Park and Street Orienteering
More Fun Than the Same Old Run
Learn more about Park and Street Orienteering: check out our cool video then click here to scroll down past the news ...
Coming Events and Current Results
Download the fixture for your calendar: WinterFixture2013
All Melbourne and Geelong Park and Street winter events are now loaded onto Eventor. You do not need to be registered or logged in to view and export the calendar from here.
You can also find all Park and Street events directly from Eventor by clicking on the Discipline dropdown box and selecting Park/Street Orienteering. Make sure you select the full date range for the winter season, i.e. March 27-October 31. You can refine your search by using the Advanced Search function, and entering (for instance) the day of the week or name of series, e.g. Saturday or Iceberg.
Check the latest information about The Millennium Club, MEFTY Award & Rankings here
NEW Rankings as at 31 March 2013
Official O time and current Melbourne weather forecast
set your watch now!
Park and Street Orienteering - Latest news
Mitcham Mystery Map
Thursday, 16 May 2013
It was with some consternation that we realised that the maps printed for this event were missing something vital - the control circles and numbers! Too late to get hold of the right map, we had to think quickly of an alternative. Options included cancelling the event - only as a last resort; or making up a new course on the spot and getting everyone to copy it onto the blank maps - feasible but slow. We had one other problem - unless we could find out where the control plates were, we wouldn't be able to collect them afterwards (the course setter was unable to be at the event, having put the controls out earlier in the day).
The solution? Turn the event into a giant Teams Treasure Hunt, by sending 77 people out with blank maps and asking them to locate the 20 controls, then memorise where they were until returning to the finish, when we would draw the circles onto a master map. This basically meant that everyone chose their own route, and hoped to stumble across the control plates which could be chained to any of hundreds of light poles.
Everyone agreed readily to this plan, and at 7:05pm we set off into the dark shadowy night. It was a fascinating exercise - some took a scientific approach, while others (like me) opted for a random route and hoped for the best. People teamed up and planned grid searches to cover all eventualities. Excitement at finding control plates knew no bounds, even if it was only a lowly 2 pointer (in 40 minutes, I found only nos 1 and 2, but narrowly missed finding numerous others). Information was readily shared and the spirit of collaboration added to the fun. Most people returned at their usual finish time and as the mystery locations were gradually revealed, we wondered how long it would take for 77 people conducting a random search, to correctly locate 20 controls on a map with around 100 streets spread over about 3 sq kms. The answer? About 45 minutes! That's remarkable given all the possibilities. What's more, I received a report today that the master map was incredibly accurate and that it was used to retrieve all 20 controls with no problems whatsoever - an amazing team effort. The most controls found by one person, that I heard about, was 10, by Andrew. Did anyone find more?
As for the results, all participants will receive their series average score, which allows attendance to be recorded and Millennium Club points to be awarded, but will have no effect on the overall results for the series. And no, we're not planning to use this format (hopefully) again any time soon, although everyone seemed to enjoy it. Next week we'll be back to our regular format, at Belmore Parklands.
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| Park and Street Recent News |
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Mitcham Mystery Map
Thursday, 16 May 2013
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Waverley Parklands
Sunday, 12 May 2013
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Altona EndurO Sunday May 5 - Results
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
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Westerfolds Park
Sunday, 28 April 2013
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Hawthorn East
Friday, 26 April 2013
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Enduro at Altona Meadows - May 5
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
The first Sunday Special Enduro for Winter 2013 starts at Altona Meadows 10am May 5th on a new map using the Altona Meadows and Seabrook maps extended into the Sanctuary Lakes.
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Glen Iris
Thursday, 18 April 2013
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Blackburn Lake
Friday, 12 April 2013
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Summer Season Street-O Rankings
Sunday, 7 April 2013
Rankings for the 2012-13 Melbourne Summer Season of Park & Street Orienteering have been posted on the rankings webpage.
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Hilly Heidelberg
Thursday, 4 April 2013
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Park and Street Orienteering provides an ideal opportunity for
mental and physical exercise. If you can walk to the local milk bar you
are fit enough to participate. You do not need a compass or any special
map reading ability.
Winter Season - the Saturday Afternoon Series runs from April to October, on most Saturday afternoons from 2pm.
