The trial creates two distinct seasons for orienteering in the ACT, with Street-O to continue all year round.

• Winter – Bush with Saturday Metro and ACT League events.
• Summer – Park, Light Bush, & Urban Sprint.

The proposed changes have been brought about by six main reasons:

• Number of Events: In 2025 OACT held 132 competition events plus coaching programs. This is the highest number ever run by OACT and has been increasing year-by-year. The number of events is putting a strain on the organisation, clubs, and individuals.
• Overuse of Venues: Twilight and Metro Series events have significant repetition of event venues, such as Bruce Ridge, The Pinnacle, Mt Taylor, Red Hill, Cooleman Ridge, etc. Repeated use degrades course quality and discourages some orienteers from attending. Less frequent use of these venues will reinvigorate the events held during the winter season.
• ACT Parks and Conservation Service (PCS) Access Approvals: ACT PCS’s classification of several of the Canberra Nature Parks as Zone 1 Core Conservation areas has meant that OACT can no longer access some of the highest quality local event venues, including Black Mountain, Aranda Hill, and parts of Mt Majura. This has resulted in overuse of remaining locations that are often less suited to good quality bush orienteering.
• Vegetation and Weed Growth: Many of the bush venues used during the summer season are unpleasant for orienteering in summer due to long grass, grass seeds, and prickly weeds. This varies from year to year, but overall, more areas are being more severely impacted by grass and weed growth.
• Temperature: All sports must consider the impacts of climate and the health and safety of participants. During summer it is common for the hottest time of day to be near the start time for Twilight Series evening events. New extreme temperature guidelines introduced by the International Orienteering Federation and Orienteering Australia, increase the likelihood that events held at these times will need to be cancelled, possibly at short notice.
• Family Friendly and Opportunities to Socialise: It can be a difficult for families to attend or volunteer at events held on weekday afternoons; people who do attend, come, do the event and go home. Sunday morning events provide more opportunities for people to socialise and engage with the sport.

The proposal is to not run the Twilight Series in its present format, and to instead run an extended Sunday morning series of Park, Light Bush, and Urban Sprint events. With the following format:

• 14 events held from early November to end February. Season length determined by the 2026 Oceania Carnival and the 2027 Capital-O Carnival.
• Start window 9.00am – 10.00am, course closure at 10.45am.• Two courses on offer: Course 1 (2.5-3.0km) and Course 2 (1.0-2.0km).
• Locations at urban parklands, school campuses, and small bush areas best suited to short course events in summer.
• Seven Park/Light Bush events before Christmas and seven Urban Sprint events after Christmas.
• The Clubs to organise the pre-Christmas events, and individuals under the guidance of a series co-ordinator to organise the post-Christmas events.
• Series Passes, individual event entry, and Enter-on-the-Day will be available. Separate Season Passes would be offered for the pre- and post-Christmas events.
• Runners Shop Summer competition held across all 14 events, with a points table and end of season awards.

The proposal is a trial for 2026-27, to be evaluated for future seasons.

The post Proposed Programme Changes to be Trialled for the 2026-27 Summer Season appeared first on Orienteering ACT.

It is a requirement of the landowners that everyone coming onto this property, whether you are competing, are a volunteer, or a supporter, must accept the conditions in the Visitor Site Induction form. Volunteers and supporters must enter through Eventor using the Non-Competitor class, for which there is no entry fee. Non-Competitor entries, and entries to the non-championship Open Very Easy, Open Easy, Open Moderate, and Open Hard classes, will remain open until the event day.

Saturday 16 May, Middle Distance, NSW State League #5 and ACT League #4

Final Bulletin is available here.
Entries are open here.

Sunday 17 May, ACT Long Distance Championships inc. NSW State League #6 and ACT League #5

Bulletin 1 is now available here.
Entries are now open here.

A superb granite area. The map is characterised by a long, steep, forested escarpment with significant cliffs, bare rock and boulders. The more gentle slopes provide extensive cleared areas and more varied contour shapes, while still retaining copiously technical rock detail.

Runnability is generally very good due to past grazing but varies from fast in open areas to slow/medium amongst heavy granite detail and on the steepest parts of the map. Green areas are occasional and generally represent a reduction in visibility without a too-significant impact on runnability.

Courses are set in true long-distance style, providing constantly varying technical and physical challenges. Competitors who make efficient
route choices and demonstrate their navigational composure throughout the race will be rewarded handsomely.
All courses include significant climb. Course lengths have been adjusted to compensate, and care has been taken to make the physical challenge appropriate for all classes. Course-specific information will be provided closer to the event.

