Looking for a fun afternoon activity for the kids that won’t blow the budget and has the added bonus of being in the great outdoors? You can try orienteering for free by visiting one of a local locations or join an orienteering club.
Newcastle Orienteering Club offers fun courses for juniors, families and novices in local suburban parks & reserves.
Orienteering is a lesser known and often misunderstood sport despite being introduced to Australia in the 1970s.
Orienteering is a competitive or non-competitive recreational activity in which participants use a detailed topographic map, and usually a compass, to navigate between checkpoints (known as “controls”) on an unfamiliar course in bush terrain, parkland or urban areas. These are indicated on the map by circles rather than the “X” utilised by traditional treasure maps.
You can try orienteering for free by visiting one of a local Permanent Courses at Blue Gum Hills Regional Park Minmi and at Brickworks Park Wallsend after printing your own map. There is also a permanent course at the Hunter Wetlands Centre (admission fees apply).
Orienteering offers many benefits to children including cognitive development, improved confidence and independence and is a great balance for the excessive screen time many are experiencing in an ever increasing technological world. It is a “sport for life” with a wide range of ages and abilities participating at the one venue.
The club hold events on mapped areas of bush, parkland, campuses and urban areas within the Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Cessnock, Port Stephens and Singleton local government areas.
Younger children (less than 7 years old) are generally accompanied or shadowed by an adult with the older kids going solo or taking a friend along with them on their adventure.
Orienteering events are held locally, around NSW, nationally and internationally. At elite level it is a challenging adventure sport contested over various terrain types with the winner being the fastest to visit all the checkpoints in the correct order. The sport simultaneously challenges both the fitness level and navigational abilities of the competitors.
Who knows where orienteering may take you once you start your journey? Newcastle club juniors have represented Australia over the last few years at Junior World Orienteering Championships (JWOC).
Further details relating to orienteering in general can be obtained via contacting Geoff by phone 0422 471 353 or email, or checking out the Newcastle Orienteering Club website or Facebook page.