Au_ARDF1923

Arrival at Tullamarine Airport	Friday ~ September 23rd, 2011
	Landed at Tullamarine Airport around 6:10 am Melbourne Time. Other flights were also coming in around the same time, resulting in a big queue at the immigrations and customs check points. Had to hang around the airport until mid-day as the scheduled welcoming committee will only be there after 12 noon. Even then we have to wait for the other teams from Japan and Korea who were arriving on later flights.
	The tourist bus left the airport with us on board for Maldon at 2:45pm and arrived at the Victoria Blue Light Youth Camp at 4:50pm.
	Registered ourselves and were assigned our competition numbers 29 and 30. We had to sign for waiver of indemnity and later taken to our accommodation which was located 1.3 Km away from the camp center.
Our Accommodation
	We were given a nice wooden shack (just for two of us) located in the Maldon caravan park. It consisted of a double bunk bed, a single bed, attached bathroom with cooking facilities and of course an electric heater to keep the place warm. Even then, it was freezing cold especially for two Malaysians coming from the Tropics.
	Every day, we had to walk from this caravan park to the main camp site for our meals and other activities. Nothing to complain on that, as long as it did not rain. At least, we did not have to share crowded accommodations like the other teams.
Maldon
	A quaint little town almost free of vehicles and friendly people.
	Beautiful rustic homesteads.
	Nice memorial park dedicated to the soldiers who served in the Korean war.
Training Session	Saturday ~ September 24th, 2011
	Had early breakfast at the Blue Light Youth Campsite, before two buses took the participants to a nearby forest reserve area for us to test out our hunting equipments, using the actual beacons - both on 80M and 2M.
	Took the opportunity to physically test the performances of the homebrewed 80M receivers in the Australian forest. The terrain took us by surprise, as the ground was covered with thick dead branches from the Australian gum trees, making it difficult to walk on.
	Met some wild kangaroos peeping at us.
O-Ring and Street Orienteering
	Since the training session was only in the morning, the organisers planned some other activities to keep us occupied, after a good lunch. This came in the form of O-Ring and Street Orienteering.
	In O-Ring, very low powered beacons transmitting continuously on 2M were placed all over the town of Maldon. The participants were given a street map of Maldon where circles were drawn on it. The participants had to self navigate on foot to the locations of the circles, and only inside the circle could we hear the individual beacons. We need to actually locate the particular beacon, mark our cards and try to find the other beacons within the allocated time span.
	In the case of Street Orienteering, clues were given together with the Maldon street map, and the participants need to navigate to those locations. On reaching the locations, with the aid of the clues, the participants need to find the particular markings and note them down on their score sheet.
Opening Ceremony
	We gathered at the Maldon Progress Hall for a quick opening ceremony and group photos. No long speeches. Short, sweet and simple.
Photo from Victorian ARDF Group Blog

2 Meter Hunt Day	Sunday ~ September 25th, 2011
	Taken by bus for about 30 minutes drive, to a new location. I was the 2nd batch to be flagged off at 9:35am. By the time I reached the end of the starting corridor, my fellow competitors were nowhere to be seen! I was straggling behind. Soon all the surroundings looked the same - gum trees everywhere.
Photo by: VK5ZGY	Spent too much time hunting the 1st beacon, but improved on the 2nd beacon which was 1.5 Km away. Based on the signal strength, the 3rd beacon seemed to be quite nearby. Had to decide whether to go for the 3rd beacon and face the consequence of exceeding the allocated time. Since I entered this hunt for the experience, I decided not to miss out the 3rd beacon. Managed to bag all 3 beacons before switching to the homing beacon frequency and took the straight route towards it ~ bashing up and down a few hillocks and dales on the way. Arrived safely at the finished line but way exceeded the allocated time. I guessed that I probably clocked at least 7 Km through this course. Suffered leg sprains due to unsuitable trekking shoes used. The soles were not thick enough! Should have worn hiking boots instead.
Tour Day	Monday ~ September 26th, 2011
	In the morning we left on foot to the Maldon Railway Station. There we had the opportunity to ride on an original steam train to Castlemaine, Bendigo District.
	The Choo choo train which we rode on.
	At the Central Deborah Gold Mine, where we were taken in batches down a mine shaft, nine storey below ground to see how gold was mined many years ago.
	Some lucky fellas hit gold flakes, whilst trying their luck at gold panning.
	Whilst others prefer to try to charm lady luck differently.
	An Aussie barbeque lunch was served at the site. We even tried kangaroo meat! Not from the one we met at the earlier encounter.
80M Hunt Day	Tuesday ~ September 27th, 2011
	Weather forecast was not good. Showers in the morning with low temperatures of 6C. Anyway, the competition had to run on schedule. Just think of the poor beacon setters who had to be at the site locations in the dark early mornings - say 5 am in the rain?
	The little drizzle and cold weather did not discourage the hunters. We put on our rain coats and went hunting. Half way through the hunt, the weather cleared up.
	All our hunting equipments were impounded before the beacons were switched on. The receivers were not allowed to be switched on until past the flag-off point.
	Hunting on 80M was a different ball game. More distinct signal directions and no bouncing of the signals. This time we decided to look for only 2 beacons before heading to the finish line so as not to exceed the time allocated.

Farewell Banquet
	The Malaysian flag also graced the occasion.
	Good scrumptious food served.
	Even the mini Malaysian flag was an attraction and soon became somebody's collector's item. Believed that this flag is now flying in a foreign country.
	After a few liquid RF, This young handsome Malaysian guy became a hit amongst the girls there.
	Luckily, they did not take him back as a souvenir.
	Peace!

Photos were from 9M2LC, 9W2YCL, VK5ZGY and Victorian ARDF Group Blog
More photos are available at this link.


Radio Sport	8th IARU Region 3 ARDF Championships
	Venue: Maldon, Victoria, Australia Dates: September 23rd ~ 28th, 2011