From the Setters:

When Jim and I as the setters selected the area for this event we were looking for a venue close to Perth to entice newcomers, a challenging terrain both suitable for novices and experienced rogainers, beautiful scenery, while including the lights of Perth in the evening and of course the most important criteria, the area had to be right in our backyard. Both the setters and vetter are local and are familiar with the area.

We also tried to make it more interesting by including camel rides, wine tasting at the Darlington Estate winery and abseiling down Strathams quarry. Unfortunately in the end we removed the controls near the camel farm because it was too far away from the HH site. I do not think anybody stopped at the winery and even though Strathams quarry was very popular no one had any abseiling gear.

Because of the difficult terrain our biggest fear was that many of the teams could not get back in time. To our surprise no one was late. By all accounts, everyone we spoke to had an enjoyable time and it was very memorable to walk back to the hash house after dark with the city lights in the distance.  We admired the teams who climbed all the steep hills in this area to gain the maximum number of controls, but my biggest admiration was for the two mums who walked with their babies (6 months and 9 months). They shared a pram and walked mainly along the pipeline track. They did not get back until after dark. They and their babies had a marvellous time. This proves that you can never be too young to do a Rogaine event.

We were able to confirm our vetter only 5-6 weeks before the event. David Symons jumped in and kindly offered his services as a vetter doing a brilliant job speedily in only 3 mornings on weekends, ensuring that the locations and descriptions of the controls were spot on. We were able to confirm our GPS tracks crossed at the right places to give us extra confidence for the controls and perspective on the terrain. Ian Thomsett was kind enough to contact CALM to get the necessary approval, and assisted us with the map production. Also thanks to John Tanner for his fresh eyes looking over the map and assistance on the weekend with water drops and patrolling. We also thank all the other helpers for their valuable contribution to make this a memorable and unique event.

Peter Beyer and Jim Klinge on behalf of the setting and vetting team

From Competitors:

Thanks for a challenging and fun event. We were pretty confident it was possible to get them all but ended up falling about 500 points short! It was tough going but a fun way to get some hills under the legs and lots of fun having a team of three with closely spaced controls even if the bush was (expectedly) mostly rough.

..o0o..

Had a great time. Started off with a nice sit down team lunch at home before a short drive to the hash house. Lots of friendly faces at the start. Walked with two entertaining gentlemen and met and walked and talked with lots of other teams along the way including Billy & Geoff, Dick & Frank, Aaron & his mates and Emma & Chris. Saw lots of other teams out there from time to time as well including the forever cheerful Rod and Chip. Sunset was fantastic as we walked along the road back towards the hash.

Stopped in at Alfred's kitchen on the way home for one of  their awesome burgers before relaxing at home with 2711 and enjoyed being able to sleep in my own bed. What an enjoyable way to spend a Saturday afternoon and evening. More please! Distance - no idea and don't really care.