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NSW QBIII Orienteering Carnival 2011.
Saturday,11 June 2011 - Lithgow - The QB3 carnival started today with a "fast and furious" sprint around the grounds of Lithgow High School and TAFE. It was a cool start to the event and the venue was perfect with some complex buildings on terraces as well as a touch of Lithgow bush at the back of the paddock.
Carol Jacobson did a great job with drafting the map and Ross Barr set a classic sprint course with plenty of surprises and controls to keep everyone on their toes. The viewing platform to observe the competitors zig zagging through the bush and then sprinting through the covered area to the finish was a hoot. So was the start through the administration building!
Full results of the sprint event can be found here. A few photos from the event can be found here and here.
Sunday, 12 June 2011 - "Mt Piper Hills" - Following on from the Sprint on Saturday, Western & Hills Orienteers ran the long distance event near Wallerawang on the Mt Piper massif. The positive feed back from the competitors indicated the WHO's volunteer course setter, Janet Morris, and controller Barry Hanlon, had set them a first class challenge.
The map was in first class orienteering spur gully eucalypt terrain in Ben Bullen forest and typical of the Lithgow area - sprinkled with the odd bit of rock. The course setter and controller skillfully used all elements of the map. The start was located on the top of a large ridge so the first control was a quick dash down a long gully or track for most courses - a very pleasant beginning to the day. Then into the odd shallow gully or creek line, over the electricity easement from the nearby power station and back, and then a kilometre or two home.
A nice feature of the course was a steep hill near the end which provided some good views of the area and a sense of scale of the terrain. There were also an abundance of roos in the forest which provided an experience for the exchange students from Europe who were competing in the event. Some photos from the day can be found here and here and here.
Monday, 13 June 2011 - Cullen Bullen - The final day of the QB3 carnival was held today in Ben Bullen State Forest near the small town of Cullen Bullen. Today's format was a "middle distance" which means half way between the sprint and the long course!
There was a largish turnout for the event. Setter Ken Jacobson and controller Ron Junghans demonstrated some creative flare with a start through the tunnel under the railway - continuing the theme from the weekend of starts in unusual places. On leaving the tunnel, competitors were presented with some beautiful eucalypt spur gully terrain for the first few controls which appeared not too difficult. After warming up in this terrain and generating a sense of nagivational confidence, competitors were then plunged into a few rock lines which cost time for the unwary and sorted out the field. The final third of the course came back over the railway line and involved some rapid change of direction amongst the termite mounds and small creek lines. And if that wasn't enough, competitors faced a testing uphill finish from the last control to provide a spectacle for the crowd. All in all, a classic course to top off a quality weekend.
The junior competitors had a fun time and there was some great competition amongst the under 10, 12 and 14 divisions. Photos from the day can be found here and here.
