Courses

If you haven’t entered a Classic Series event before, please refer to this guide to help you choose a suitable course.

The existing map can be viewed here.
Details are in the information flyer.
Enter here by 17 June.

Course Setter’s Notes

A mix of fast, open running with areas of slightly thicker vegetation containing complex rock detail. The map has been updated for vegetation using recent lidar data, but some open areas contain patches of scrub that are not mapped. Some tracks that are marked on the map may be indistinct on the ground and some sections of ruined fence only have fence wire at ground level, and may not be visible unless you are very close.

The Very Easy course has a taped leg close to the finish.

Late Entries Available

Normal entries close Wednesday 17 June.
Late entries (+50% late entry fee) will also be available to the Hard 4, Moderate 2, Easy, and Very Easy Courses until 5pm on Saturday 20 June.

Double Header Weekend – Metro Series: incl. Junior League #4, Stringybark Hill, Saturday 20 June

The weekend will also include a quality Metro Series event at Stringybark Hill. Moderate, Easy, and Very Easy courses will be available.
The spur-gully terrain is mostly fast and open with good visibility (but quite steep and rocky in places)..

The existing map can be viewed here.
Enter here for Saturday’s event. Entries close 9am 20 June, entry on the day will also be available.

The post ACT League #7, Orroral Tracking Station, Sunday 21 June appeared first on Orienteering ACT.

Have you: 

• NEVER wanted to be a controller?
• ALWAYS wondered what a controller does?
• NEEDED to know what a controller might think of your Course planning/Event organisation?

Then now is the time to learn.

There is no cost for you to attend. But you will need to provide for your own refreshments.
Attend for all or part of the day.

Register now for the Workshop on Saturday May 30th. 0900 – 1730 (5:30pm).
Canberra Southern Cross Club Jamison.

Details on Eventor or contact me at scown@light.net.au for further information.

Final registration by midnight Thursday May 28th.

Ann Scown
OACT Technical Officer

The post Last Chance to Register – Level 3 Controller Workshop appeared first on Orienteering ACT.

OA and governance updates

• The Board noted outcomes from the recent OA AGM, including Marina Iskhakova’s appointment to the OA Board and approval of OA constitutional strategy matters.

Ski-O back on for 2026

• After further discussion, the Board agreed that Ski-O will go ahead in 2026 given the work and promotion already completed.
• The event will be reviewed for 2027, and similar future one-off events will need Board approval.

Grants and State Sporting Organisation work

• Both recent funding applications were approved (ACT Government Sport and Recreation grants), which is good news for OACT. Refer; Funding Recipients – Sport and Recreation
• Work has started on the 2026 State Sporting Organisation Categorisation Application, with Phil coordinating this. The categorisation assessment impacts OACT’s eligibility for ACT government grants in 2027–2029. Refer; State Sporting Organisation Categorisation – Sport and Recreation

Finance and event costs

• The Board reviewed finance papers and discussed a few items in more detail, including Sporting Schools income and the treatment of NOL and Capital O income.

Capital O and NOL 2027

• Capital O and the NOL round proposed for 2027 were discussed, with Ian confirming that he is willing to coordinate the event again.
• The Capital O carnival in 2026 was a huge success for the organisation, setting it up as a major annual carnival for OACT.

Capital O to continue

• The Board agreed that Capital O was a successful weekend and thanked Ian Prosser for overseeing it.
• The Board also agreed that Capital O should continue as an annual event, while recognising that the Canberra Day long weekend may not always be the best fit.
• OACT has also lodged a bid with OA to host a NOL round in 2027 in conjunction with Capital O.

Coaching and athlete development

• The Board discussed coaching governance, WWVP and accreditation matters.
• An international coaching visit by Frank Townley from Edinburgh has been locked in for September to March, with tasks and structure still to be developed.
• The current on-demand model for elite coaching appears to be working well.

Blue Lightning coaching

• Alastair George has been appointed as the Blue Lightning coach for this season. He will work with the Blue Lightning Manager, Grit Schuster.

MTBO

• The Board noted that Emily Stewart-Reed will take over the ACT MTBO Coordinator role in 2027.

Athlete support funding approved

• The Board agreed unanimously to provide athlete support in 2026 at the following levels: JWOC – $1,000; WOC – $500; WUOC – $750.

Uniforms and communications

• Uniform updates were noted.
• The Board also supported, in principle, the idea of engaging a junior to help with regular content for OACT’s social media.

Remote Area First Aid Course

• ACT Government has provided funding for the Remote Area First Aid Course.
• Up to 15 participants will complete the course, and they will be expected to volunteer at least two events. If you’re interested in participating, watch this space!

