The 2022 ACT Champs and Eight Hour rogaines was held in the high country plains of northern Kosciuszko National Park. The Hash House was at Bullocks Hill Campground approximately 10 km north of Kiandra and took in the area around Tantangara creek and featured three high country huts. The course was designed to provide variety and challenge for both 8 hour and 24 hour teams. Novices were encouraged to come to their first bush event and were suggested some courses and given as much advice as they could absorb.

Event map is a now free download in Avenza Map Store.

The course comprised wide open plains with subtle features but great visibility, and open snow-gum, sallee and mountain ash forests. About half of the area escaped being burnt in the 2019-20 fires and many of the burnt areas were only lightly burnt and are recovering well. When the setters checked the course in January, the place was full of alpine flowers. While the vanilla and bulbine lilies, trigger plants and flowering gums were gone in April, so were the march flies. Check out the gallery from the setters. The campgound was booked for the Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights so you could stay the extra night for the Anzac long weekend.

Eight hour teams were encouraged to camp on Saturday evening - there are many animals on the roads after dark including horses, kanagaroos and wombats. Hartley provided breakfast in the morning too (this was included in  event fee).

Entry fees: Full $84, concession $68.

Hartley Lifecare catering was available from dinner on Saturday through to lunch on Sunday. Please be self-sufficient for food and water before and after the event and at the Hash House as there is no running water on site.

Both events started Saturday 23 April at 12 pm. The 8 hr finished at 8 pm and the 24 hr at 12 pm on Sunday 24 April.

Final instructions are posted below or Printable copy here.

Final Instructions

Thank you for entering the ACT Champs or 8 hour rogaine events. Team leaders, make sure that everyone on your team reads this whole document carefully.

Important

COVID-19 Measures

While most of our restrictions have eased, please be mindful of maintaining a safe 1.5m distance from other teams at all times - including while doing your route planning, at the briefings, at the start and finish, and when approaching controls.

If you are feeling unwell, have flu-like symptoms, or have been a close contact, please stay home. You won’t enjoy rogaining while sick and others won’t appreciate you spreading the virus.

We have returned to using punches in the regular manner, particularly as we have needed to put sliding covers over them to protect them from the horses. If you are concerned, consider carrying some hand sanitiser with you.

For this event

We cannot run the usual safety patrols so if you have access to a personal locator beacon (PLB) or similar please bring that with you. There is some patchy Telstra coverage on a small part of the course, otherwise there is no mobile reception.

Autumn in the high country can be very cold. Please bring more clothes than you think you need. See below for the additional compulsory and recommended clothing.

Indemnity form

https://act.rogaine.asn.au/images/ACTRA_INDEMNITY_AND_RELEASE_standard.pdf

Please bring to the event a printed and completed indemnity form located here. Check the team list for the event to ensure that all details for your team including category are correct. If incorrect, please contact the Event Contact prior to the event.

Ensure that all team members sign a separate indemnity form. Parents or guardians must sign for people under 18. Also provide registration number(s) of your car(s) at the Hash House.

Present your completed indemnity form at the registration desk.

Medical advice: All competitors should consider advising their partner of any pre-existing medical conditions (such as diabetes, asthma, epilepsy, susceptibility to anaphylaxis) that may require first-aid action on course. This should include a description of the symptoms, the required first-aid action, and the location in their bag of any medication (such as sugar, ventolin, epi-pen, anti-histamines).

How to Get There

The Hash House is located at the Bullocks Hill Campground, northern Kosciuszko National Park.

From Canberra, take the Monaro Highway to Cooma. Seven kilometres south of Cooma, take the Snowy Mountains Highway towards Adaminaby and the Selwyn Snowfields. Go through Adaminaby (last fuel) and into the Kosciuszko National Park. 11 km north of the Link Road turnoff (just past Kiandra, signposted to Selwyn Snowfields and Cabramurra), turn right into Bullocks Hill Campground. This is immediately past the 60 km roadworks sign for Snowy Hydro 2 on a flat section of road and is difficult to spot with the many signs. Keep an eye out for the rogaine signs that will be put out on Friday afternoon. The campground is approximately 300 m along this road at the main powerlines.

A Google map is at https://goo.gl/maps/1JnXbWx3c6zWCgzC7

Registration, Map Availability, Start Times

Registration will open at 9:00 am for both the 24 hour and 8 hour events.

The 24 hour and 8 hour events will start at 12 pm.

