Just over a year ago, Covid caused the cancellation of the Easter 3 Day orienteering (along with everything else). We spent most of 2020 wondering if we’d ever be able to go to a major carnival again.  Here we are up in Orange in NSW, having completed Day 1 of the 2021 Australian 3-Day Orienteering Championships, with over 800 people – something unthinkable in pretty much every other country in the world except New Zealand.  All kudos to the NSW organisers, who have spent the last year going through what must basically have been hell – every outbreak and lockdown must have made them wonder “why are we putting ourselves through this stress?”  But people are here from all over the country.

So DipidyDoo is finally back on the road – well minus Ian, and the final “O” (for Overseas) is redundant for the time being – but Debbie, Pete and Ilze are Doing Orienteering.  With Sheep Stations.

We drove up yesterday, uneventfully, arriving at Snowgums Retreat, half way up Mt Canobolas, in the early evening.  Snowgums is an old farmhouse, with bits and pieces added over the years. It’s so huge we need a map to find the bathroom!  We have a massive verandah, enormous kitchen, large lounge, a breakfast nook, four huge bedrooms and two bathrooms.  Joining us are Simon, Warwick and Ron.

The property is in Nashdale, where all the wineries are, and we see vineyards in all directions.  We have our own flock of friendly sheep, who all have names – the ram is called Daaaarth Vader.  My window looks out on the roses, and beyond to a small orchard.  It’s so quiet you can hear the sheep ripping the grass. A lovely place to spend the week.

Today was the traditional Day 1 – a Prologue for the Elites, a Family Relay, and a Public Sprint for the rest of us.  The venue was the Charles Sturt University campus, which is on a bit of a slope.  The courses for us weren’t particularly challenging, with the first 5 controls all around the edge, and not really any route choice on more than a couple of legs.  I came up the biggest hill on a poor angle and was not lined up well for Control 4; and I miscounted buildings and overshot the last control – probably a minute in total in errors. Despite this, I was pleased with a midfield finish; usually in these things where you get 80 or more people on the same course, I’m lucky to be in the top 60. So moving a bit higher up the list was satisfying.  The weather was gorgeous too.

But the big feature of the day was catching up with people that I haven’t seen, in some cases for over a year.  The chatter on the sidelines was even more animated than usual, as we all compared our 2020 experiences.  It was so good to be part of.  And I bet the organisers went home and had a quiet cry of relief.  I know I would have.

Roast lamb for dinner.  Don’t tell Daaarth.