Welcome person roster

• Andrew advised that he will no longer continue as the event welcome person for Saturday Metro events.
• For 2026, Board members will rotate through this role instead. Come and say hi!

Oceania 2026

• Planning for Oceania is continuing steadily.
• Entries will open on 1 June.

Board succession and development officer role

• The Board discussed broadening Board membership and future succession. Nina will approach possible candidates.
• The Board also discussed formalising the development officer role, much of which is currently being covered by Susanne.

Next meeting: Monday 22 June 2026.

The post Board Shorts – May 2026 appeared first on Orienteering ACT.

The complete 2026 Australian WOC Team:

Women: Zoe Carter (SA), Erika Enderby (NSW), Milla Key (VIC), Nea Shingler (NSW), Caitlin Young (TAS)

Men: Elye Dent (ACT), Cooper Horley (NSW), Aston Key (VIC), Henry McNulty (WA)

The post Elye Dent Selected for World Orienteering Championships appeared first on Orienteering ACT.

The weekend starts with a high quality Metro Series event at Mt Jerrabomberra. Moderate, Easy, and Very Easy courses will be available.
The terrain is highly is varied, including runnable forest, a variety of point features, and some steep sections.

The existing map can be viewed here.
Enter here. Entries close 9am 30 May, entry on the day will also be available.

Classic Series: ACT League #6, Wee Jasper, Sunday 31 May

The next round of the 2026 ACT League will be at Wee Jasper on Sunday 31 May.

The terrain features complex karst limestone, unique in Australia. The area is very open with scattered trees, offering fast running between the bands of complex rock, which will make for a fast yet highly technical middle-distance race. A full range of Hard, Moderate, Easy, and Very Easy courses will be on offer.

The existing map, last used in May 2024, can be viewed here.
Details are available in the event bulletin.
Enter here by 27 May.

Late Entries Available

Normal entries close Wednesday 27 May.
Late entries (+50% late entry fee) will also be available to the Hard 4, Moderate 2, Easy, and Very Easy Courses until 5pm on Saturday 30 May.

The post Quality Double-Header Weekend on 30-31 May appeared first on Orienteering ACT.

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.

AGM completed

• The AGM was held and all business was completed.
• The 2025 AGM minutes were accepted with no changes.

Annual report and finances

• The Annual Report was accepted unanimously.
• Asset write-offs reduced the reported surplus.
• The underlying financial result remained positive (~$7k).
• Audited financial statements were presented.

Board elected for 2026

• The Board for 2026 is: Nina Davis (President), Emily Stewart-Reed (Secretary), Andrew Cheffers (Treasurer), and Valerie Barker, Tate Needham, David Stocks and Ian Prosser.
• John Shelton Agar and Alison Inglis were thanked for their contribution.

Auditor appointed

• Dipak Mehta was appointed as auditor for 2026.

Affiliated clubs confirmed

• Affiliated clubs for 2026 were confirmed: Abominable O-men, Bushflyers, Parawanga Orienteers and Red Roos.

Service award

• Darryl Erbacher received the 2026 Bob Mouatt Award for Services to Orienteering Australia.
• The award recognises his long-term contribution as National Statistician since 1990.

The post Board Shorts – 2026 OACT AGM appeared first on Orienteering ACT.

This opening event promises something a little different, with a special feature designed to test even the sharpest navigators: a maze section built into both the Moderate 1 and Moderate 2 courses. Expect quick decision-making, tight turns, and plenty of chances to second-guess your route – in the best possible way.

Whether you’re a seasoned orienteer or just keen to give it a go, there’s a course for you:

• Very Easy – perfect for beginners, kids and families, 0.9km
• Easy – a gentle introduction with simple navigation, 1.3km
• Moderate 1 (2.8km) & Moderate 2 (2km) – step up the challenge, including the maze feature

Set in the open parkland and lakeside surrounds of John Knight Park, this sprint-format event is all about speed and precision. Courses are shorter, controls come quickly, and every route choice counts.

The Metro Series runs on Saturday mornings from May through August, offering a welcoming and social way to stay active through the cooler months while exploring some of Canberra’s best parkland and bush venues.

So grab a map, bring a friend, and come along to kick off the series. Whether you’re racing hard or just enjoying the outdoors, this is orienteering at its most accessible – with a twist.

It will be an ABOMINABLY great event, so see you at the start line!

The post Be A-MAZE-D at John Knight Park appeared first on Orienteering ACT.

Entries are already open here
Book your accommodation and start training!

We will be thrilled to see very many orienteers at the highest-altitude orienteering event in Australia!

The post Enjoy the Highest Altitude Orienteering Event in Australia! appeared first on Orienteering ACT.