Bush orienteering events take place in forested and farm areas across Australia. These events are a great way to get out an experience the great Australian outdoors. They take place most weekends from March to late October.

Bush orienteering is using a map to navigate around a course through a series of control points within the forest. A compass may help to orientate your map in the right direction.

The difficulty of the course varies.

Easy navigation courses have controls are located on or close to marked tracks.

Moderate navigation courses usually have an option to use a track or take a direct cross-country route.

Hard navigation courses are almost always cross country, using contours and other features to find your way.

It usually takes 45-90 minutes to complete a course, depending on your choice.   Most courses are a line format. You must visit all the control points on your course in a set order, in the fastest possible time.  Some events have a score format. This is where you can visit controls in any order, but you must return to the finish within a certain time.

Most bush events use an electronic timing system named “Sportident”. This records your time though each control point and your total time. You can compare the time it took you to get to each control with others on your course.