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Hepburn Day of Rogaining Navigation 🧭 & Fun!! 😁![]()
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The Eureka Orienteers Rogaining team #132 had such a brilliant day out at Hepburn on Saturday, the 11th of April. 75% of the team had never been to a rogaine and the other 25% had never gone in one officially! We certainly packed cautiously give the forecast of rain and pretty cold temperatures. But when we all arrived at Hepburn Recreation Reserve we could only marvel at sunny blue sky and then think, we won't even need raincoats! 🤣🤔 ![]()
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Serious rogainers spend much time planning what route they will take. We completed this in about 5 minutes!!! 🤣😆😲 More because we didn't want to arrive at 8:00am for a 10:00 mass start. But we filled out the paperwork, got our Nav Light attached, got our maps into plastic bags.....we were ready to go!! We were excited!!! The mass start is always fun with a couple of hundred people just going every which way, or so it seems, but in reality only split 50/50 to one of two nearest checkpoints.![]()
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In semi-built up areas and places with lots of tracks it can be easy to stick to the formed vehicular tracks. But soon it was decided we need to make some shortcuts happen through the bush! In the area around The Blowhole we had our first substantial team discussion! The term 'Mutiny' was thrown about, but really more is explaining that our team believes in democracy, well, up to a point!! 🤣 Interestingly part of the confusion was caused by one the tourist walk signs with a map, that we even decided was NOT useful for serious navigators and was infact not, perhaps, oriented they way we would have liked!!! 🤣😆 Still, this was also a chance to learn and teach so it was explained that it was not wise to rely on only one aspect of the map or the compass or signs with maps, but to use multiple checks and use them all to confirm we were heading in the right direction! Soon enough we found our 2nd checkpoint for the day.![]()
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Our next "shortcut" was a group decision to head off the track and straight up a steep hillside! We stumbled onto a horizontal mine so that was interesting! Note: In this area it would not be wise to stumble onto a vertical mineshaft!! 😲 So, as warned, you have to take care in this area of so many mineshafts!!!![]()
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Although only a fairly short distance from some edge of Hepburn houses, we were now in full forest and serious bush navigation territory. But our team was growing in confidence and with a minimum of help they made it to the next checkpoints. Then we had some serious route choices to make. But that became easier when you can see just how steep some gullies were! In the end we, whilst looking for shortcuts, we just kept walking along a vehicular track and then reached a road that was taken all the way to the Water Checkpoint! We were well ahead of another team that did take the down/up/down/up straighter route choice!! At the water point (W40) it is always good to get some fruit, water and lollies! 😋 Plus you are allowed to sit next to this one for as long as you want!![]()
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Soon we were heading towards Sailors Creek. It was mapped with a long ribbon of dark green, suggesting there be huge amounts of blackberries, (and maybe dragons! 🐉) and you will in no way be able to cross. Our adventurous team spirit and experience of just how dry Sailors Creek was last year, resulted in the team discussion saying, "Oh, we will find somewhere to cross, no worries about that!!". Well, in fact, I've never seen so much water in Sailors Creek!!! Stepping stones?? I can't see any where the creek was running bank to bank with grey turbid flowing water!!! 🤣😊 With a 90 pointer drawing us further up the creek with no way to cross, once we got that one, we said, "Ah, look let's just go for it and see what happens.". Well, we scrambled down the quite high long slippery slope and did find some stepping stones, and the blackberries were actually just bluffing here!! We did it!! This river crossing then became a top highlight of the entire day! But as for point scoring, sure we got a 90 pointer but it is the only checkpoint we have got in more than an hour!!! 🤣😆🤔🫣 How much fun were we having though!! Climbing out of Sailors Creek Canyon eventually saw us get back in touch with Hepburn town. Seems like we half way through our plan. But probably way more than half way through our energy reserves and time reserves!![]()
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Another 60 pointer was in full bush again, but the steep slopes were eating more and more time and energy. We talked distance left and after getting the remote busy 60 pointer we were heading for home, (about 3km) and will pick up some more checkpoints on the way back.![]()
