When the program for winter events was released it was so good to see the QBlll being held an hour or so north of Sydney ( well 2 hours depending on where one lives.).
The western side of Lake Macquarie has long been home to orienteering events and offered plenty of accommodation, the wineries and some great terrain.
Day 1 - Saturday - Redgum Ridges.
And yes there were plenty of magnificent Redgums.
Day 2 - Sunday - Barraba Lane
Very similar terrain to Redgum Ridges except much steeper and so you found yourself oft times going down into the creek and coming up the other side The advertised 100m climb on my course felt like wishful thinking. After fires the regrowth of the ground cover seemed to have been on steroids as the grasses were knee high and thick- slowing progress.
Another good day for Uringa. Rose moved up a place to 1st in W Junior B to join Maureen W85A and Linda, W50A. Ian, M35A and Serena, W20A were placed 2nd again. Gayle, W55AS was joined by Shane Doyle, M50A securing 3rd place.
For long term Uringans it was great to catch up with Lisa Lampe at the event and later in the day Gayle, Linda and I had afternoon tea with Lisa and Michael. Theye are both well and thriving in their new home.
Day 3 Monday - Avondale University College - Cooranbong.
Cooranbong is a strange town. It lies to the west of Lake Macquarie on the Dora Creek. It is a town which, although it is close to major tourist areas on the Central Coast, has largely side stepped commercial development and remained the home of the Seventh Day Adventists in Australia. Avondale College, the South Seas Islands Museum and Sunnyside (an historic home occupied between 1896-1900 by Ellen Gould White, one of the founders of the Seventh-Day Adventist movement) are all located in the township. Sanitarium breakfast foods will ring a bell in most pantries and it was here in Cooranbong that they were first produced. The large buildings on the southern end of the map was the factory that produced billions of Weetbix. Control 7 was on an aerial walkway between the grain silos.
Todays map was quite tricky with a number of controls set under canopies, some up stairs, some downstairs. My favourite control would have to be Control 10. If you approached it around the north of the building you were stymied as access to the walkway was only from the east side so you had to go the long way around the fence or retrace your step and use the south approach.
Rose and Maureen once again claimed 1st. Melanie Christie, W45A and Serena were 2nd home in their respective classes. Linda placed 3rd in W50A.
The wash up!
The QBlll is a 3 day competition that recognises consistency of performance over the three days, in 3 orienteering styles. Middle Distance, Long Distance and Sprints.
5 First Placings: yes 5 Uringans stood on the top step. They were joined by 2 more Uringans on the second step and 1 additional Uringan on the 3 step of the podium.
Rose Haasdyk W Junior B, Maureen Ogilvie, W85A , Ian McKenzie, M35A, Linda Sesta , W50A and Gayle Shepherd, W55AS were all worthy winners in their classes.
Melanie Christie, W45A and Serena Doyle W20A were rewarded for their efforts with a second place and Shane Doyle, M50A was 3rd.
For most the most daunting prospect was the traffic on the M1 heading back to Sydney. Compared to the Easter traffic from Lithgow to Blackheath it was a piece of cake- probably took 15-20 miNutes longer than normal but it did flow.
The next big Bush event will take place in Port Macquarie on the 17th and 18th July. You can read the information here. It promises to be an excellent weekend with Port Macquarie a great location- The Koala Hospital is always a great place to visit. And then there are the beaches for the brave hearted swimmers.
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| Dick Ogilvie |
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| Jim Mackay |
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| Kelvin Meng |
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| Mary Jane - concentrating at the start |
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| Maureen- at the finish. |
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| Shane in full flight |
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| Former Uringans -Lisa Lampe |
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| Kelvin again |
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| Traffic jam on the bridge between the silos |
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