Tag Archives: navigation

2026 Metro League season starts on 29 March

The first event will be held at Nurragingy, Doonside in Western Sydney on Sunday morning 29 March. Go to Eventor for details and to enter the event. See table below for the list of venues and dates for the 2026 Metro League series.

Those members interested in competing in this year’s Metro League series should emailing IKO Metro League Team Captain James Stuart at jistuart@bigpond.com. Please indicate which rounds, if any, you could attend and advise which division you wish to compete in. At this stage we are just looking for an indication of numbers in each of the teams.

All IKO members are encouraged to compete no matter your level of proficiency. Contact James if you are unsure which Division you would be comfortable running in.

We will again be partnering with our sister club SHOO. At this stage we are intending to field combined teams in Divisions 1, 3, 4 and 5. The number of teams in each division may change depending on interest.

2026 Venues and Dates

Round	Date	Venue	Organising Club
1	Mar 29	Nurragingy	Big Foot
2	May 3	Galston	Garingal
3*	May 24(TBA)	Grays Point	Illawarra Kareelah
4	Jun 28	Pennant Hills	Bennelong
5	Jul 26	Boggabilla	Uringa
6	Sep 6	Glenbrook	WHO

* IKO looking to swap to another date.

New to the Metro League? This is a team competition with line courses requiring bush navigation around the Sydney metropolitan area. Teams of 5 from the various clubs battle it out over 5 rounds to determine the teams that will be in the finals in Round 6. There are 6 Divisions of competition, all with different courses:

Divisions 1-3 are graded Hard
Division 4-6 are graded Moderate
Division 6 courses are intended for competitors transitioning from urban to bush orienteering and juniors.

More information is available at https://onsw.asn.au/events/metro-league

Sprint the Illawarra a success!

Well what a fun little series that was! Four sprint events staged across 4 consecutive weekends in February attracted over 150 competitors across the series. The first 2 events at Kiama and Wollongong University proved the most popular with 49 and 47 participants respectively. Albion Park and Croom both hosted 28-29 competitors. The novel addition of a ‘fast and furious’ mass start where competitors lined up to take on a short 1km course also proved a fun and exciting way to finish the day for those still with energy to burn.

Thank you to all our course setters – Joel, David, Stephen and Keith. The weather gods were against us for 3 of the 4 courses, but finally we cracked some sunshine for our last event at Croom where the heat became the challenge instead of the rain.

Below is a gallery of highlights from the series. Click on an image for full size.

Run the Illawarra this summer – sprint series starts 1 February

The Illawarra Summer Series kicks off on Sunday morning 1 February and will run every weekend in February. This year the series takes the form of sprint events set on new maps. Starts will be from 10-11am. See below for dates, locations and links to Eventor for details of individual events. Pre-entries are encouraged and should be made through Eventor.
Note: the event at Albion Park will be on Saturday while all other events are Sunday.

Date and Time	Location	Details.
Sunday 1 February 10 – 11am	Kiama	https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/23295
Sunday 8 February 10 – 11am	Wollongong University	https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/23296
Saturday 14 February 10 – 11am	Albion Park High School	https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/23297
Sunday 22 February 10 – 11am	Croom	https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/23298

Sprint orienteering is a lot of fun – it requires quick decision making and tests your ability to navigate accurately at speed. This can be demanding, especially with constant changes in direction and route choice. Winning times are usually around 12 – 15mins. Those new to sprint orienteering should check out the Sprint Orienteering page on the Orienteering Australia website.

There will be three courses available each week. Those wishing to have a longer run can run more than one course.

Course	Approx distance	Winning time
Long	3.0 – 3.5 Km	12-15 mins
Medium	2 Km	12-15 mins
Short	1 Km	5-10mins

As with past series all competitors will receive a sausage sandwich with a sauce of their choosing at the end of their run.

All event locations are close to one of the Illawarra’s iconic beaches. So pack your towel and swimmers as well as your runners and make a day of it.

NEWCOMERS are welcome to come and try sprint orienteering. You can run or walk the course, go it alone or in a group. Club members will be on hand to help you on your way. Those newcomers who attend at least 3 of the events will be in the running for a free 12-month membership with IKO. After completion of the series, those eligible will be notified by email with an option to accept or decline this offer.

Check out our great promotional video with thanks to our talented first course setter Joel Mion.

IKO events scheduled for November 2025

November is a bumper month for orienteering events organised by IKO members. Events are open to all comers, first timers through to the more experienced orienteers. Pre-entries through Eventor are encouraged although newcomers can enter on the day. You can enter as an individual or a group. Take the whole family and get a family discount.

November 9^th – the final event in the 2025 Sunday morning Illawarra Map Running Spring Series. Set by Pippa and dad Phil Whitten on the new Blackbutt Map, the event offers the usual short (2Km), medium (4.2Km) and long (5.4Km) courses. This is a bush event with a mix of trails and cross country on medium and long courses – long pants and sleeves are recommended. Starts are from 10 – 11am. All competitors qualify for a free sausage sandwich at the end of their race. For details about the event and on how enter go to https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/21599

November 15^th – Saturday after noon 2.30-3.30pm. Make you way down to Bomaderry, south of Berry for another bush event organized by Keith Jay. This time on the brand new Bomaderry Creek map. The terrain is typical of south coast bush crossed by hiking trails. It is a bit scratchy so long pants and sleeves are recommended. Details on courses available and location of the venue can be found at https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/21577. Make sure you check the course setter’s notes before you head out.

After the event there will be an end of year dinner at the Bomaderry Bowling Club. A table has been booked for 5.30pm. Please advise Sue via IKOrienteers.com@gmail.com if you intend attending.

November 23^rd– its back to South East Sydney for the Sunday afternoon River Bay Orienteering Series (RBOS) with Ewan Barnett setting a score and three line courses on yet another new map – Queens Park. Starts are from 4.00-5.00pm. For event details go to https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/22630

Come along and be the first to run on the new map. It’s a short distance to Bronte or Clovelly Beaches, so pack your swimmers and head off to the beach to cool off after the event.

November 30^th – the final IKO event for 2025 RBOS series at Sans Souci. This year organised by James Stuart. Another occasion to pack the swimmers for a post event swim.

The usual RBOS score and line courses will be available with starts from 4.00-5.00pm. Details available at https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/22633

Orienteering events Sunday 26th October

This coming Sunday IKO members and locals are again faced with the choice of an Illawarra Map Running event in Kiama in the morning and a River and Bay Series (RBOS) event in South Coogee late in the afternoon. Those keen enough can attend both events.

The Sunday morning event at Kiama will start between 10am and 11am, with the assembly area off Blowhole Point Rd, Kiama – just West of the Pilot’s Cottage Museum. Parking is available close by or you can catch a train/bus, ride your bike or even paddle there by kayak. Enjoy the free sausage sizzle after your run and pack your swimmers as there are two rock pools nearby that you can cool off in. Make a day of it – Kiama is a top spot. Details about courses available and the exact location are available at https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/21600

Pre-entries are recommended but there will be the ability to enter on the day at the event. Newcomers and families are most welcome to attend, you can go individually or as a group. Club members will be on hand to introduce you to the sport and set you on your way.

Those residing closer to Sydney can rock up to the RBOS event at South Coogee for a line or score course in the afternoon. Starts are from 4pm – 5pm. After the event you can cool off in the famous Mahon Rock pool – it’s on the map – before joining the post event dinner. For details about the event go to https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/22626

Information on future events in the Illawarra and south east Sydney area in October and November can be found on the Coming Events page.