Goldrush Mayhem Metrogaine (17 August 2025)

Words and Photo by Richard Homburg

Ballarat, with its rich history forged in the gold rush of the 1850s, provided a fitting backdrop for our Metrogaine yesterday. The city’s grand architecture, leafy streets, and storied landmarks made for an event that was as much about discovery as it was about navigation. Teams explored a landscape where history and heritage meet the modern bustle of regional Victoria, turning every checkpoint into a small window into Ballarat’s past. It was a reminder that rogaining is not just a test of endurance and strategy, but also a chance to connect with the places that have shaped our state’s character.

Despite a relatively bleak forecast, we put on a classically Ballarat midwinter day for our midyear metrogaine event. We had a brilliant turnout with over 120 teams and 350 individuals explored the streets of this historic town. All our returning competitors returned to the hash house with tales of exploring places they had never been before.

Many thanks to all those involved in planning and managing this event: Claire Moriarty and Michelle Langley who set the course, Rod Gray, Nicole McManus, Ros Hindle who vetted the course, Richard Homburg who created the map as well as Grant Jeffrey, Andrea Gardiner, Emily Wilkinson, Nicholas Kluckow, Lucinda Hookey, John Gardiner, Richard Homburg, Claire Moriarty and Michelle Langley who all made things run like clockwork on the day. A special thanks to Phil Giddings who gives so much time for every event to make sure we all know what to do on the day.

Also a big happy birthday to Ellie who celebrated her 21st Birthday with a bunch of her friends along with the whole Rogaining community!

Congratulations to all teams that were out competing Sunday, but especially to John Evans, Loretta Mcgrath who managed to score a whopping 4850 points! Our podium was:-

Goldrush Mayhep Metrogaine Results
1st – John Evans, Loretta Mcgrath (4850pts)
2nd – Jesse Dixon, Hamish Dixon (4490pts)
3rd – Gayle Cowling, Karen Robinson (4480pts)

As always, click the links to download the full results.