Blackbutt Forest Reserve in Shellharbour is the venue for our next orienteering event on Saturday 6 May.  The reserve consists of 100 hectares of remnant coastal forest including Illawarra lowland grassy woodland and Blackbutt forest.  The forest was the traditional home of the Wodi Wodi people who lived off the many plants and animals in the forest.  Although there was a small amount of timber cutting from the forest, it was saved from widespread clearing for agriculture as it was isolated from the harbour and Shellharbour village by swampland.  The Reserve was given to the Shellharbour community by the NSW Government in 1979.

You can read more about the history and ecology of the reserve in a great little booklet by Shellharbour Council.  Go to the Parks and Reserves page and download the PDF from the right hand column.

For those coming to the event, be aware that it is also ‘Wings over the Illawarra’ at the Illawarra Regional Airport not far from the forest.  If you’d like to combine your orienteering with a visit to the air show you can find more information HERE.

Venue – Blackbutt Forest Reserve, Shellharbour – enter via Blackbutt Way.
Directions – from Shellharbour Road, turn into Woodlands Drive, then at the T intersection, turn left into Blackbutt Way and follow into reserve, up the hill to the car park.
Starts from 2-3pm.
Courses: Medium and Long line courses ($10) and a free short kids course (under 12 to be accompanied by an adult)
Runners, joggers & walkers are all welcome. Beginners are always welcome at our events, and there are always club members on hand to provide some basic coaching. You can go by yourself or as part of a group.

Its almost here – that time of the year when we emerge from our post-Christmas slumber, dust off the O-gear and stretch our legs and our minds with some easy orienteering around the scenic parks and coast of Wollongong.

Now in its fourth year, SummerGong is a 4 week series of events designed to introduce the sport of orienteering to the Illawarra while providing the opportunity for some friendly competition amongst more experienced orienteers.

The series kicks off on Sunday February 5 at Lang Park Wollongong and runs over four consecutive weekends in February. Subsequent events are scheduled for Thirroul, Fairy Meadow and South Wollongong.  All events are held on Sunday morning with starts available between 10:00am and 11:30am.

See the following link for more details.   Hope to see you there!

Summergong17 Flyer

Minnamurra River

Come along this Saturday 22 October and enjoy our first-ever event at beautiful Minnamurra. This new map is an extension of our Kiama Downs map and features stunning view, scenic river foreshores, and quiet residential streets.

Meet at James Oates Reserve, Charles Avenue Minnamurra at 3pm and look for the club flag near the tennis courts. If the carpark is full you will need to park in Charles Avenue.

You can start anytime from 3 to 4 pm with all courses closing at 5pm.   Choose from short, medium or long courses.

See you there!

Unfortunately today’s event at Gunnamatta Bay has been cancelled due to the forecast extreme weather conditions. Hopefully we can re-schedule this event later in the year.

Keep safe and dry everyone.

IKO’s year of orienteering begins on February 7 with our annual SummerGong Series.  Set over four consecutive Sunday mornings the series is ideal for beginners to find out what orienteering is all about.  For experienced orienteers its a chance to stretch our legs and tune up our navigation after the Christmas break, all while taking in the scenic parks and coastline that the Wollongong region offers.

While previous years have spaced the events over a wider area of the Illawarra, this year the club has chosen to focus on the Wollongong area.  The first event will be held at Stuart Park at North Wollongong, followed by events at Thirroul, McCabe Park and Flagstaff Hill.  See the Coming Events page for more details.  All events are also listed on the Orienteering Eventor site.

Club captain Kevin Curby says the event is specifically designed to introduce people in the Illawarra to the sport of orienteering. You can compete as an individual or go with a buddy or family group.

“If you can read a street directory then you can read an orienteering map” he says. “Just go at your own pace; walk, jog or run. For this introductory series we use urban areas, parks, streets and beaches.”

Club members will be on hand to assist beginners with map reading and navigation. All of the events will take the form of a 45 minute “score event” where competitors try to visit as many controls (or checkpoints) as possible within the time limit. The person with the highest score wins.

The series winner (with the highest score over the four events) will win a complementary membership to Illawarra Kareelah Orienteers for 2016 (for anyone not already a member of an orienteering club).