The 2025 Australian Orienteering Championships in Brisbane started hot, though thankfully not as hot as predicted. There were 7 events with 960 participants from 15 different countries.

AUS CHAMPS  SPRINT  – 27 September  2025
Finally the day we had all been waiting for – the first real competition of the Australian Orienteering Championships. The Sprint took place at the University of Queensland, a complex sprint map with multi-level mapping, with stairs and ramps, gardens and corridors, as well as buildings in complicated layouts. This allowed for highly technical courses, requiring intense concentration throughout the race.

An added excitement was the Dash for Cash knockout sprint at the end of the day, run by the top 8 placing elites. Both Zara Toes from the current Southern Cross team, and Georgia Lindroos from former competitions, qualified for this event. It was a close run in the junior women  with only five seconds separating Erika Enderby, Milla Key and Zara Toes, with Zara leading much of the way before being overhauled at the end.

Top 10 placings for NZ juniors (both Southern Cross and independent)

M14A
7th Alfie Cochrane
8th  Alex Maxwell

W14A
2nd Maggie Bauzon
4th Tamsyn McCamish (independent)
7th Sophie Bacchus
8th  Christina Symons

M16A
1st Zack Meads
2nd Tahi Harris
7th  Daniel Porteous
8th  Kade McLoughlan

W16A
2nd Greta Prince
3rd Sophie Herde
4th Elena Burns
5th Anna Wright
6th Emily Reeves
7th Lara Nicoll
8th Jemima Hoskin
9th Josie Hua (independent)
10th Cerys Findlow (independent)

M18A
1st Blake McKinno
2nd Solomon Randerson
3rd James Milne (independent)
4th Leo O’Neill
9th Thomas Zinan Dickie (independent)

W18A
1st  Orla Hoare
2nd  Ami McGowan
3rd Lauren Barrett-Hamilton (independent)
6th  Lani Murray (independent)
7th  Beth Wheeler (independent)
9th  Kate Robinson

NZ Pinestars 
M20E
3rd  Jake McLellan
W20E
3rd Zara Toes
4th Georgia Lindroos
M21E
10th  Nathan Borton

Full results and splits here

AUS CHAMPS LONG – 28 Sept 2025
 A very early start, with the first vans leaving at 6.45am was not enough to beat the heat at the Australian Long. With temperatures hitting the early 30s by late morning, and much of the early part of the course through fairly sparse eucalypt forest, keeping hydrated was the biggest challenge for many. Unsurprisingly, there was a number of mispunches and DNFs, with one runner (who shall remain nameless) going within 50m of a control before turning around and skipping it.
Extra suspense was added to the proceedings by the live results going off line part way through the morning. Eventually though, despite the challenging conditions, our W16 and W18 runners dominated the top ten, with some impressive individual results in all other junior classes.

M14A
3rd Aidan Barrett-Hamilton
7th Alfie Cochrane

W14A
3rd Tamsyn McCamish (development team)
4th Maggie Bauzon

M16A
3rd Tahi Harris
7th Charlie Milne (independent)

W16A
1st Jemima Hoskin
2nd Sophie Herde
4th Anna Wright
5th Greta Prince
8th Elena Burns
10th Charlotte Dalziel (Independent)

M18A
1st Blake McKinnon
2nd Oscar Burns
5th Leo O’Neill
6th Solomon Randerson

W18A
1st Anna Batcheler
3rd Kate Robinson
4th Lani Murray (independent)
5th Ami McGowan
6th Orla Hoare
8th Lauren Barrett-Hamilton (independent)

NZ Pinestars 

M20E
1st Jake McLellan

W20E
4th Zara Toes
5th Niamh Hoare

W21E
2nd Kaia Joergensen
5th Lara Molloy
Full results here

ASOC SPRINT – 30 SEPT
There is nothing like a challenge to overcome an early start. The Australian School Orienteering Champs Sprint map was the most complex course many athletes had ever encountered – and that includes the coaches as well!
While many came back feeling they had made major mistakes, due in part to most legs having several viable route choices, the results table tells a different story. In particular, the senior boys and junior girls left very little room for Australians in the top 10.
Provisional results for the first day of the Southern Cross Junior Challenge had Hārua leading Karahiwi by just two points, with ACT only 3 points further behind, and NSW close on their heels. Our teams were feeling satisfied with their lead, but very aware that was still anybody’s competition.

