eNewsletter 225 - Tuesday 4th August, 2026G'day fellow rogainers,
In this newsletter
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31/2 & 61/2hr Ferrygaine, Sunday 20th September
For your calendar: add the event date & add entries closing reminder Enter early & avoid the cap If you plan to enter the Ferrygaine you will need to be quick. There are already 250 entries in the 6.5 hour Socialgaine and 100 in the 3.5 hour Minigaine. Numbers for both events will be capped at 450 each. This event will be truly unique combining ferry travel with urban navigation, and it is being based at one of Australia’s most iconic locations. There will be two rogaines to choose from:
Also enter the Big Foot orienteering event on Saturday afternoon Cockatoo Island Orienteering, and then enjoy an evening in the middle of Sydney Harbour with your rogaining friends. Over 100 participants have already booked to glamp/camp on Saturday night - Camping and accommodation Cockatoo Island. Don’t forget to order your Saturday dinner and Sunday breakfast, provided by the 1st North Sydney Scouts - Ferrygaine Food. Also you will need to be quick to book one of 50 spots to practise your croquet skills at Chatswood Croquet Club on Sunday 23rd August - Come and try croquet. A Ferrygaine control at the Hunters Hill Croquet Club on the day is worth 100/120/150 points depending on how many strokes you take to score a hoop.
Glamping tents and eating facilities on Cockatoo Island Key info at a glance:
1970 photo of Sydney Harbour, showing Cockatoo Island (between the Harbour Bridge and the Gladesville Bridge in the foreground) And finally, lots of teams have come up with some very clever names, which has spurred ‘The Ferry Witty Team Name Competition’ (TFWTNC). No problem if you have already entered your team and name – just go to Change an Existing Entry, and update your name. Some top contenders for TFWTNC so far: Will I get off the island; Ferry nice!; Pier Pressure; Ferry Fast & Curious; Fifty year old Fairies; A Ferry Excellent Adventure; The More the Ferrier; Point Pirates; Gaineymcgaineface; Ferry cross the Mersey; The Fast and the Ferry-ous; Lost at Sea Level; King Cockatoos; Island hoppers; Fairly okay route; Not drowning waving; Nelson’s mates; We believe in Ferries; Cock and two hens; Ferry’s Yacker; We’ve got a Jetski; Mcferryface and Ferry Penguins. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to participate in a rare rogaine combining land and water elements. |
Review of 35th Lake Mac & 2026 NSW Champs
This was well and truly a fitting rogaine to celebrate our 250th event. It was a traditional 24-hour rogaine of old complete with the well-known challenges afforded by the Watagans setting. The course was tough but fair just like its veteran setter. The weekend certainly had an upbeat vibe about it and everyone seemed to have had a good time, the overall atmosphere enhanced by the perfect weather. Results 24 hour championship winners The overall winners were the Mens Open team of Ivan Koudashev and Xanda Kolesnikow with 4620pts out of a maximum possible score of 5150pts. They finished the 24-hour with 13 minutes to spare, visiting 67 controls out of a possible 83. GPS data shows they covered 94.3km with 4524m of climb. What an amazing effort. You can see the winning route they took by clicking their team's link on the Rogaining Results website. The second and third placed overall were both Mixed Open teams. They consisted of Andrew Brown & Gill Fowler with 4370pts, and Chloe Woodburn & Ryan Stocks with 4280pts respectively.
The winning Womens Open team was Leanne Haupt, Nicole Mealing & Madeleine Gisz with a score of 3660pts, placing 7th overall. Winning veterans teams also deserve a mention, particularly our rock star Victorians Paul Monks & Tim Cochrane who once again won the Mens Veterans with 4210pts, achieving 4th place overall. They won this category last year as well but this time they declined the trophy because Paul decided it was "too heavy" to take back home to Victoria again!
