By Casey OÇonnor
Some of Queensland’s leading Orienteers will be among an estimated field of 100 competitors from across South East Queensland on the Granite Belt this weekend’s State Standard event in the Amiens Forest on Sunday.
Organiser Liz Bourne said the event had attracted a large contingent of both vistors and locals.
“The local Bullecourt Boulder Bounders Orienteering Club is hosting the event, their first bush competition for the year,” she said.
“The eucalypt section of the Amiens Forest has been widely recognised as one of the most challenging granite areas in Australia and a number of major competitions have been conducted in that area over the last 20 years.”
The area was first mapped and used for the Asia Pacific Orienteering Championships in 2000. In subsequent years other national and state events have been conducted at the location.
“Orienteers love competing here because of the complex granite terrain, “and it will be interesting to see how everyone handles the challenges this map has to offer,” Bourne said.
Organisers are expecting a good contingent of local juniors from the recently selected Darling Downs Schools Orienteering team.
Included among these junior competitors are a number of students from St Joseph’s School.
The state’s top runners in each of the senior age classes will also be competing .
After a rest from bush competition over the summer, Orienteers will be keen to get out in the bush again, she said. As an added incentive for Orienteers to visit the Southern Downs, the club is also conducting a sprint event at the Warwick High School on the Saturday afternoon.
Many of the Queensland Orienteers participating in this weekend’s competition will be heading to Cooma next month for the annual Easter Three Day event which will also be held in granite terrain. Sunday’s event will be a great opportunity for them to brush up on their navigation skills among the granite boulders.
For more information on the events this weekend ,please contact (07) 4683 6374 or visit www.oq.asn.au/event-calendar.
