Melbourne-based siblings Lanita and Asha Steer have been regulars in the squad for years and both represented Australia at 2014 junior world orienteering carnival in Bulgaria.

But with elder sister Lanita’s high school days behind her, there’s a new Steer on the block.

Twelve-year-old cousin Caitlyn has emerged as the latest family member with a talent for navigating through the bush, armed only with a compass, contour map and electronic finger-stick for recording her visits to control points along the route.

The quietly spoken Lockwood orienteer claimed the Victorian sprint, middle and long distance titles in the W12 age group in 2014.

And she was the youngest person selected in the Team Vic entourage that travelled to Perth in September for the national titles and annual Australian schools championship.

While she went to Western Australia without her parents, two very familiar faces were on hand to offer advice and support – Asha was co-captain of the schools squad and Lanita competed in the women’s junior elite events.

“It was certainly good to have Asha on the team and have some family there with me,” Caitlyn says.

“Both her and Lanita have always been good helping me out and giving me some tips.

“One night we had a team briefing and Asha stayed behind with me afterwards to talk about my course. She told me a few things I should try to do during and after my course, which was really great.”

Caitlyn’s best results over the 10-day carnival were several fourth placings, in the West Australian long distance, Australian middle distance and Australian relay championships.

She lost her way a little during the Australian schools individual race, but rebounded in the relay.

“I didn’t have an official team to run with in the schools relay because I hadn’t done so well in the individual, but it worked out quite well because there was no pressure on me and I got a surprisingly good time.

“I just went out there and had fun and had a much better run.”

Caitlyn rates her Victorian team experience – which included a sightseeing trip to Fremantle Prison and a day playing Supa Golf with oversized clubs and balls - as overwhelmingly positive.

“Everything about it was just so good,” the Crusoe College student enthuses. “I certainly learnt a lot of tips on orienteering and I learnt to be a bit more confident as well.”

Born in China, Caitlyn moved to Australia with her parents Andrew and Wendy soon after. She has lived near Bendigo, along with younger brother John, since she was five.

The Steers have been involved in orienteering since Caitlyn’s uncle took up the sport as a lad and her grandfather followed suit.

She began around the age of eight, when her dad took her out into the bush and introduced her to the skills of reading a map and matching it to the lay of the land.

He would shadow her when she started working her way around basic navigation routes, until she was quite capable of tackling the courses on her own.

But her sport is not without its unique challenges.

Losing your way is an inevitable part of orienteering and the trick is to know how to “find yourself” again, which can be no mean feat when you’re not even in your teens and every eucalyptus tree looks just like the next.

“I remember the first time I got lost after I’d gone out by myself,” Caitlyn says with a smile.

“I was going around a track and thought I would just cut over the top of a hill. Somehow I got off course and lost my direction, so that didn’t turn out to be a good route choice after all.”

“But when I get lost, the first thing I do is try and look around for distinguishing land features and try to find them on the map to see if I can work out where I am.

“If I can’t find any, I stay quiet and listen for footsteps of other people who I might be able to ask.

“Then, if worst comes to worst, I take the safety bearing. That is a direction on the compass that leads you to a line feature you will definitely hit, no matter where you are (a fence, road or watercourse) and you can follow it all the way back to the finish.

“I’ve only had to do that once.”

Caitlyn was chosen in Victoria’s 15-and-under junior girls squad after surprising even herself in two trial events.

“I thought at first I might have a good chance to make the team because there are not a lot of people my age who know how to do orienteering,” she says.

“Then I found out I had to run in the 14-year-olds event to try out, and there can be a lot of physical difference between 12 and 14-year-olds, so I didn’t think I’d have much of a chance.”

But Caitlyn finished second in the Victorian Secondary Schools Orienteering Championship against the older girls, then blitzed the field to win the second selection trial and cement her place in the Victorian line-up.

Caitlyn says she enjoys orienteering because it engages the mind and takes the focus away from the physical fatigue.

“I like running, but I don’t like cross country because you have nothing else to think about other than how much you feel like you are dying,” she says.

“With orienteering, you are thinking about which way you are going as you are running and I never feel as tired when I am doing it.

“I did an 800m once and I was astonished how much it took out of me because I can run so much further when I am orienteering.

“The junior girls’ schools championship course was 4.7km, though I did more because I got a little bit lost!”

She offered thanks to the Bendigo Orienteers club for giving $400 to every local junior who made the state team to help with their expenses, her grandma for also chipping in, and her family, coach and team managers for their unwavering support.

Caitlyn hopes this will be just the first of many trips to the national schools carnival.

“I would love to get in the team every year from now on, because it was the best experience I have had in my whole life.

“If I could have that much fun every single year I’m at school, that would be just great.”