Mountain Designs Geoquest
Twin Towns Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest to Host Mountain Designs GeoQuest 2015
10.02.2015
The Myall Coast region will play host to the 2015 Mountain Designs GeoQuest. The region stretches from the twin towns of Tea Gardens Hawks Nest through the Myall Lakes National Park to Seal Rocks. This piece of coast is truly unique, home to vast tracts of wilderness and is the southern gateway to the Great Lakes. Both towns lie at the mouth of the Myall River and reflect a relaxed coastal lifestyle with coastal themed cafes, galleries and public art.
Headquarters will be located at the Hawks Nest Surf Life Saving Club which is on the corner of Beach Road and Booner St. There are plenty of accommodation options in both Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest. A special web page for booking accommodation for competitors and support crew has been put together http://www.greatlakes.org.au/geoquest-accommodation
Disciplines for the 2015 race will include rafting, coasteering and swimming in addition to the regular mountain biking, hiking and kayaking. There are limited team entries so teams should take advantage of the traditional early bird two week opening special opening Feb 13th and closing 28 Feb 2015. Final entries close on 17 May 15.
Hawks Nest is surrounded by water. It has the Myall river on one side, Port Stephens on another and the fabulous Bennetts Beach closing the triangle to the east. Wildlife abounds as it is home to one of the few remaining wild Koala colonies in NSW. Koalas are often spotted in back gardens. This area is also home to more dolphins than anywhere else on the East Coast and from late May to early November the waters off Hawks Nest are host to magnificent acrobatic displays of migrating humpback whales.
Further afield there is the Myall Lakes National Park which is a spectacular blend of lakes, coastal forests, pristine beaches and huge sand dunes. To the south Port Stephens, which is over twice the size of Sydney Harbour, is a huge waterway that opens up through a narrow entrance between two striking headlands called Yaccaba and Tomaree. At the northern tip of the Myall Lakes you'll discover the sleepy fishing village of Seal Rocks, famed for the beautiful Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse and the sense of isolation it enjoys. A little further north still and you'll find the popular coastal towns of Pacific Palms, Forster & Tuncurry, meccas for many families during the summer months.
"Great Lakes Tourism is very excited to welcome Mountain Designs GeoQuest back to the Great Lakes this year. We believe that the diversity of the Great Lakes landscapes will provide a fitting and stunning backdrop to the race. So a very warm welcome to all competitors, support crews, officials, family and friends. And whether you're racing or supporting we hope you all have an amazing time in the Great Lakes this June." Sharon Bultitude, Tourism & Marketing Coordinator, Great Lakes Tourism
The Worimi are the traditional owners of the country that the race will pass through. They spoke the Gathang language. The area remains important for the Worimi people and traditional sites provide important information about their relationship and special connection with the lands. The area that teams will pass through in the race has many Aboriginal cultural sites such as scarred trees, open campsites, burial grounds, stone arrangements, middens, rock engravings and fish traps that pre-date the arrival of non-Aboriginal people to the area.
Over 500 competitors, support crew, family and friends from around the country will attend the MountainDesigns GeoQuest 48hr Adventure Race over the 5-8th June 2015.
Further information on the area can be found at http://www.greatlakes.org.au/
About the Race
Mountain Designs GeoQuest involves 48+hrs of non-stop endurance racing in the major disciplines of trekking, mountain biking and kayaking.
Mixed, Male or Female teams of four must navigate their way through an arduous 200+km course that is only revealed to them the evening before the race. The Mountain Designs GeoQuest is held annually on the Queens Birthday long weekend in June. The race is moved each year to a different location with exciting new challenges for the teams.
The Geo-Half adventure race is run at the same time as the Mountain Designs GeoQuest. It covers only half the distance but teams have the full 48hrs to complete it. The legs will be challenging, but with the additional time available to complete the half course, teams have a greater chance to reach the finish line.
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