The post Long Distance Championship Entries Close Sunday appeared first on Orienteering ACT.

Entries to both events will close at 11:59pm on Sunday 10 May.

Saturday 16 May, NSW State League #5 and ACT League #4

Information flyer is available here.
Entries are open here.

Sunday 17 May, ACT Long Distance Championships inc. NSW State League #6 and ACT League #5

Bulletin 1 is now available here.
Entries are now open here.

A superb granite area. The map is characterised by a long, steep, forested escarpment with significant cliffs, bare rock and boulders. The more gentle slopes provide extensive cleared areas and more varied contour shapes, while still retaining copiously technical rock detail.

Runnability is generally very good due to past grazing but varies from fast in open areas to slow/medium amongst heavy granite detail and on the steepest parts of the map. Green areas are occasional and generally represent a reduction in visibility without a too-significant impact on runnability.

Courses are set in true long-distance style, providing constantly varying technical and physical challenges. Competitors who make efficient
route choices and demonstrate their navigational composure throughout the race will be rewarded handsomely.
All courses include significant climb. Course lengths have been adjusted to compensate, and care has been taken to make the physical challenge appropriate for all classes. Course-specific information will be provided closer to the event.

The post Entries Open for ACT Long Distance Championships Weekend appeared first on Orienteering ACT.

The complete 2026 Australian JWOC Team:

Women: Ariadna Iskhakova (ACT), Ella Clauson (TAS), Erika Enderby (NSW), Katherine Maundrell (ACT), Liana Stubbs (TAS), Milla Key (VIC)
Reserves: Sanda Halpin (ACT), Sophie Hartman (TAS)

Men: Cooper Horley (NSW), Elye Dent (ACT), Euan Best (TAS), Hayden Dent (ACT), Matty Maundrell (ACT), Owen Radajewski (ACT)
Reserves: Alton Freeman (NSW), Hugo Taunton-Burnet (QLD)

The post Six ACT Juniors Selected for Junior World Championships appeared first on Orienteering ACT.

The complete 2026 Australian EYOC Team:

M16: Rory Shedden (NSW), Euan Shedden (NSW), Ben Mansell (ACT), Baxter Peel (NSW)
W16: Shari Gilbert (Qld), Ella Maja Lang (Vic), Veronika Iskhakova (ACT)
M18: Oliver Bishop (ACT), Matthew Slater (NSW)
W18: Amy Dufty (WA), Savanna Sweeney (NSW), Sanda Halpin (ACT)

The post Four OACT Juniors Selected for European Youth Championships appeared first on Orienteering ACT.

Join our “Learn to Orienteer” program in term 2.
It’s for anyone who wants to learn to orienteer – all ages are welcome.

There will be seven one-hour sessions, held once a week. Lessons are conducted in small groups. We will focus on different skills and give participants plenty of opportunities to have fun exploring techniques to build confidence in using a map to navigate.

• When: Saturdays 10am-11am. Starting on 25 April 2026 for 7 weeks.
• Where: Co-located with Orienteering ACT’s Metro Series (May-August).
• Cost: Junior (u20) $119*, Adult $189. Includes Orienteering ACT membership for 2026, a season pass for the May-August Metro Series (own SI-stick required after end of program).

*Each participant under the age of 18 must have a parent/guardian present for the session, and we encourage parents/carers’ to participate. The activities will be designed so that parents/guardians can join in as well, learn to orienteer and have fun with us.

Registration is now open here

1. Saturday 25 April, Weston Park, Yarralumla
2. Saturday 2 May, John Knight Park, Belconnen
3. Saturday 9 May, Cooleman Ridge, Kambah
4. Saturday 23 May, Mt Mugga Mugga, O’Malley
5. Saturday 30 May, Mt Jerrabomberra, Karabar
6. Saturday 13 June, The Pinnacle, Weetangera
7. Saturday 20 June, Stringybark Hill, Jerrabomberra

For questions, contact learn@act.orienteering.asn.au

The post Learn to Orienteer – Starts 25 April appeared first on Orienteering ACT.

The post Friday Training Cancelled appeared first on Orienteering ACT.

Thank you to Valerie Barker and Nina Davis for organising and hosting the awards, and to Tom de Jongh for providing the photos accompanying this story.

