It was like a reunion in the car park of the only Championship event to be held in Victoria in 2020, as we caught up with friends who we hadn’t seen since the Melbourne Sprint Weekend way back in March.  Thanks to Melbourne Forest Racers for their determination to make the event happen – a great way to wind up the year.  Skills were rusty as we tried to remember which finger our SIAC sticks went on, how to use our compasses, and what all those symbols on the map meant. But once on the course it all came back, and we had tons of fun navigating the complex streets, lanes, and stockyards of historic Kensington.

Congratulations go to winners Helen Walpole and Peter Grover; runners-up Sally Barlow, Amber Louw, Simon Rouse and Ilze Yeates; and third placegetters Peter Dalwood, Ian Davies, Asha Steer and Janine Steer.  Each will receive free or discounted entry to the MFR Summer Sprints in early 2021.

Melbourne Summer Series is up and away, operating under Orienteering Victoria’s Covid Safe Plan.  Choose from any of the four weeknight series.  With multiple groups of 100 now allowed, we have room for everyone, with no pre-entry requirements.

Guidelines for participants, organisers, course planners and scorers are now available here, including:

• What to expect at events
• QR code checkin
• Season and Multi pass arrangements

Missed an event? Get the maps for Anytime use here

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT SUMMER SERIES:   www.vicorienteering.asn.au/summer

To give Melbourne orienteers some much-missed bush orienteering, we’re offering four free training sessions during November.

• Sunday November 8 – Police Paddocks, Brady Road, Endeavour Hills (25 km limit applies)  Event Information and Online Entry – opens Nov 1
• Saturday November 14 – Jumping Creek Reserve, Warrandyte    Event Information and Online Entry – opens Nov 7
• Sunday November 22 – Panton Hills    Event Information and Online Entry – opens Nov 15
• Sunday November 29 – Brimbank Park    Event Information and Online Entry – opens Nov 22

Pre-entry via Eventor is required for these four training sessions.  Entry for Police Paddocks will open on Sunday November 1, and close on Friday November 6, or when the maximum of 60 entries is reached.  Entry to the other three sessions will open one week ahead of each session.

These sessions will operate under the OV Covid-Safe Return to Sport Plan. Entry conditions apply – details on Eventor. Please read the OV Participant Guidelines before entering.

Each event will have two Line courses (5 km and 3 km), and a Score course. Police Paddocks will have an additional 7 km (Long Hard) course.

The events are divided into two separate timeslots – 10.30-11.15am, and 11.30am-12.15pm.  When entering, you must choose one of these two timeslots at the same time as you select your course.  You must arrive, check in, and start your course, within your timeslot. Only 10 people will be allowed at Registration at any one time.

Control locations will be marked with hanging tapes, or permanent course markers at Brimbank Park.  These events are self-timed and there are no published results.  There are no toilets at the venues.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

The next Melbourne City Race will be on Sunday April 18 2021 – rescheduled from November 2020, so that we can deliver all we promised, hopefully without too many restrictions in place.

The 2021 Melbourne City Race heads to the seaside!  You’ll explore the best that Port Melbourne has to offer, including Beacon Cove, Station Pier, Bay Street and the famous South Melbourne Market.  There’s a maze of irregular narrow streets and lanes, perfect for navigating!  You’ll also enjoy an amazing array of architecture from quaint cottages and historic stone pubs, to multi million dollar apartments on palm tree lined boulevards. There are beautiful parks and gardens, and of course the foreshore, where you’ll taste the salty tang of fresh sea air.

You’ll have a chance to warm up on Saturday April 17, with a Park Prologue.  This will be a park map in the inner east, with location and format to be announced. It will feature a network of narrow streets and lanes, small parks, and riverside trails.

Pre-entry will be required, and entries will be open on Eventor in March 2021.  Discover Port Melbourne from a new point of view!   www.melbournecityrace.com.au

As winter comes to a close, we’re starting to think about Summer events. The new orienteering fixture is in place, and we’re ready to roll with park street events just as soon as we get the official go-ahead for community sport.

To download and print the fixture, simply head to www.vicorienteering.asn.au/summer.  Click on the image to open a high quality pdf, which you can download and print.  This page will also be the place to find out everything you need to know for events from October onwards, including any changes to dates and locations, and guidelines for participants as we operate under our Return to Sport plan.

See you soon!!

All organised orienteering events have been suspended from July 8 until further notice, for any residing in metropolitan Melbourne. This means Park Street Winter Series events, MelBushO events, the RMIT Sprint Double, and all other orienteering activity, will not take place until restrictions allow organised sport to resume again.

However, individual outdoor exercise is allowed, as long as you manage hygiene and social distancing, and do not travel outside the restricted area of Melbourne. We have two great ways to keep you actively orienteering, and connected to your sport.

MAPLINK  https://www.vicorienteering.asn.au/maplink

MapLink is there for you –  the MapLink Library now has almost 100 Park Street courses, right across Melbourne, with new courses added every week.  You can complete as many courses as you like, where you like, in your own time frame. We have an online self scoring system and a Facebook page to keep you connected.  You can help by setting a course, sending it to voa@iinet.net.au, and letting us share it with everyone.  Find out more about Set-Send-Share.