To register, one person only per team to register and collect maps please. That person will need to bring:

• first aid kit, so that it can be checked; see below for what it must contain
• one completed indemnity form per team member.

In addition to a whistle (Rule B15), for this event, everyone must carry an emergency blanket, spare thermal, warm hat and waterproof jacket. If you are staying out overnight, thermal tights, gloves and a fleece jacket are the minimum recommended additional equipment. We are expecting temperatures to be cold because of the altitude of the course and time of the year.

Electronic scoring: As this event is using the Navlight system of scoring, two tags per team will be issued with a wristband and tag upon registration.

You will also be given pre-marked maps on waterproof teslin, with control descriptions and course setter's notes on the reverse side and an A4 copy of the map to be used as a flight plan. We recommend that you arrive at least an hour and half prior to the start of the event to allow enough time for final preparations and route planning. Each team must mark their intended route on the flight plan and hand it in before starting. 

Map and Course Details

There is one 450x470 mm sized map at 1:25,000 with 10 m contour interval. Magnetic north lines are marked on the map. The course setters notes and control descriptions have been printed on the back. The altitude ranges from 1200 m to 1600 m.

Water

Please bring enough water for Hash House use and for at least 3 hours on course. There NO water drops on course because the organisers do not have vehicle access to the course. Each competitor will be given 5 litres worth of Micropur (5 tablets) at registration to enable you to purify water on the course. There are many clear running creeks on the course but we highly recommend purification as there are also many animals. Consider bringing your own additional water purification tablets if you think you may need more.

Post-event Catering

Hartley Lifecare will provide catering from 5pm with dinner, breakfast and lunch for competitors with soup and snacks available at other times. Vegetarian and meat curries, soup, sausages, toasties for dinner and lunch, with cereal, porridge and bacon and egg sandwich for breakfast. Please bring your own plate, bowl, cup and cutlery.

Camping - there is camping available at the Hash House on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Please be completely self-sufficient, including water. Don’t forget your Saturday breakfast and lunch! There are grassy areas in the open and under trees and long-drop toilets.

Please Bring to the Event

• completed indemnity form
• PLB if you own one
• map will be printed on Teslin waterproof paper with control descriptions on reverse side. Contact or map case optional.
• Coloured pens, pencils, scissors, highlighter pen, table and chairs or board for map preparation. The marquee will be available for planning.
• Some food for before and/or during the event.
• Your own plate, bowl, cup and cutlery for post-event catering.
• Water for your use at the Hash House and to start the event with (there is no running water at the campground).

Carry on Course

Mandatory Equipment

• Whistle (per person)
• Basic first aid kit (that includes 2 compression bandages and 1 wound dressing) (per team)
• Space blanket or bag
• Spare thermal
• Warm hat
• Raincoat

Other items we recommend that you carry

• food for the event
• water for 3 hours
• compass
• gaiters – recommended for scrub and snake-bite protection
• watch (no GPS functions) as you must not use your phone.
• pen/pencil
• PLB if you own one
• Mobile phone for emergencies (this must be kept in the sealed bag provided).
• Space blanket (per person)
• Sunscreen, sun-hat, sunglasses
• Adequate warm clothes for the conditions (noting conditions can change quickly and you will get very cold if you have to stop for a while):

Mobile Phone Coverage

Mobile phone coverage is patchy to ok on Telstra in the southern part of the course. The Hash House number will be 0147 148 005.

Restrictions

No pets; no alcohol; no firearms: no fires.

No altimeters, pedometers or GPS-capable devices such as watches and smartphones. Smartphones may be carried for emergency use only in the sealed bags provided - they cannot be used for time-keeping or photography. 

Summary of Event Rules and Scoring

The only navigational aids permitted are the maps we provide together with your compasses.

All team members must remain within earshot of each other at all times. All members must simultaneously get to within 5m of each control point. All team members must punch their Navlight tags at each control to score points – if one member has not punched, the team does not score that control. If a Navlight punch has failed, record the three letter code visible inside the end of the punch.

The organisers may disqualify a team if it acts against these rules or against the spirit of the event.

A team can retire a member at the hash house. This will finish that team's event. A new team can form but it must start with zero score.

Late Penalty: 10 points per minute (or part) late. Disqualification if more than 30 minutes late.

If teams score equal points then the first team home will have a higher rank.

Presentation and Awards

Presentations will be conducted ASAP after the conclusion of each event.