Junior boys
5th Daniel Porteous
6th Aidan Barrett-Hamilton
8th Xavier White

Junior girls
2nd Victoria Underwood
3rd Sophie Herde
4th Lara Nicoll
6th Maggie Bauzon
7th Josie Hua (Independent)
8th Emily Reeves
10th Christina Simon’s

Senior boys
3rd Jake McLellan
4th Zack Meads
5th Blake McKinnon
7th Oscar Burns
8th Tahi Harris
9th Solomon Randerson
10th Charlie Milne (Independent)

Senior girls
2nd Zara Toes
6th Anna Batcheler
7th Greta Prince
9th Anna Wright
10th Cerys Findlow (Independent)

Full results and splits here

ASOC LONG – 1 October 2025
There were bleary eyes over the 5.30am breakfast, but all the students were at the vans promptly for departures, the first vehicle leaving at 6.05am. By the time we reached the arena at Bigges Hill, despite the cloud cover, the temperature was already climbing. Despite all of this, moods were buoyant and the pre-race chatter cheerful and positive.

The map was on terrain quite different to that our students have previously experienced. In the words of Blake McKinnon, “we had a couple of days of Australia training last week, but nothing could have prepared me for this.” One of the most exciting aspects of the course was the use of a crashed plane as a control site.

Despite the twin challenges of heat and very unfamiliar terrain, the Southern Cross team again triumphed, with a good list of names in the top ten of each division.  Zara Toes narrowly missed out yesterday but made up for it today, taking control from the start. By halfway she was three minutes up, and in the end caught up the four-minute gap to her fellow New Zealander Anna Batcheler in the last few minutes of the course. Taking both first and second place in senior girls was a particular feat and the sprint finish on a gently rising slope between Zara Toes and Anna Batcheler was a sight to behold, as was the high five afterwards.

The senior boys looked like a race in two early on between Australian Euan Best and Jake McLellan. The result was still very much in doubt at the second-last control, where Best led by 10 seconds, but McLellan lost time on the last leg to stretch that to a minute.

The second day of the Southern Cross Junior Challenge ended with the unprecedented situation of ACT being ahead of Karahiwi, although well behind Hārua. This made the relay a more nail-biting affair than usual, as NZ fought to hold on to the two top spots they have become accustomed to.

Junior boys
2nd – Xavier White
4th – Daniel Porteous
8th – Alfie Cochrane

Junior girls
3rd – Jemima Hoskin
5th – Victoria Underwood
7th – Ianthe MacMillan Armstrong
8th – Christina Symons
9th – Elena Burns

Senior boys
2nd – Jake McLellan
4th – Blake McKinnon
6th – Oscar Burns
10th – Leo O’Neill

Senior girls
1st – Zara Toes
2nd – Anna Batcheler
5th – Niamh Hoare
8th – Greta Prince

Results and splits here. 

ASOC REVVED-UP RELAY –   2 October 2025
Spirits lifted with the fog at Deebing Creek as faces were painted and ribbons tied. Lara Molloy’s colour-coded system had Karahiwi in red and black, Hārua red and blue, and the Ad Hoc teams a mix of white, black, blue, and red.

The short, tricky course featured two loops, a spectator run-through, and a map flip. Fast running conditions from burnt undergrowth and  vague contours mixed with tracks and deep erosion gullies was a recipe for mistakes. Karahiwi suffered mispunches in both junior and senior boys’ races, knocking them out of Southern Cross Trophy contention. Hārua fought to stay ahead with both girls teams running strongly, Zack Meads lifting Hārua Senior Boys from 8th to 1st, and Tahi finishing them in 2nd. Despite Hārua’s 7.18-minute win and  strong Karahiwi effort, Ella Hogg (ACT) delivered a standout run, bringing her team from 8th to 3rd. It’s the first-ever Australian name on the Southern Cross Junior Challenge Trophy, sharing the title with Hārua.

Preparations are now underway for the traditional disco. Susy Carryer, our correspondent, will be supervising — the New Zealand team will be dressed as Smurfs!

