Alexandra Mega Weekend

As Victoria geared up for its second mega event we decided a weekend roadtrip would be the best way to make the most of this event. A planned was hatched which would see us grabbing some big numbers to make the most of the weekend.

On Thursday 16^th Nov, we headed south after work, driving most of the night had us arriving in rural Victoria about 3am where we grabbed a few hours’ sleep beside the road. Just after first light and with our energy levels returning to some sort of normality we set off on what would be our biggest day of the trip. The 300 plus caches around Mt Disappointment proving a magnet to the many geocachers who were flocking to the area. The forestry roads and hills were a labyrinth of trails and the caches that dotted them. At times throughout the day the weather wasn’t too kind and on more than one occasion we had to sit out severe thunderstorms, however as the day progressed so did our find count and by days end we’d put a huge dint in the Mt Disappoint plethora of caches.

Saturday dawned under clear skies and we set about completing the remainder of the Mt Disappointment caches before heading across the Alexandra Mega Event. Here we met up with hundreds of likeminded geocachers, many of who were friends from far and wide. After the obligatory announcements, we spent the rest of the day finding unique cache types in the area. It was at one of these unique finds where a crazy plan of finding 10 cache types in a day was floated. Well don’t ever tell a cacher “it can’t be done” because we’ll do our best to prove it can be done and thus we started doing some big kilometres to find a webcam cache and then to the other end of the state to find a virtual cache, oh and quick stop back at the mega event where I was inducted in the Geocaching hall of Fame.

Our webcam cache had us driving to windy heights of Mt Buller where we posed with the skier statue before driving back to the heart of Melbourne City where we found a virtual cache just near Flinders Rail Station. These 2 rare finds coupled with our traditional, multi, mystery, earthcache, mega, wherigo, letterbox and a lab cache ensuring we finished the day with 10 find types….. Impressive!

Our last in rural Victoria started a little slower than the previous days. Waking up on the banks of the Murray River was quite peaceful. Once packed up we were quickly back in our stride of finding more caches in the Wangaratta area. By lunchtime it was time to hit the black top and head for home. Our 3 day caching haul had amounted to 500+ finds.

Every mainland state & territory in 8 weeks

This blog is one of opportunity as opposed to intent. In July we set off for an 8-week holiday taking us to far west WA via any and every dirt road possible. Over that 8 weeks we seen some amazing places and traversed some of Australia’s more remote roads. It was because of this passion for the great outdoors coupled with our love of geocaching that we found a cache in every state and territory along the way.

Below I have listed several the highlights which if it wasn’t for geocaching we might have driven straight past it:

• ·         GCKJFX - Haddons Corner
• ·         GC20AQZ - Big Red (Eastern Gateway to the Simpson Desert)
• ·         GC720YF - Boulia - The Outback Way
• ·         GC1X7T9 - The Tanami
• ·         GC15A9Y - Wolfe Creek Crater
• ·         GC44CZM - Devonian Reef
• ·         GC6PJJC - Mitchell Falls EarthCache
• ·         GC3QZVR - Jam and Cream
• ·         GC6Z57T - Mataranka Thermal Spring
• ·         GC3NP5R - Paint me a Picture
• ·         GC2GA51 – Oodnabloodydatta
• ·         GCPFZ2 - Dog Gone
• ·         GC6TGET - Lake Eyre South
• ·         GCQ1P3 - Strzelecki Crossing
• ·         GC5TP9W – Tibooburra
• ·         GC469D1 - Mr M Remembers Soap
• ·         GC644GN - A Step Back In Time
• ·         GC1F16X - "As KEEN as"
• ·         GC3W165 – snowbreak
• ·         GC1DRN2 - Jindabyne International Airport
• ·         GC67R6J - Forgotten Fireplace

The power of geocaching to make a holiday into adventure can’t be underestimated. These finds will go towards finding GC6VF7W Australia All Over Challenge.

300 in a weekend – geocaching

Our busy lives had reflected in our lack of geocaching over the past few months so it was with much pleasure that a few of boys had come together for a weekend away with an ultimate destination of Bathurst. The central plains had seen a plethora of caching in recent times so big numbers were on the cards.

Heading off Friday after work we headed south with a plan to grab a few caches around Goulburn before heading up the back way to Bathurst. Our first nights caching went well with us camping on the Abercrombie River. We woke to cool crisp clear skies and were soon back into the caching routine. “The Road Less Travelled” power-trail winds its way through this area which provided us with a seemingly never ending supply of caches. By late morning we found ourselves in Oberon where we grabbed a few supplies before heading back out into the picturesque countryside. The cache count was quickly piling up and as moved from town to town the joy of being in the countryside absorbs you.

By late afternoon and with hungry hearts we found our last cache in the TRLT series. Heading into Bathurst we took delight in a decent meal and well-earned break, but with no rest for the wicked we were soon back out attempting to find more Tupperware. However it appeared our luck had run out with more DNF’s than there was finds so we returned to Bathurst where showers and bed were a high priority.

Sunday dawned with the same priorities but the roar of race engines coming from Mt Panorama dampened my enthusiasm. An unknown race meet meant that our planned caching spree around the mountain wasn’t going to happen. Instead we headed back towards Oberon where a number of small clusters quickly added to our find count. We even managed to get a few of last night’s DNF’s using fresh eyes. By days end we’d put a good dint in our planned trip and with our find count pushing towards 300 we chose to cache for a few more hours before opting to drive home where the comfort of our own beds seemed to be a winning choice.

