The first event for the 2018 year was held in varying bushland along the head of the Canning River, 70km south east of Perth.
The weather was a moderate 30deg, the wind fairly strong and no rain.
There were 128 teams registered with 353 people. Over 50 of those registered were novices, so we as Setters were keen to make sure they had an enjoyable day out. It was a great thrill for the Setters and Vetters to have 9yo Violet want to celebrate her birthday out on the Rogaine Course.

A big thanks to Phil and Keith Dufty for their wise advice and efficient vetting..... as first time Setters, we were very lucky to have 2 experts putting us in the right direction.
Thanks also to Jim Langford for the setting up of the controls and organising the equipment to be sent. He was also Admin Coordinator for the day, ably supported by the Admin volunteers, Ian and Debbie Grose, Ian Spencer, Chip Lundstrom. Ann Smithson was Safety Coordinator, Libby Drenen First Aid Officer and Susan Rollason drove the truck to site.

The controls included a TeePee (51), old bridges that had collapsed or near to it (85, 52, 71), modern walking trail bridges (82), the lovely Bibbulmun Track bridge across the Canning River (83, the only watercourse we found water in!) and some spectacular views from hilltops (60, 94). Some of the controls even had jars of lollies to keep the energy levels high.

Most of the bush was fairly easy walking having had bushfires through in previous years to make the ground cover fairly clear. This was not the case for anyone trying to get across the dry watercourses.... In some cases, you couldn't help but feel it was impenetrable (80-100). The many tracks in the area helped getting between controls

This was our first attempt at setting a course and we only had positive thoughts for the experience. It gives a whole new dimension to understanding rogaining. If you have been thinking of how to set a course, any of the committee is more than happy to have a chat.

Elena Ghergori
John Herzfeld