Junior boys
8th  NZ Ad Hoc 1 – James Keir, James Diprose, Tristan Jayasuria
9th  NZ Ad Hoc 2 – Jacob Williams, Quinn Harris, Finley Conner

Junior girls
2nd  Karahiwi (Elena Burns, Christina Symons, Sophie Herde
3rd  HāruavVictoria Underwood, Ianthe McMillan Armstrong, Jemima Hoskin
6th  NZ Ad Hoc 3 – Sophie Bacchus, Josie Hua, Tamsyn McCamish
7th  NZ Ad Hoc 4 – Lara Nicoll, Emily Reeves, Maggie Bauzon

Senior boys
2nd  Hārua (Blake McKinnon, Zack Meads, Tahi Harris
4th  NZ Ad Hoc 2 – Arya Chebbi, Jakob Abernethy, James Milne
6th  NZ Ad Hoc 3 – William Wood, Leo Croxford, Leo O’Neill
10th  NZ Ad Hoc 1 – Joshua Mansell, Charlie Milne, Tim Bacchus

Senior girls
1s Hārua – Niamh Hoare, Anna Wright, Zara Toes
4th Karahiwi – Greta Prince, Anna Batcheler, Ami McGowan
6th NZ Ad Hoc 1 – Kate Robinson, Lani Murray, Orla Hoare
9th NZ Ad Hoc 2 – Torun Joergensen, Cerys Findlow, Charlotte Dalziel
10th NZ Ad Hoc 3 – Beth Wheeler, Dora Slavich, Lauren Barrett-Hamilton

AUS RELAY CHAMPS – 4 October 2025
From daylight dark – for the adults and the youngsters up to M/W16, it was a fast and furious relay course on similar terrain to the Australian Long. Once again the vague contours and minimal features for navigation required athletes to rely on accurate compass use.

Then, as night was falling, the elite classes had a mass start. The first leg runners mostly finished with sufficient light to be easily identified, but the second leg runners were completing their course in the pitch dark. Given the number of small depressions, pits and dry stream beds, it is astonishing that there were no significant injuries. Those runners were moving very fast!

It was exciting women’s racing for the Pinestars . In W21E the battle was between ACT and New Zealand. ACT held the edge for most of the first two legs, but started the last leg with only a minute in hand, and with Kaia Jorgensen on last leg that was not enough to score the win. And in W20 Zara Toes lifted New Zealand into third with a fine last leg after NSW & ACT.
Podium placings for Pinestars 20E & 21E + young teams:

W14
2nd  Sophie Bacchus, Maggie Bauzon, Christina Symons
3rd Charlotte Ashcroft,, Tamsyn McCamish, Petra Slavich

W16
1st Anna Wright, Torun Joergensen, Greta Prince
2nd  Elena Burns, Lara Nicoll,  Sophie Herde

M16
1st Tahi Harris Xavier White, Zack Meads

NZ Pinestars 
W21E
1st Renee Beveridge, Lara Molloy, Kaia Joergensen
W20
3rd Orla Hoare,  Niamh Hoare, Zara Toes
Full results here

AUS MIDDLE DISTANCE – 5 October 2025
This was held in sandstone terrain at White Rock. This was the most technical forest area of the week and saw a reshuffling of the elite results. The Aussies were strong contenders. Kaia Joergensen made it onto the podium in third place for W21E 3min12 secs behind New Shingler, with Lara Molly in 7th. Nathan Borton was the best top ten NZ placing in M21E – just sneaking in with a 10th place. In women’s 20E Morag McLellan and Anna Batchelor finished 5th & 6th.  
Congratulations to all participants. Regardless of age & class it was an event with many challenges for the kiwis. A huge thank you to the QLD organising team for their huge efforts.

M14
1st Alfie Cochrane

W14
4th Christina Symonds
12th Maggie Bauzon
9th Tamsyn McCamish (development team)

M16
6th Tahi Harris
7th Daniel Porteous
8th Xavier White

W16
1st Greta Prince
2nd Jemima Hoskins
6th Torun Joergensen

W20
3rd Niamh Hoare

NZ Pinestars

W20
6th Morag McLellan
7th Anna Batcheler

M20
8th Jake McLellan

W21E
3rd Kaia Joergensen
7th Lara Molloy

M21E
10th Nathan Borton
Full results and splits available here

Points table:
The full points table is linked below, courtesy of Jeff Greenwood.
https://docs.google.com/…/198FDhjk7HuyN6knvhEcp…/edit…