In Victoria the Police are provided with support for bush search and rescue operations by volunteers from the SES, Bush Search and Rescue, Alpine Search and Rescue and (within the ski resports) Ski Patrol. Navigation skills, including map and compass and GPS usage, are important skills in this context.
Where do you go if you want to start developing good old fashioned map and compass skills? Melbourne is fortunate in having Orienteering Victoria and the Victorian Rogaining Association as well as a number of orienteering clubs. These organisations are very welcoming and supportive of beginners and the emphasis is on coming along to an event and "having a go".
The VRA runs events regularly throughout the year and there are also a lot of orienteering events, including the popular park and street orienteering series. Over winter OV runs a series of bush orienteering events called MelBushO.
On Sunday 8 July I attended the BushO event at Plenty Gorge in Melbourne ($10 for adults). The volunteer officials were very friendly and helpful, and there were four different courses ranging from easy to hard to cater for the full range of participants from beginners to experienced orienteers. I completed the easiest course at 2.5km with 9 checkpoints, and this was both fun and good experience. You didn't really have to feel worried about getting lost and as the checkpoints were close to the starting area. It was possible to navigate pretty much just with the map (which is apparently how they like beginners to start out) but compass skills might come in handy for the more difficult courses. I enjoyed it enough to want to do some more in the future!
At the end of April 2012 the VRA ran a very successful (free) training day at Birdsland Reserve (in the outer suburbs of Melbourne), which provided practical experience in navigating to checkpoints as well as tips and advice from a VRA trainer with each small group. The volunteer trainers were generous with their time and advice, and we all enjoyed some welcome refreshments provided by the VRA at the conclusion of the day. It was also good to demystify the whole process and there was certainly a great deal of enthusiasm generated amongst the participants for taking part in forthcoming rogaining events.
The VRA runs a "partner-finding service" for each event so that no-one need be constrained from participating due to lack of a someone else to form a team.
Victorian Rogaining Association: http://vra.rogaine.asn.au/
Orienteering Victoria:
http://www.vicorienteering.asn.au/
Bush Search and Rescue Victoria: www.bsar.org/
Alpine Search and Rescue Victoria: www.alpinesar.org.au/
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