Audun Fristad Junior Encouragement Awards

• Elyse Care, William Charles, Arlo Foxlee, Tindra Helgstedt, Veronika Ishkakova, Joshua Maniti, Ruth Morrison.

A list of prior recipients can be found here.

Wehner Cup

David Stocks won the Wehner Cup for ACT orienteer of the year.

The top ten points placings for 2025 were:

1	David Stocks	795
2	Martin Dent	763
3	Matthew Stocks	748
4	Rob Walter	730
5	Sanda Halpin	726
6	Andy Hogg	720
6	Cath Chalmers	709
8	Allison Jones	693
9	Elye Dent	692
10	Ella Hogg	686

Services to Coaching Award

Stephen Goggs

Since 2017 Stephen has been the OACT Sporting Schools coordinator, administering and delivering programs to primary and secondary school students across Canberra and the nearby NSW region.

The program has been rolled out in one form or another to over 70 primary schools and 20 high schools and colleges, many of them happy repeat customers. Stephen makes proactive contact with school sports teachers throughout the ACT reminding them of the opportunities available to seek funding for orienteering coaching. When grants are announced he follows up with teachers who have logged an expression of interest in applying their funds to orienteering in order to identify suitable dates and times to deliver the coaching program. Stephen has developed a passion for delivering the coaching himself on many occasions, but he has also developed a cohort of other retirees and, increasingly, university student coaches to assist with the task, especially when schools book in up to eight classes per day for each of the four days of a typical program.

Stephen has also been OACT’s representative on a number of OA-led national working parties and has contributed heavily to the development of a successful and respected Coaching Curriculum for orienteering and a Program Delivery Guide aligned to the learning outcomes of the National Education Framework, initially for Years 3 to 6 and morer ecently extended to Years 7 and 8. The national delivery guide includes many activities refined by OACT coaches and one devised by Stephen himself as a suitable introductory activity for new starters of all ages.

It is testament to Stephen’s ongoing commitment to the work that our sport and our association have developed a strong reputation for providing students of all ages with valuable and enjoyable exposure to a sport that engages body and brain in a fun and non-competitive way.

A list of prior recipients can be found here.

Jim Sawkins Award for Event Management

Parawanga Orienteers: the organising team for the 2025 ACT Sprint Championships: Course setter (Bryant Allen), the controller (Phil Walker), the day organisers (Nat Smith & Andy Hogg) and Jill Walker (Liaison)

The Sprint Championships were held at the Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG) on Sunday 16th March.

Engagement with the ANBG’s management was initiated by the then OACT President, Susanne Harrysson, in mid-2024 and continued throughout that year and into 2025. The ANBG’s management set out clear guidelines for areas that could be used with strict conditions that no participants should enter the garden beds. This was entirely understandable given that the ANBG has the world’s most comprehensive display of living Australian native plants.
Access to the ANBG for the event and setup was constrained with set times to not interfere with the maintenance activities or peak times for visitors to the Gardens. This required tight planning by the course setter (Bryant Allen), the controller (Phil Walker) the day organisers (Nat Smith & Andy Hogg) and Jill Walker who liaised with the ANBG’s rangers and volunteer staff.

Forever in the minds of the event organisers was the risk of reputational damage if even one participant was seen running across a garden bed. To mitigate the risk the event organisers provided numerous briefings on the need stay out of out of bounds areas, and placed marshals at key points to monitor the runners. Pleasingly there were no reported cases of participants entering the out of bounds areas.

A lot of maintenance work goes on every week at the ANBG, with tracks being repaired, trimming of plants, clearing fallen trees after high winds and garden beds being replanted. Consequently, tracks were closed off or opened to the public at short notice necessitating changes to the map in the fortnight before the event with purple hatching added or removed. Paul de Jongh was called upon in the week before the event to do map changes as areas were closed off as out-of-bounds, and other areas open to access.

The event attracted 205 entries, with dozens travelling from interstate to experience a unique orienteering experience at an iconic location of national significance. The event was an outstanding success thanks to the effort of the organising team to obtain access to the ANBG, run the event in the narrow time period allocated to OACT by the ANBG, and the thorough preparations in the months leading up to the event and the ongoing liaison with ANBG staff in the week before and on the day of the event.

A list of prior recipients can be found here.