The winning Mixed Veterans team consisting of the famous duo of David Baldwin & Julie Quinn also did quite well with a score of 4120pts, placing 5th overall. Considering the legendary difficulty of the Watagans terrain and the amazing distances these teams had to cover to achieve these scores, well done. 15 in 24 hour winners The overall winners were the Mixed Open team of Toni Bachvarova & Andrew Smith with 2440pts. The second and third placed overall were both Mens Open teams. They consisted of Jack Bonwick & Jamie Cross with 2190pts, and Brendan & Lachlan Berghout & Stephen Fityus with 1700pts respectively.
6 hour winners The overall winners were the Mens Open team of Moss Thompson & Dylan Hull with 1390pts. Second overall was the Mens Superveterans team of Jason Rutkowski & Kel Rankin with a score of 1340pts and the third placed overall was the Mixed Open team of Jay & Monika Ludriks with a score of 1160pts. Links to the full results including comprehensive analysis and the individual team routes on the Rogaining Results website can be accessed via the event page.
Volunteers Running a 24-hour rogaine is a complex and demanding exercise that would not have succeeded without the help of the following:##
##Due to the fluid nature of things and the number of people involved, apologies if anyone has been accidentally left out or a role missed.
A special thanks must go to Bert Van Netten and Anita Bickle, assisted by Pam & Rob Montgomery, for their outstanding effort coordinating the event and many months spent setting the course. A huge job. Also, thanks to the amazing Caroline Rigby for her brilliant performance on the microphone at the briefings and prize givings, all after her solo all-night admin shift. Hamish Mackie should also be thanked for completing a fairly large and complex map where accurate rendering of all the cliffs was pretty vital. Finally, we won't forget the food in a hurry! Not only did Pam & Ann Montgomery spend weeks cooking and freezing particularly tasty soups, but we also had the Toronto Girl Guides who provided what is arguably one of the most generous BBQ offerings ever encountered at a rogaine, especially their amazing hamburgers with the lot, not to mention the bacon, eggs, sausages, cheese toasties, hash browns and more! Then there was the too-many-to-mention list of desserts, fruits, soups-in-a-cup, noodles, lollies, tea, coffee & Milo as well. Incredible food all round.
Signs of those who walked before us: tool sharpening grooves near Control 22
For a lot more photos by our event photographer Bruce Sutton, see the event page.
Content thanks to Neil Phillips 
The folks at the VRA are holding their 48th Victorian Rogaining Championships this year on the Tallarook plateau in northern Victoria. This is the very birthplace of the sport 50 years ago. It is a truly magnificent area for a rogaine. Save the date: To commemorate the occasion perhaps we could turn this into a (NSW+ACT) vs Vic challenge since their trophies are very light and easy to carry. Event entry details Entries will open approximately 1 month before the rogaine. The entry fees for the 6-hour, roving 15-hour and 24-hour are the same as follows:
By NSW standards these fees are an absolute bargain for a 24-hour rogaine! The course setters have completed the initial setting of the course of 60-80 controls on private and public land. Vetting is now underway. The course will provide challenges for the best rogainers but also give plenty of encouragement to beginners. For the most up to date info wisit the VRA's Tallarook event page or if any questions email Grant Jeffrey grantj@rogainevic.org.au or Neil Phillips gneilphillips@gmail.com. A little bit of history Tallarook was the site for the first rogaine in 1976. The format was the now traditional 24-hour cross-country team navigation event. Its organisation was an alliance between the Surrey Thomas Rovers of Brighton and the newly formed Victorian Rogaining Association. After 1976, rogaining events became a regular feature on the Victorian Rogaining Association calendar with 200-400 participants at rogaines in most months. Over the next decade the sport spread to every Australian state. Soon after the 1976 rogaine there was debate whether a special class for veterans over 40 should be introduced with some doubts about the potential interest (note the demographic in the photo above!). Today, rogaining caters for teenagers to octogenarians with classes for families, novices, under 23s, veterans, super vets, ultra vets, and even 'legends'. From the late 1990s, rogaining went international with events and participants from over 30 countries. The pinnacle of competition is the World Rogaining Championships with the 20th WRC to take place in South Australia, set for 16-17th September 2027. Map reproduction from the first rogaine: 1976
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