DIY MAP LIBRARY https://www.vicorienteering.asn.au/resources/diy-library/

We have over 100 previous maps and courses already set up, ready for you to download, print, and use in your own time frame. You’ll find a great selection of park street, sprint, MTBO and bush maps – including DROC’s own Map Archive, Bayside Kangaroos Maprun library; most Park Street maps from 2019 and 2020 (and some golden oldies from way back); a great selection of sprint training maps from Fredo and Mikkel, and some Sprint Into Spring, Vic Autumn Series and MelbushO maps.

We also have a special offer for club members.  You can request a digital copy of our Permanent Course maps, which will be emailed to you.

Stay safe when exercising:

Fantastic news – orienteering is coming back soon!  From Saturday July 4, Park Street resumes competition, with a restart set for the Monday, Wednesday and Saturday Series. Meanwhile, Preseason sessions will continue right through until July 1st.  Find out more about the return of Park Street Orienteering, and sign up for a free Preseason session here. We offer three events every week, and 3 20-person sessions per event.

Bush orienteering will restart in late July, subject to landowner permission. We hope to kick things off on Sunday July 19 with 2020’s first MelbushO at Police Paddocks, however this is still subject to confirmation.  Find out about plans to restart MelbushO

If you would like to brush up on your bush orienteering skills before then, come along to one of our training sessions, at Cardinia Reservoir on Sunday June 21, or Brimbank Park on Sunday July 5.  Each training day has three separate 20-person sessions – 10am, 11am and 12pm.  You’ll receive a printed map, and you can choose to do a 5km or 3 km Line course, or a 60 min Score course. These sessions are free of charge, but you MUST pre-enter on Eventor.  Use the links below to sign up.

Cardinia 10am – full     Cardinia 11am – enter here     Cardinia 12pm – full

Brimbank 10am – enter here     Brimbank 11am – enter here     Brimbank 12pm – enter here

ORIENTEERING VICTORIA RETURN TO SPORT UPDATES

To help you keep active and stay local, DROC has created an archive of past maps.  These are available for individual exercise only, and are not to be used for organised activity of any kind.

Some of these maps date back many years. Maps were correct at the time, but may no longer be an accurate representation – use at own risk!

DROC Map Archive

Grab your mountain bike and get ready to explore the Dandenong Ranges with a map!  You’ll have 75 minutes to visit as many controls as you can on two wheels, using the tracks and trails in and around Silvan Reservoir and Dandenong Ranges National Park.  What an amazing way to spend the morning – navigating amongst the spectacular tall timbers!

There is no need to pre-enter – just come along ready to ride, with starts between 10.30 and 10.45am.

Important information for competitors – please read this article.

Start and Finish: Eagle Nest Picnic Ground, Eagle Nest Road (off Silvan Road), Dandenong Ranges National Park.

Riders have up to 75 minutes to visit controls on the supplied colour map. 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.

Entries: Enter on the day – register up until 15 minutes before the 10.30am start time. Fees: Adults $10, Juniors $5.

Map boards and Sportident e-sticks:  available for loan.

Find out more

COVID-19 IMPACT ON ORIENTEERING EVENTS – PARTICIPANT GUIDELINES FOR VICTORIAN PARK STREET EVENTS  March 15 2020                                                                                          

Orienteering Australia has shared guidance on conduct of orienteering events with States and clubs. Orienteering Victoria has adopted the competition guidelines below, and we have already posted them on our website and Facebook page.  These guidelines take effect at all Park Street events from Monday March 16 2020, until further notice.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely, and follow guidance provided by OA for safe and responsible conduct of events.  We expect conditions to change quickly, and will be ready to respond and communicate accordingly. We strongly encourage you to visit the OV website regularly (www.vicorienteering.asn.au) for updates.

Victorian Park Street events

Fixtured events will continue as normal unless/until we are advised otherwise, or unless landowners withdraw permission.

However, the Awards Night and BBQ on Wednesday April 1 will not go ahead; instead we will have a short informal prizegiving (series certificates and Championship medallions) immediately following the event.  The dinner planned for Tuesday March 24 will also not proceed.

Guidelines for competitors

You must not come to any Australian orienteering event or activity if you fall into one of the following categories:

• If you are unwell with a cough or fever or other respiratory symptoms. This is particularly so for people who have recently travelled from overseas.
• If you have been a close contact of a confirmed case of COVID-19 until 14 days after having contact with a confirmed case even if they are completely symptom free.
• If you have returned from or transited through a listed higher risk country (currently mainland China, Iran, Italy, South Korea), until 14 days after leaving the country.
• If you are undergoing COVID-19 testing until you have received your results.
• If you have been advised to stay at home by a health professional.

Precautions at Victorian Park Street events

• Follow good hygiene practices, and provide your own hand sanitiser*
• No catering provided or food for sharing with others to be brought. BYO drinks, snacks, cups etc
• No presentations, or results displays at events
• Maps will be placed on a table for competitors to pick up individually, rather than being handed out
• Volunteers on the finish table, and scorers, will wear gloves when handling control cards
• Briefings will be kept to a minimum.  Participants should register quickly and move away from the table while they wait for the start

** It is currently not practicable for event organisers to provide hand sanitiser or other protective measures for individual participants. Volunteers handling multiple control cards will be provided with gloves.

Debbie Dodd; Margi Freemantle

Orienteering Victoria Park Street Committee Co-Chairs