Author Archives: Debbie Dodd

Congratulations to Damian Spencer, winner of the 2025 Orienteering Victoria President’s Award.  Damian was chosen because of his ongoing role as OV’s Participation Officer, assisting and supporting participation projects, most notably the Learn To Orienteer program.

Congratulations also to Pam King and Peter Dalwood, who were unanimously selected as DROC’s Club Volunteers of the Year.  Peter and Pam have been exceptional volunteers in the club, consistently going above and beyond in both leadership and service. They have taken the lead on mapping initiatives with skill and dedication, contributed thoughtfully as active members of the committee, and built strong, positive connections through their work with local schools. Their reliability, initiative, and collaborative spirit have made a lasting and highly valued impact on the club and the wider community.

Come along to our next Saturday afternoon Skill Up session – free to all DROC and Bayside Kangaroos members!  Other participants welcome, on payment of $10 per session.  Pre-registration is required, and closes 1 day prior to each session.

• Session 2 – Sat June 20, Candlebark Park, Templestowe – Go Bush – more info and online registration

At this session, you’ll learn techniques to help you move up to the next level at bush orienteering events.  There will be plenty of map based activities for practice.

• Session 3 – Sat July 11, Pipemakers Park, Maribyrnong – Step Up To Sprints – more info and online registration
• Session 4 – Sat August 1, Koomba Park, Wantirna – Mysteries of Map Making – more info and online registration

All sessions run from 1pm to 4pm.  Pre register on Eventor via the links above, or email enquiries@drocorienteering.com.au.

Brought to you by Dandenong Ranges Orienteering Club and Bayside Kangaroos.

It’s time to challenge yourself with the Sheep Stations EndurO!  With two maps, twice as many controls, twice the time – and ten times the points – you’ll have twice the fun of a normal Saturday afternoon streeto!

When:  Saturday May 9, register from 1:30pm, mass start at 2pm.

Where:  East end of Shepherd Road, Glen Waverley

What:  Choose a 120 minute Run, a 90 minute Run, or a 120 minute Power Walk.  The course features 40 controls on a double sided map, and will have you exploring Nortons Park, Napier Park, the streets of Shepherds Bushed, and some controls with spectacular views in all directions.  Can you score a maximum 1400 points?  Beware – late penalties apply!

How to enter:  Register and pay on the day.  Saturday passes and Multipasses are valid, and for non pass holders, entry is just $6 for adults and $4 for juniors, cash or card accepted.  And your results count towards the overall series score!

Please bring a plate of something yummy for afternoon tea – you’ll have earned a reward!  Also note: no toilets at the Start, but several options nearby, including The Glen shops, or Jells Park picnic ground – and two sets marked on your map, located near controls.

Dandenong Ranges Orienteering Club proudly hosted Victoria’s first Discover Orienteering event, welcoming 35 newcomers to the sport at Koomba Park in Wantirna. Participants travelled from across Melbourne to take part in this exciting introduction to orienteering.

Discover Orienteering is a new nationally branded “Come and Try” initiative designed specifically for first-time participants. The session began with a group briefing, followed by a simple 400m introductory course to build confidence and understanding. From there, participants could progress to longer and more challenging courses at their own pace.

The flexible format catered to a wide range of experiences—some participants quickly completed multiple courses and eagerly asked for more, while others, including families, enjoyed a relaxed pace with breaks and picnics. Additional sideshow activities, including mini orienteering challenges, compass exercises, and maze navigation, provided further opportunities for skill development and engagement between courses.

A huge credit goes to DROC for successfully pioneering Discover Orienteering in Victoria. Introducing a new program always presents challenges, but the overwhelmingly positive response from participants highlighted its success. Event helpers also played a critical role in ensuring a welcoming and enjoyable experience for everyone involved. Helpers on the day did a great job supporting participants to have a fun experience. Thanks to: Damian, Opus, Eofy, Victoria, Nick, Peter, Denise and David.

Find out more about Discover Orienteering and Learn to Orienteer programs in Victoria.

What a great day of madness, mischief and mayhem!  The morning featured a classic individual sprint.  With such a large campus at our disposal, we wanted to show it off, so courses were a little longer than a normal sprint.