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Past the old swimming pool cut out of rocks. Got the Anzac Memorial Park, although the tired thinking saw a shortcut missed! That's the sign of bush navigation fatigue!!! 🤣😆 Then a 90 pointer!! 😁 Then at 3:00pm. It finally started raining for the first time all day!!! How lucky we had been!! Ok, getting closer to the end and the number of others teams around us was increasing again!! Got the last one and now just have 1km to walk! Then, we made it! Finished!!!! 🥵 We did it and made it back with around ten minutes to go! 👏 ![]()
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860 points we scored! Is that good? It sounds good!!! 😁 One of us saw a friend and asked what they scored. They got double our score!!! 😲🫣😳🤣😆![]()
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But you know what, the numerical score means little. We scored a fantastic day out. We navigated in the bush. We crossed raging rivers!!?(🤣😆). We learnt a lot. We all experienced the fun of deciding which route to take. Then we enjoyed that outstanding community spirit and huge event atmosphere that Rogaining is. We also taught each other about how we navigate and maybe how we do it slightly differently from each other. Sometimes it can be hard to hear about how others navigate in other navigation sport situations were people come, do an event, then go home, without even speaking much at all. But today we are all four and out there showing and discussing how to navigate and what tools and techniques to use at various points. To me, doing these rogaines is such an incredibly useful learning and training tool for all bush navigators, be that bushwalking, orienteering or rogaining. I will begin asking for who wants to be in the next team for the next rogaine in May.![]()
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Thanks enormously to the Victorian Rogaining Association. These events get hundreds and hundreds of competitors across the weekend and also involve many volunteers. Thank you so much from Team #132. We had the best day on Saturday and I am pretty certain all four of us, and hopefully more, will be back for the next rogaine in the future!! 👏 😁 😁 😁 😁 👍 ![]()
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If this sounds like fun and a great adventure that you would like to be a part of the next one, then let us know and we will start organising soon. These are all Pre-entry events so it is best to get ready early!!!![]()
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Yes, orienteering takes you to so many places exploring and adventuring, and so too does rogaining. Technically they may be different sports but to me they are exactly the same. You use a map and compass to find points on a map and get the best exercise whilst you are doing it. Both have given me so much happiness and so many memories that are some of the greatest in my life. I love it and hope you will too!![]()
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Wow, our first official rogaine. Clearly we were all tired as we ate the food provided back at the Hash House. But it was also plainly clear how happy we were and how much fun we had!! Ok, see you next time everybody! 👋 😁
Rogaining is something that EVERY orienteer might try one day. Why not try this weekend? Eureka Orienteers have a team entered this Saturday. This team will be all about taking it easy and enjoying a great day and completing a 6-Hour rogaine and learning and practicing to navigate over a wider area, with smaller scale maps. In map speak, the higher the number, e.g. the 25000 in 1:25000, Mean's the scale is smaller!!! 😲🤔 Think of it like this. On smaller scale maps, 100m on the ground is represented by a smaller distance on the map! Still confused? Well, come along and learn this Saturday!![]()
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Please let us know if you have all day Saturday, Luke from 8:00am to 5:30pm free and would like to join our team. There will be heaps of fun, adventure and food. Eureka Orienteers also have World Champion Rogainers in our midst too who have been Rogaining for 50 years!!!![]()
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Get in contact to discuss this weekend's Rogaining event! In the meantime, enjoy this video below form Italy. Next weekends event in Hepburn will not be quite so serious.but it sure does show how much fun it is! 😆🤔😁👍🌲🌲
Congratulations and Thankyou to Long term Orienteers & Club Legends Roch Prendergast (Eureka Orienteers Life Member) & Rod Gray competing and/or accepting prizes in various Presentation Ceremonies in Tasmania over the Easter weekend, 2026! They have both done, and continue to do, enormous things for Eureka Orienteers and also orienteering in general, at all levels, in Australia! What a great weekend they had, no doubt made even greater for one of them, with a sensational 1 point victory at the G for that Happy team at Hawthorn! Great photos courtesy of Southern Highlands Orienteers, NSW!
C'mon everyone! Who wants to make a video like this in and around Ballarat and Creswick??? It would be awesome fun! Truly, it would! Ok, Happy Easter! 🐣 🐰 😁 Have a beautiful and safe Easter 2026!
A Sport for Life! Remember those bumper stickers, along with The Thought Sport and Cunning Running? Need to bring those bumper stickers back!!! 👍🤔👏😊
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