Orienteering and rogaining are competitive sports that involve navigating from point to point. Participants may move through parks, off established routes, for defined periods (up to 48 hours). For this reason, these activities must be managed to minimise their potential impacts on park values and to ensure the safety of participants and other park visitors.
All sporting events in national parks require consent under the National Parks and Wildlife Regulation 2019 (NPW Regulation) and must be consistent with the park’s plan of management.
Policy
- Orienteering and rogaining events will be considered favourably as an appropriate use of selected parts of most national parks, regional parks and state conservation areas.
- To hold an orienteering or rogaining event in a park, you need written consent from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).
- An orienteering and rogaining event must have:
- an identifiable, accountable and appropriately insured organiser (whether an individual, group or association)
- an identified route or area of operation
- a defined timeframe (for instance, a half-day, a day or a weekend).
- Orienteering and rogaining events are not permitted in wilderness areas, nature reserves, Aboriginal areas and historic sites, because of the specific management principles and conservation requirements of these reserves.
- In assessing which areas are suitable for orienteering and rogaining, NPWS must consider:
- plants and animals needing particular protection from disturbance
- susceptibility of soils to erosion in general and under certain conditions (for instance, after rain or bushfire)
- the impact on an Aboriginal place or objects of cultural significance to Aboriginal people
- the presence of natural hazards (e.g. cliffs, unstable slopes, caves)
- potential conflicts with other visitors
- management activities such as hazard-reduction burning, research and baiting
- facilities available to support the event.
- If significant impacts are identified with any of the above (or other) points, NPWS will consider either:
- suitable alternate areas for the event
- placing specific conditions of consent on an event to minimise impacts.
- Where unacceptable impacts are identified, NPWS may refuse consent for the event.
Placing markers or other fixtures must not:
- disturb the soil, substrate, rock or vegetation in a park
- disturb wildlife
- interfere with park infrastructure or its use or operation.
You are not allowed to thin or remove plants to make markers visible.
- NPWS accepts no responsibility for the security of markers and other fixtures (for instance, if they are moved or stolen before an event is held).
NPWS may attach limits, modifications or conditions to any consent for an orienteering or rogaining event. Conditions that will apply include (but are not limited to):
- the organisers agree to run the event in a way that will not generate any permanent or long-term impacts on the park
- the organisers must have public liability insurance of $20 million to indemnify the Minister, the Government of New South Wales, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and all their agents, contractors and employees against all actions, suits, claims, demands or costs in respect to any death or injury to persons and damage or loss of property in connection with the event
- the organisers of the event must make good any damage that may be made to the park, its roads, or other infrastructure as a direct result of the activity or event
- the event must be conducted at the time or within the period agreed between the event organisers and NPWS
- participants, organisers and spectators must adhere to the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NPW Act) and the NPW Regulation, and obey any directions by NPWS staff
- the organisers of the event will notify NPWS of any adverse impact on the area evident to the organiser (for instance, tracks left by competitors, or graffiti or rubbish left by third parties).
The maximum number of participants and the course of the event (including the location of marshalling areas, start/finish points and control sites) will be specified.
- In addition, organisers will be required to:
- ensure that all flags, markers and control points are in place no more than 14 days prior to the event and 14 days after it, unless a different time period is specified in the consent
- clean up all litter and rubbish immediately after the event
- maintain a first-aid facility at the start/finish area
- provide temporary toilets at the main assembly area if deemed necessary by NPWS
- cooperate with NPWS staff in setting aside suitable areas for spectators and car parking
- mark on their event maps any sensitive area that NPWS has requested be out-of-bounds
- where relevant, follow other specific conditions of consent that NPWS may require in accordance with the Events, Functions and Venues Policy.
- Where a proposed event may encroach on land outside the boundaries of the park or on any portion of a park subject to a lease, it is the responsibility of the event organisers to obtain separate permission from that park neighbour or lessee.
- In accordance with the Events, Functions and Venues Policy, NPWS may charge a fee for the event.
- NPWS may impose additional charges if NPWS needs to provide services for the event or the event organisers have asked for them. The services may include help at the event, the provision of barbecue fuel, supervision and site inspections.
- NPWS may waive or reduce fees if either:
- only a small proportion of the course encroaches on the park
- the event meets the criteria for waiving or reducing fees given in the Events Functions and Venues Policy.
Information dissemination
- NPWS will ensure that all peak NSW orienteering and rogaining associations are made aware of the policy and procedures for orienteering and rogaining.
- Organisers of orienteering and rogaining events will be responsible for providing all event participants with the bushwalker's code of conduct. NPWS will give organisers copies of the code for distribution. This can be done when NPWS staff consult with event organisers to provide information about the area or park (refer to paragraph 28).
Preliminary consultation
- It is in the interests of both NPWS and orienteering and rogaining groups to commence discussions and arrangements for events as early as possible. If you are proposing to hold an event in a park, please consult NPWS before lodging a written application for consent. This will reduce the processing time for your application.
