Day 2 saw us back in almost the same spot, just a little less distance to drive in. An earlier start was a good way to avoid the worst of the dust. A cloudless sky promised another warm day, and I was glad I was starting before 10am.

The terrain notes were the same as yesterday’s, and my course was about 300 metres longer, but there was one big difference – the climb was only 25 metres. This meant that in the whole 3 km course, I would only cross 5 contour lines whilst going uphill – barely noticeable. The bad thing about that is that there is a lack of contour features to navigate by, and I was going to need to rely on accurate compass bearings.

Turning over the map at the start confirmed my suspicions – I was hopping from one watercourse to another, crossing low spurs. I couldn’t afford to lose map contact, as relocating would be next to impossible. The first leg was a gentle downhill through mulga forest, with no features to speak of until I reached the gully where my control should be, so I needed to keep on bearing and hit it in the right spot. To my relief I managed to do just that – it’s always good to get no 1 under your belt without problems. I pressed on to no 2, which was in a very vague depression. I must have bypassed it without seeing it, as next thing I knew I was in another watercourse, at my no 3. Luckily it was a very short distance back so I only lost a couple of minutes, but it was a wakeup call that I needed to be very careful.

Back to no 3, then 4 and 5 just required finding the right side gully off the main watercourse. No 6 was straightforward, but no 7 spelled danger. It was right at the end of a watercourse, which was one of a series of parallels, crossing otherwise featureless terrain. I knew I had to count my gullies and bear off to the left for safety. I also knew that if it went wrong, it was going to go horribly wrong. So – best not to go wrong! I was very relieved to arrive in the right gully at the right point, and see the flag right in front of me.

The last couple were simple, and I ran in from there to the finish, completing the course 20 minutes faster than yesterday. I was pleased to see that this moved me up a couple of placings overall, and I was now midfield. What’s more, it was still quite early and I could sit back in the shade and wait for the others.

We departed early in the afternoon, well in time to shower off the dust and sweat, and head to Steamtown, the railway museum that is Peterborough’s main attraction. It was no surprise to join a tour group consisting almost entirely of orienteers, and Pete and I joined Ted, Margi, Barry, Henk, Di, Ewen and Blake, as well as others from interstate. Peterborough was the point where trains changed from one gauge to another, back in the days when the Australian rail system used three different track widths, causing all sorts of delays and inefficiencies. It was a very busy workshop, staffed by three shifts of workers toiling 24/7 to maintain and repair the steam locomotives, and later the diesel engines. It features a unique turntable and roundhouse, meaning engines and carriages could be housed anywhere in the circular yard, and rolled out to the turntable to be worked on.

The nice thing was that you could climb up into the engine houses and walk through the carriages, to get a really good look and feel. There were examples of all sorts of rolling stock, from the very basic ones that the crews ate, slept and showered in, to the opulent lounge car complete with piano. There was even a maternal health carriage, in which nurses would visit small communities and check on mothers and babies. Even the ordinary passenger cars featured ornate timber panelling and pressed metal ceilings. It certainly was a romantic way to travel.

The finale of Easter was certainly a contrast to the previous day. Wind squalls blew showers straight across the arena, driving us all to the leeward side of the small spur, to huddle in our popup shelters. The organisers struggled to keep the finish chute from blowing away. It was bitterly cold, and no-one was happy about stripping down to short sleeves and struggling up to the start. As I waited, shivering, to pick up my map, another squall blew in. It was a relief to get into the trees and start moving.

I had more climbing today, so I knew there would be more features to go by. My first leg looked a bit daunting and I felt like it was the critical one, but in fact it was quite straightforward and I was able to tick off the gullies before cresting the final spur and dropping down onto the boulder which hid the flag. From there it was a steady descent to the network of watercourses where my remaining controls were. I was a little “off” on no 2 but corrected quickly. After that I just followed the main riverbed, finding places to scramble in and out. It was more physical than the previous days, but fun. The seat of my pants got quite dusty sliding down!

At one stage I dropped my map as I paused to fix a safety pin that had come undone. I’d run about 20 metres down a track when I realised to my horror that I had nothing in my hand! I was so lucky not to have a wind gust blow it away; it was lying where I’d dropped it. I ran my fastest “leg” to retrieve it!

The clambering in and out of gullies slowed me down, though I tried to avoid the worst climbs. It was still fatiguing, and my lack of fitness was reflected in my time. I still managed 7^th, to hold my overall midfield placing. It was a little disappointing not to be able to challenge for a place, but I was satisfied overall with things.

The last stage of the journey is the short flight home. Looking at the dark threatening clouds, it could be a rough ride.

PS It wasnt … home safe and sound.