Just days after Christmas, orienteers in Goulburn will be able to take part in one of the state’s biggest sporting events.
Off and running: Orienteering is a sport that can easily be enjoyed by families and friends of all ages. Photo: NSW orienteering.
The Christmas Five Days Carnival is an annual event organized by Orienteering NSW, which is expected to bring together up to 300 participants.
Event organizer Colin Price said there would likely be a wide variety of demographics within those 300, including attendees between the ages of five and 85, as well as some with mobility impairments.
“It’s very inclusive, we are reaching out to different age groups, men, women, some people even get around with a cane,” Price said.
“If you’re slow, or unfit, or need a hip, you can still do that. I don’t see any other sport that is so diverse, it’s very inclusive. We have families, so people with it. who we run, their kids run with them, and their kids run too. So it’s been three generations, it’s just amazing. ”
Over the course of the five days, the event will focus primarily on Mittagong, one of the days scheduled to take place in Campbelltown.
There are around 100 orienteering runners registered currently, but Price expects more registrations to rush ahead as the event draws near.
“Registrations close next week,” he said.
“People are getting over it at the last minute and they’re afraid of guns. Even though the borders are open, it’s just harder to commit to leaving.
“We expect the entries to arrive in the next few days, as we’ve been doing a lot of publicity internally.”
Orienteering is a unique sport that requires participants to use a map and compass to complete routes in the bush, parks, or built-up areas such as college campuses.
They must complete the course as required and will be timed accordingly. The more advanced or experienced the orienteer, the more complex the course he can attempt.
“There are different lengths and difficulties of the course,” said Price.
“So if you are a beginner and could be there for your first event or your 500e, you have a starting point and the courses are set, so depending on the difficulty you choose, you go through one course to control one, then control two and so on until you are done.
“There are about 11 different courses depending on the difficulty.”
The aptly named Highlands provide an ideal location for orienteering, and Price believes participants will appreciate what the new location has to offer.
“It’s a unique event, as it is five days in a row,” he said.
“It’s very low-key, and because it’s summer, it’s traditionally early in the morning. We have an area, it’s called a suburban bush map. Then we have three bush maps, so you’re actually in the national park and then the last one is what we call a suburban event that takes place around a college.
“So it’s a diverse lineup of orienteering, which is why it’s so appealing to people.”
With what Orienteering NSW hopes hundreds of visitors will arrive in the Southern Highlands later this month, the event will also benefit local businesses.
Since most events take place early in the morning, Price said many orienteers like to relax after they’re done by finding a place to eat and shop.
“There will be a lot of people camping, Airbnb-ing and filling motels in the area,” he said.
“It’s a pretty busy time, and everyone wants to get away from it all.”
The five-day Christmas carnival will take place from December 27 to 31.
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