Discussion: Suggestions for Western Australia trip

My wife Heidi and I are traveling to Perth and driving around Western Australia from Dec. 14-Jan. 11. We haven't found any rogaining or orienteering events listed for this time period (just a few trail races). Does anyone have suggestions? Maybe we missed some local event listings.

Bill Cusworth
Santa Rosa, CA USA

There might be a street orienteering event or two, but it’s possible that you’ve hit the Christmas break in the calendar perfectly. I don’t think Orienteering WA have published the details for their Metro Series yet.
There won’t be any bush orienteering - too hot at that time of year.

Our street series will be published on Eventor and the WA Orienteering website in the next few weeks. Permissions are still being gained although Fletch is right, there will be a break around the time you're here (you might just sneak in the Christmas novelty event (presumably) on Dec 16) and my event in Huntingdale is on Jan 12 :-(

There are no rogaines in Dec or Jan.

Albany on the south coast won't have any events then either, whilst it's cooler than 400ks north in Perth it's too hot to be running through the forest, and the likelihood of stepping on a tiger snake in the bush in Albany is too high!!! But if you do come this way, get in touch and I can give you a copy of the sprint map of the town centre, the historic forts / ANZAC precinct and so forth.

If you want a cruisy loop around the sights of Frenantle, there is a ‘phot-O’ permanent course. https://www.wa.orienteering.asn.au/get-involved/we...

There’s also a few other permanent courses available here: https://www.wa.orienteering.asn.au/get-involved/pe...

If you come up to Geraldton I could set you your very own sprint course... or give you a metro score course around my local suburb, but I wouldn’t drive 400+ km just for that experience!

Feel free to use https://www.suburbrun.com < has over 300 courses available to use around Perth so you should be able to get your navigational fix if you cant find an official event.

Make sure you bring a southern hemisphere GPS.

Thanks for the all the suggestions! This will definitely help in the trip planning. Suburbrun looks like a very interesting concept.

Thanks Bill - happy to set up a course near you if you want to try it out before you come! Only thing is number will be in KM's not Miles as haven't done that bit of work yet :)

Orienteering is actually one of the few places where the metric system has infiltrated the USA. Along with bottles of soda.

What is soda?

Calling a carbonated drink "Coke" is stupid. It's like calling a vacuum machine a Hoover.

Mind you we have several names for carbonated drinks in Aus too. I call it soft drink. The stuff that comes out of the SodaStream is referred to in our family as spicy water (thank you nieces and nephews for that innovation).

Actually, in the part of the country where I grew up, it was called "tonic". But nobody says that any more. I would have said "carbonated beverages", but that might sound like it includes beer, which is sold in bottles measured in ounces. The only common metric bottles are 2-liter (and yeah, we can't even spell it right).

There is a street event in Perth (Metro series) on January 5. The full program will be confirmed and put on eventor soon. As others have said unfortunately you are coming when we have a few weeks break over Christmas.

And it's hot

Delay your trip till Easter next year? National Carnival.

We could just bring the carnival forward a few months. No big deal.

Yes, it will be hot. Come in April when our national championships carnival will be on :-)

Simmo, now you've got my attention :-) General locations / radii from Perth?
Don't worry - just found the details on OAWA site.

Be great to have you come down for the carnival Bill

Hi Bill, yes would be great to see you and bill3. Hopefully Walk is coming too, Lyn has friends in Narrogin.

:-) fond memories of Dryandra!

I'd love to come to the National Carnival but unfortunately, I have to take my vacation when classes are not in session (I work at a community college).

We'll hope to see you at one of our street events in Dec/Jan then. There will be a novelty event on the weekend before Xmas - watch our website for details.

Actually if you want to get technical it's the weekend before the weekend before Christmas.