Then came the afternoon race.  Master of Ceremonies, Ian Dodd, assisted by Course Planner Rob Murphy and Start Guru Peter Yeates, managed to line everyone up in seeded rows, ie fastest on the front line.  This led to the inevitable sledging and foxing, and jockeying for prime position as the first corner was rounded.  Packs soon split up as some serious racing unfolded, and the post race discussions were as intense as the competition!

Race 1 (morning) – results, splits, livelox maps

Race 2 (afternoon mass starts) – results, splits, livelox maps

Check out these great photos!

Thanks to all who pitched in to ensure a great day of sprint orienteering.

DROC has a set of new Park Street Champions for 2026!

Gold medals went to Victoria, Opus and Eofy Greenhan, Ian Dodd, and new member Steven O’Connell.

Silver medals were won by Romain Portier, Peter Yeates, Aeon Greenhan and Ros King.

Bronze medals went to Debbie Dodd and Ian Greenwood.

A fantastic map and courses set by Stuart McWilliam.

Click here to see the map and the full results.

In one of the closest overall finishes of the four-race Sprint The Coast Carnival, Ian Dodd claimed victory by just 14 seconds! In his best national performance, Ian ran strongly and accurately to be sitting third after the first two races.  It was race 3 that proved decisive. Early favourites mispunched, leaving the door ajar.  Ian won that race by a convincing 75 seconds, and a clean run in race 4 sealed overall first place.

Victoria Greenhan also earned a podium finish with four consistent races, working her way through the field to claim third place overall, with second place in race 3 moving her up the standings.

In other results for DROC,  Eofy Greenhan finished in 4th place overall, Opus Greenhan finished in 6th place overall, Debbie Dodd finished in 7th place overall, and Darwin Greenhan finished in 14th place overall.  Completing four complicated and challenging sprints, without mispunching, was a noteworthy achievement in itself.

DROC colours look good on top of the podium!

Discover mountain bike orienteering at a Bike-O 75 Series event, ideal as an introduction to MTBO or for those wishing to enjoy a weekend bike ride of discovery.

The first event is at Silvan on Saturday 31 January, hosted by Dandenong Ranges Orienteering Club,

Riders have up to 75 minutes to visit as many controls on the supplied colour map as you can. You choose which ones to visit and which way to get there and back. Each control is worth 20 points. 10 points penalty per minute for those longer than 75 minutes.

Please make sure you read the 2026 Bike-O 75 Information Flyer before entering, so that you know what to expect at the events.

The MapRun smartphone/watch app will be used to record control locations. Bring your smartphone or bluetooth-enabled Garmin watch.  Find out more about MapRun.  Make sure you download the latest version of MapRun (for phones) or MapRunG (for compatible watches), before you arrive.

You’ll also need to check in via QR code, at each event.  Use your phone’s camera or QR code reader app, to provide your name and contact phone number.

Entries for the three Bike-O 75 events this summer are open now on Eventor.  Generally riders enter individually, but this summer we are encouraging riders who may like to ride in a group with a special entry offer – one rider enter online and any extra riders can purchase a map on the day for $5.

Also, there is a ‘Bring a friend’ two for one deal for a new rider introduced by a past rider – the past rider enters through Eventor and the new rider can Enter On the Day.  Line up friends and family to join you for some terrific, low key, fun and social Bike-O events.

Here are the results from recent events – congratulations!

VICTORIAN SPRINT CHAMPS, RMIT Bundoora

• First place – Opus Greenhan – adding to his fantastic win at the 2025 Primary Schools Orienteering Championships two days earlier
• Third place – Eofy Greenhan, Aeon Greenhan, Rob Murphy, Peter Dalwood

MELBOURNE CITY RACE RESULTS

• First place – Amber Louw, Eric Louw
• Second place – Opus Greenhan, Eofy Greenhan
• Third place – Luca Topley Vlahos, Elijah Spencer

SUMMER SHORTS AND SPRINTS SERIES

• Second place – Andrew Perkins
• Third place – Peter Dalwood, Debbie Dodd

Teams Challenge Final Scores

Results, Splits, Livelox

Maps 

Photos – visit our Photo Gallery

What a day!!  Huge thanks to course planner Andrew Turner, event advisor Ian Dodd, and the amazing DROC Crew, who made MCR6 such an outstanding success.

Want to know more?  Visit www.melbournecityrace.com.au

Thanks to our Race Partners – 4th Williamstown Sea Scouts; Kieser Spotswood; HMAS Castlemaine