Our chosen route would take us on an anti-clockwise circumnavigation of the central lake islands, picking up most of the big pointers on the way, and leaving a few options in the northern section of the map for the final hour, depending on how we were travelling. In hindsight, more time spent calculating the points per paddle-kilometre value of some controls would have been time well spent, rather than wasting 30 minutes debating whether or not to leg-it straight to the summit control of 101 at the start.

Scrambling to the summit controls was heaps of fun on fresh legs and less scrubby than expected. Efficiency during transitions from foot to boat and vice versa was maximised with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. Naturally, navigation on the water was as simple as point and shoot. It was enjoyable bumping into teams along the way and seeing how different strategies were being executed. The journey south on the western side of Brazendale Island was mostly pleasant and calm. We had hoped the islands would provide some protection from the forecast westerlies on the way back north, but a strong southerly current and waves slowed our pace significantly.

As the clock ticked away, we made an ambitious attempt to collect 3 north-eastern controls by foot, but had to abort after collecting only 1, including missing a 40-pointer only 250m off course. The dash to the Hash House with tiring arms saw us 2 minutes late and the ensuring 30-point penalty landed us just shy of a tidy tonne. In retrospect, perhaps playing to our strength and incorporating more on-foot controls could have resulted in more points, but we were pleased with our effort regardless. Congratulations to the organisers for facilitating an event with the perfect balance of strategy, suffering and fun!

-- by Oskar Bucirde

By Jaymee Knoll

In 2024, the Intervarsity Championships will be held in conjunction with the Australasian Rogaining Championships (a 24-hour bush event) in WA on the 7th and 8th of September. Tasmania are the current Intervarsity title holders, thanks to Will Whittington and Xavier Scott winning the 2023 Intervarsity Championships in NSW.

Each year, funding 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. Whilst full details for the 2024 funding have not yet been released, the funding typically 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. 

Even though applications are still a while off, now is a good time to start thinking about if you would like to enter the Intervarsity Championships and/or apply for the funding. With the GorgeUs Metrogaine coming up on the 5th of May, perhaps you could grab your teammate and hone some of your navigation skills around Launceston? The metrogaine could also be a good time to come and have a chat with us if you are interested in learning more about the Intervarsity Championships and NAMSF funding. 

More details will be available in late June. In the meantime, get out there and enjoy some adventures in the bush!

Australian Rogaining Discussion Group

A new discussion group for Australian rogaining news has been set up! You can request to join it here: https://groups.google.com/g/aus-rogaining?pli=1 Updates on Australian and international rogaining developments will be posted here (approximately monthly) and you can add your opinions to the discussion.

Other Discussion Groups

You are also invited to join these existing Australian-based discussion groups:

Maprun for rogaining: https://groups.google.com/u/1/g/maprun-for-rogaining

Rogaine mapping: https://groups.google.com/u/1/g/rogaine-mapping

Navlight users group: https://groups.google.com/u/1/g/navlight-users/

National Rogaining Calendar

Why not incorporate a rogaine into your next interstate trip? It's a great way to explore the country! All of the rogaines scheduled around Australia this year can be found in the National Calendar: https://www.rogaining.org.au/events

New rogaining category definitions in 2024!

From this year onwards, age categories are determined by year of birth rather than date of birth. For example, if you and all of your teammates have turned 55 (or older) by the end of 2024, you will qualify for Supervets for all of the events in 2024 even if you don't turn 55 until late in the year. There is also a change to the age requirement for the Veterans category - all team members must be 45 years old or older on 31st December of the year of the event rather than 40 as before. The full rules with the new category definitions can be found on the Australian Rogaining Association website.

International rogaining developments

The IRF recently held a vote which maintained a ban on the Russia and Belarus applying to host World Rogaining Championships and the European Rogaining Championships until the end of 2024, and also maintained a ban on competitors from Russia and Belarus from competing in any World Rogaining Championships and European Rogaining Champtionships until the end of 2024. If you are interested in international rogaining, please join the new discussion group: https://groups.google.com/g/aus-rogaining?pli=1

The GorgeUs Metrogaine

5 May 2024

Launceston

Look north for this late autumn 4-hour metrogaine. Entries will open in early March.

Lenah Valley Hops Again

25 August 2024

Hobart

A return to the popular 2021 Lenah Valley Hop map. Get your bounciest shoes ready.  Entries will open June. 

2024 Australasian Rogaining Championships AKA 'The Mysterious Traveller Rogaine'

7 - 8 September 2024

As described by the 2024 ARC organisers.... "Where is the Mysterious Traveller? A mask, an old logging village, a Melburnian forester, and ochre springs. We may need to navigate complex river valleys (150m a.s.l. to 300m a.s.l.). There may be a few pines, but we are mostly in stunning Jarrah - Marri - Blackbutt forest. We leave the open Nannup farmlands of 2016 far behind. We have a very easy trip here - less than 3hrs southish of Perth and less than 1hr Bunbury. For all travellers, far, near, mysterious or not, the Event Bus will take you on a magical tour from the airport to the event via a replenishing town. The Setting and Vetting team look forward to showing you some topographical mysteries!"

Initial details are available on the WARA website.

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