- Preparing for orienteering and rogaining events can take a long time. Preliminary consultations between NPWS and orienteering and rogaining groups can establish the suitability of a broadly defined area to accommodate such events. As planning progresses, further discussions between event organisers and NPWS should identify more specifically where events can take place.
- Preliminary consultations should establish whether orienteering and rogaining are appropriate in an area under normal conditions. However, preliminary consultation does not guarantee consent for the activity. Orienteering and rogaining events cannot proceed in a park without final written consent from NPWS.
Consent application process
- Where an orienteering or rogaining event is proposed in an area that contains a place or objects of Aboriginal cultural significance, the event organisers must consult the relevant local Aboriginal communities and/or local Aboriginal Land Council about any potential impacts and associated cultural issues. NPWS can help with this process if required. If NPWS has concerns about the potential heritage impact of the proposed activity, it may seek advice from Heritage NSW.
When you apply to NPWS for consent to hold an orienteering or regaining event in a park, you must include:
- the name, phone numbers and email address of the relevant organisation and the contact person
- the title and status (for instance, local or national) of the event
- the proposed date, time and duration of the event
- a map showing the assembly area, the start and finish points, and proposed control sites or courses (NPWS staff must treat the information on control sites and courses as confidential)
- estimates of the number of participants, organisers and spectators likely to attend the event
- arrangements for waste management (no-waste events should be encouraged where possible)
- arrangements for car parking.
Some of these details may not be known at the time you apply. In that case, NPWS may approve your application upon the condition that you will provide further information before the event. NPWS may also impose additional conditions.
- Where orienteering and rogaining events are a common occurrence, the relevant local NPWS office should prepare a pro-forma consent document. Such a pro-forma could specify standard conditions for all events and also allow for particulars relating to a specific event.
- At the discretion of NPWS, you can put in a single consent application to cover several events, as long as:
- all proposed events will be held in the one NPWS area (contact your local NPWS office to find out which parks are in a particular area)
- all proposed events will occur in the same calendar year (if an event is deferred until the next year, you will have to apply again for consent for that event)
- you give all the details for all the events in the application.
- Consent is not transferable between any persons or organisations.
- Consent may be denied where an identifiable group has breached the conditions of previous approvals and should be denied to any group that has shown itself to be an irresponsible user of the park. NPWS will also provide details of the group that breached conditions to the relevant peak organising body for the activity.
Promotion and education
- NPWS views the consultative process with local orienteering and rogaining groups as an opportunity to enhance community understanding of the natural and cultural values of the park in which the event is to occur. Where appropriate, event organisers should be given interpretive information about the park and encouraged to promote an understanding of the park's natural and cultural values among the event participants. This should help make participants more aware of the park's management requirements.
- NPWS staff may also negotiate with stakeholder associations to undertake monitoring of the impacts of an event on the park over a realistic timeframe. These impacts could include trampling damage to vegetation, soil erosion, and establishing new but self-sustaining walking routes.
Policy adopted December 1994
Policy last updated September 2021
Objectives
This policy aims to:
- help manage orienteering and rogaining within parks to minimise environmental and cultural heritage impacts
- provide a basis for communications between NPWS and the organisers of orienteering and rogaining events
- help ensure that recreational use within a park maintains an appropriate level of safety, equity, harmony and satisfaction amongst park visitors.
Scope and application
This policy applies to all lands acquired or reserved under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NPW Act) except for lands reserved under Part 4A of the Act (unless the Board of Management for those lands has adopted the policy). However, NPWS staff can use the policy as guidance in their dealings with Boards of Management.
Definitions
Aboriginal area means lands dedicated as an Aboriginal area under section 30K of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974.
Declared wilderness areas are those lands declared as wilderness under the Wilderness Act 1987.
Orienteering is a competitive sport which involves participants visiting on foot a set number of flagged control points between a start line and a finish line in the shortest possible time. Participants select individual routes and use a map and compass to navigate the course. Courses are usually set in bushland and vary in length. For more information, visit the Orienteering NSW website.
Rogaining is the competitive sport of long-distance cross-country navigation. The objective of rogaining is to collect the highest score by finding checkpoints within a set time limit (generally 24 hours). Teams of 2 to 5 members travel entirely on foot, navigating with the aid of a topographic map and compass. For more information, visit the NSW Rogaining website.
Accountabilities
This section outlines NPWS staff with significant responsibilities for ensuring implementation of the policy.
| Paragraph | Position |
|---|---|
| 2. Administering consents | Area Manager |
| 13–15. Determining fees and charges | Director |
| 16. Ensuring that peak orienteering and rogaining bodies are made aware of the NPWS policy | Manager, Parks Policy Team |
| 18–20. Preliminary consultation | Area Manager |
| 21. Seeking advice on potential heritage impact | Area Manager |
| 27. Promoting community education and understanding | Area Manager |
| 28. Monitoring impacts | Area Manager |