Discussion: To be fair I think they are...

To be fair I think they are extending that red banks map a fair bit, and sandstone valleys looks quite cool to me...

i can't see the cool bits, they're hidden by green and brown lines real close together ;) but yeah we've run on worse... there's just so much better terrain down there, why not use it? the sceptic in me says they expect people to go just cos it's easter, so why use up the good maps - save them for when they actually need to entice people to travel.

Ha and I was considering an easter comeback. Maybe ill just take the bike to Blue Derby instead

But it's also logical for them to put on something big somewhere other than the east coast for once. And they are hosting NOLs in St. Helens the following weekend to try to keep us grumpy conservatives happy ;)

that same logic is how we made the decision to hold oceania 2019 on bruce ridge and black mountain. hopefully we'll be able to beat the kiwis and grab the extra woc spot.

Is that true?! Far out. I don't think it is the same as I don't think we're in the position of having hosted our last many(?) events in the same cool terrain. Plus I think Bruce ridge Is considerably shitter than sandstone valleys.

Nah ;) but it would be good for a change from our "usual" big race maps (Cooma, Namadgi) right.

And we wouldn't have to travel an hour to get there so all things considered - just as good as sandstone valleys ;)

Gotta admit, I've been thinking that I'll let myself be rostered on to work next Easter, and save my holidays for WMOC in Denmark.

Fair point Shep, I am getting pretty sick of all those big races we have down near Cooma.

Haha. yeah last 2 Aus champs and last Oceania and world cup & 2 of last 3 easters were there (Cooma & Namadgi)! Full on. Time for a break.

So you're sick of east coast Tasmania??

luckily you're making sure we appreciate our excursions to Cooma etc by having us run around a paddock in Aranda

yeah hopefully it's ok... I think it will be technical enough for you Bomb - the pressure's on you not to make any mistakes now you've called it a paddock ;)

pfff. I don't think it'll matter how many mistakes I avoid making, I'm just going to get left behind.

I don't think so... Gonna have to be on the ball. Like Craney has been - if he doesn't big up Easter in TAS every time I bag it out he won't get the free entry they promised him.

Why would I want the free entry if it's going to be crap?

I figure that's the only reason people watch crap like My Kitchen Rules.

'Cool bits hidden by green and brown lines' - not to mention the black fly shit everywhere. On first look I thought that Sandstone Valleys map must be 1:15000, but no it's 1:10000 with 1:15000 size symbols. I'll be joining JC in Denmark.

Haha yep.

So, Bruce Ridge and Black Mountain. Where are they and why don't we want to make the journey??

Sandstone Valleys is a decent area if there is good course-setting - I ran there where the Schools (and associated NOL event) was there in 2005. Definite potential for some epic route-choice legs there for the long distance. The extension of Redbank would want to be better than what's on the current map....

I don't know what thinking has gone into this at the Tasmanian end, but I'm guessing that part of it would involve the smaller east coast towns already being packed to the rafters over Easter without us being there. Both the last two Easters in Tasmania have been based out of major centres (Launceston in 2009, Hobart in 1999) with both involving a couple of long travel days. One of the challenges is that most of the terrain close to both Launceston and Hobart is physically tough and not super-exciting technically, and the one major exception to that - Pittwater - is very difficult to use for a national carnival because of the lack of any suitable parking for an event of that size (the NOL weekend stretched the possibilities severely).