Mike Cassells Award for Services to Orienteering

Susanne Harrysson

As the OACT President from April 2022 to April 2025 Susanne was prominent in promoting orienteering and strengthening OACT’s governance. This was at a time when all community sports were needing to rebuild their membership and participation base after the COVID years, and at time when the Australia Sports Commission, Orienteering Australia and State Governments were raising the standards on what was required from sporting organisations to meet best practice for governance. As a result of Susanne’s leadership, OACT achieved the higher governance standards and, although it took longer than expected, OACT’s membership and participation numbers have increased getting closer to pre-COVID levels.

Susanne has been, and still is, the driving force behind the very successful Learn-to-Orienteering (L2O) programs. She has worked with Orienteering Australia to shape the L2O syllabus and has been the co-ordinator for running the L2O programs for OACT since inception. The value of the L2O program can be seen in the number of newcomers to the sport for both adults and juniors.

Susanne has also been the driving force behind the resurgence in the SC-ORE series of orienteering for the younger school students. She manages the series, liaises with schools for access to venues and promotes the sport. This is no simple task, having become more difficult to engage with schools post COVID, with many schools reluctant to have events or promote internally. Nevertheless, the Spring 2025 SC-ORE series was the best attended series since before COVID.

When not managing the L2O and SC-ORE programs, Susanne co-ordinates the Sprint series, once again liaising with schools for access to venues on Sunday mornings and arranging for course setters, with Susanne invariably the person on the computer/rego desk. When time permits she also helps out with pre-event coaching.

Susanne doesn’t seek recognition or self-promotion. She just gets on and does what is required, which means much of what she does to promote the sport, run series of events and coaching goes unnoticed for most participants.

It is of no surprise, given this impressive list of achievements, that Susanne was nominated for this award by at least five separate OACT members. Every one of these spoke very highly of the enormous commitment and breadth of contributions made by her to OACT in the promotion of orienteering, and the enhancement of its reach across the ACT.

Well done, Susanne. You are a deserving winner of the award and OACT thanks you for all that you have achieved.

A list of prior recipients can be found here. 

Australian Schools Orienteering Championships Service Award

Valerie Barker

In addition to the above Orienteering ACT awards, Valerie Barker was presented with an Australian Schools Orienteering Championships Service Award.

While the formal criteria for this award recognise ten years of dedicated service, Valerie’s contribution to orienteering stretches for more than two decades. She has been a constant and trusted presence in our volunteer community, particularly in junior development and as a cornerstone of Australia’s high-performance pathway. Valerie has served as Manager of the Australian Junior World Orienteering Championships team on multiple occasions, providing stability, care and guidance that have helped our young athletes perform with confidence on the world stage. She has also played a key role in managing Australian junior teams during international competitions and exchanges with New Zealand, helping to grow skills, friendships and experience for our youngest competitors. Her commitment to juniors continues today through her ongoing mentoring roles.

The post Honours and Awards for 2025 appeared first on Orienteering ACT.

SC-ORE is a participation-focused, team-based activity, with some competitive energy for children in years 3-6. Students from all Primary Schools and home-schooled students are welcome.

Teams consist of four students (two girls and two boys) in years 3 to 6 (preferably from the same school). Students in classes below Year 3 may enter if they are regular orienteers.

SC-ORE is held over four Thursday mornings before school 7.45am to approx. 8.45am. The Autumn 2026 Series starts on 7 May and continues for four consecutive weeks:

• 7 May: Weston Park, Yarralumla
• 14 May: Lennox Gardens, Yarralumla
• 21 May: Telopea Park, Kingston
• 28 May: Eddison Park, Phillip

Students will need to be on-site by 7:45 am for an 8.00 am start each week. Events finish in time for students to get to school.

Visit the SC-ORE page for more information or go straight here to enter.
Entries close Friday 1 May.

The post Autumn SC-ORE Rescheduled appeared first on Orienteering ACT.

Discover Orienteering is aimed at anyone who wants to give orienteering a go – all ages are welcome. Participants will be given the opportunity to try real orienteering courses in a safe, welcoming environment, surrounded by people with similar experience levels and a team of enthusiastic helpers.

Regular orienteers are encouraged to come along and support their newcomer friends: just register all newcomers in the group to ensure enough maps and helpers are available.

At Discover Orienteering participants will:

• learn 5 helpful hints for map navigation.
• complete your first orienteering course!
• have the opportunity to progress at your own pace.
• meet new people and participate in fun, social activities.
• be guided how to take the next steps in your orienteering journey.

Now is the perfect time to give O a go, before the next Learn to Orienteer programme and upcoming Metro Series community event series.

The post Discover Orienteering – Come & Try It – 28 March appeared first on Orienteering ACT.