There
is a Western Tuesday Night Series that runs in Autumn, and Monday and
Wednesday Night Series (eastern, southern and northern suburbs) that run
from Autumn through to Spring. A small torch or headlight is useful for
these events and night visible clothing is encouraged. These events all start at 7pm but you should arrive at 6.30pm to register.
Summer Season - there are four major Summer series: Southern (Monday), Western (Tuesday), Eastern (Wednesday), and Northern (Thursday).
There are also Geelong, Macedon Ranges, Wyndham, and Mountain Bike Orienteering (MTBO) series.
These events start at 7:00 PM sharp (except for Mountain Bike
Orienteering). You need to arrive at about 6:30 pm to register and
prepare before the start. You will need running gear or lightweight
clothing and shoes. Bring a drink when hot and a clear plastic pocket
(A4) for your map on damp days.
Parking
Look for the Red and White ORIENTEERING 
sign boards near the event start which will direct you to available parking.
If the parking areas are full then please park on ONE SIDE of smaller streets only.
Courses
Events usually have three to five runners' courses, ranging from 2.5 to 10km, plus a 1 hour power walking course.
Courses are started immediately after the event briefing when maps are handed out. By convention, you hold your map face down and only turn it over when the signal to 'start' is called. If this is your first event then you will be given your map and instructions well before start of the event.
There are two main competition formats:
SCATTER
This is the 'standard' format for summer running courses, unless otherwise indicated.
You must visit a number of control locations in any order. First to
finish wins. The number of controls may vary from event to event and
are specified on the map and confirmed at the start by the course
setter. Walkers can participate in these 'runners' courses especially
the shorter C & D courses.
SCORE
This is the 'standard' format for all walking courses and for the runners courses during Autumn, Winter and Spring.
Controls have values ranging from 2 to 5 points. The objective is
to collect as many points as you can before a set finish time. Penalty
points are deducted for being late so you need to bring a watch.
On Mondays in winter there is also a handicap format known as 37s. The handicapper allocates you a base score, or handicap, based on previous performance, and you must visit controls worth 1 or 2 points until your total score is 37.
Duration and Score
Finishing times vary depending on the course selected and the
longest is for walkers at 8:05 pm. Courses close at 8:15 pm and the
control plates are collected shortly after. It is important to always
report back to the finish even if you do not complete a course.
Participants carry a score card which they 'punch' at each control
plate visited. The card is handed in at the Finish where there is a
final punch, and your finish order is recorded. The scores are compiled
and published on this website and are also displayed at the following
event.
In most series a Category system is used to enable participants to
judge how they are going against people of similar ability. You can see
how this works by checking out 'overall scores' where you will find
many different groups of people who can choose to compete against each
other, themselves, or just enjoy a good walk.
Maps
Maps are usually black and white, A4 size at 1:10,000 scale and
with 5m contours. Maps will also contain other information, such as the
number of controls required on SCATTER courses, and the points value of
controls for SCORE courses. There is an important briefing just prior to
the start to advise of unavoidable last minute changes to control
locations (always a handy thing to know so listen up).
Participants retain their map on completion (although the next
event on the map in a later series will often have a different
start/finish location and revised control locations).
Wheelchair and Pram Accessibility
There is a printed program covering all the current series freely
available at all events. This fixture includes a Guide to Wheelchair and
Pram Accessibility.
Each event is rated from 'A' for Good (with sealed footpaths etc) through to 'D' for Unsuitable.
Clubs
You do not have to be a member of a club to participate. Regular
participants are encouraged to join a club and/or Orienteering Victoria. All competitors will be registered as casual members of OV; full financial members can purchase generously discounted season tickets.
There are many clubs to choose from. Memberships fees of a club are usually nominal. Clubs provide a great way to meet new people and get involved in social activities, mapping, or course setting.
For more information about Park and Street orienteering, contact the relevant Series Coordinator.
Contributing to this site:
You do not need to login to browse any of the material on this site. However, by pre-registering (using the Login panel below) you will receive your Login details that will enable you to upload your own material to help keep this site fresh and relevant. Contributions of articles and photographs to this site are both welcomed and encouraged. For more information, please contact your Series Co-ordinator or the Site Administrator. More Information Here