After a very long day and equally long few days we were home again with a massive 300 plus finds and another area clear of caches.

4 in 1

Hatching a plan to do 4 caching events in one day was a bit of a “tongue in cheek” comedy when I first mentioned it to others but with it being ‘International Geocaching Day’ the thought of attending 4 events in the one day took some shape.

 So it was on the 20^th Aug that Mizmaz and myself headed to the southern highlands for a chilly early morning event. As many others laughed at us we signed the log and headed south to Nowra where we made it in time to celebrate lunch with the local geocachers as part of their event.

The next event for the day had us travelling north to Dolls Point where after we managed to make in it just in time for the group photo and quick chat with some familiar faces. By this point of the day the body was starting to get a bit weary but it was back to the Illawarra for our final event. Dinner with our local caching community was the culmination of a big day mostly spent driving from place to place, but who else can say they’ve done 4 events in 1 day.

Pre 2002 Geocaches

For a little while now I’ve been slowly finding all the geocaches that had been published in the year 2000-2001. Due to their rarity and sparse localities it’s turned into a long-term goal.

With this in mind there were 2 geocaches that needed to be found in the Kosciusko National Park above the snow-line which means for a few months of the year they are inaccessible and for the other part of the year I seem to always find myself busy with other activities. So it was pleasing that I’d finally got the planets to align and I was heading south for a walk in the Alpine region.

In early May I found myself leaving home at 3am with a plan to drive straight down to Charlotte’s Pass where I’d leave the car and head off for my walk along the Main Range. To my pleasure I made good time and by 8am I was sitting in the carpark of Charlotte’s Pass doing a final gear check before setting off. I started for the Blue Lake under clear skies but very crisp and cool conditions. Puddles were covered in ice and plants were crisp with frost. The conditions made walking a little slippery, especially the river crossings where stepping stones were icy slippery….. the last thing I wanted was an early morning dip in the Snowy River. Making good time I was soon approaching the Blue Lake and my first geocache. The 2-Dogs cache of “Great Southern Land GC26E4” was on my to-do list. After a short search perched looking down on Blue Lake the cache was in hand.

With more ground to cover I was soon gaining altitude as I headed towards the track junction of the Main Range. Shortly after reaching this point I headed northeast and climbed Mt Twynam where the 360deg views were amazing. The mountains went forever and the valley’s disappeared into the abyss below, but I needed to keep going as my ultimate goal lied atop of Mt Anton. The “Australia’s Used to Highest GCF7” cache and my last year 2000 published cache were still ahead of me. With Mt Anton in sight the weather started to change with a strong wind blowing in high cloud and chilling temperatures, but alas it didn’t hamper my efforts as I soon had the geocache in hand.

After the obligatory photos it was time to start heading back, the wind had strengthened and on a number of occasions the cloud blocked out all views and with so many thoughts of bad luck stories rushing through my head I didn’t to add my own chapter. Descend off Mt Twynam I was slightly disappointed to see the serenity of my walk shattered by a massive school group that was tackling the Main Range walk in the same direction I had hoped to do. I wasn’t in the mood to share this walk with 60+ school kids so opted to bow out and head back to the car where I could continue my adventure in a different direction.

5½ hours after starting my walk I was back at the car having completed a 20km walk in some of Australia’s most spectacular countryside…. I certainly wasn’t complaining.   

Canberra Caching

For a place that is so hilly and so cold in winter, Canberra offers so much for the outdoor enthusiast and geocaching is no exception. Over my years of caching I have done a few trips to Canberra for big numbers. The place is rife with puzzles, powertrails and geo-art and that’s just the specialised caches, chuck in the standard plethora of caches that litter any suburban area and you have the makings for a good weekend.

After work on Friday 8th steeba, Hoojar and I hit the Hume Hwy in search of the large amount of unfound caches that awaited us around Canberra. We headed straight out to the Captain Flat trail where a few hours of night caching seen us quickly rack-up 80 finds before midnight. From there we opted for an early night camping on the grounds of the Queanbeyan Scout Hall.

Saturday saw us hitting the caching trails early. Today we opted for 2-wheel transport taking advantage of the many hides that hug the bicycle tracks in Canberra. The Majura and Centenary Trail were on our hit-list. Perfect weather accompanied us as we had the day in the saddle. By days end we chose to have a night at the club with a good meal, a few drinks and a couple of games of footy.

Sunday was another early start with plans of finding the Kowen Forest Kangaroo but arriving at the forest we were turned away by the organisers of a motorbike rally which were occupying the forest for the weekend. Dejected we drove away with our plans shattered. Re-grouping we headed across town picking up small pockets of caches which kept us busy for much of the morning. By late lunch time we’d had enough caching around Canberra deciding to return home early.

Our weekend was very profitable in the find count and another great time away with the boys.

SES Geo-Art Puzzles

I’ve been toying with the idea of hiding a geocaching powertrail for some time now. Initially I’d brushed the idea off as just another one of my hair brain caching projects, but the more I thought about the idea of hiding a large number of caches the greater my enthusiasm became. Each time I thought about the powertrail I’d come up with a new twist to what my powertrail would be like. One idea I had was to make some Geo-Art with my geocaches, however each positive thought was met with the roadblock of “where in the Illawarra” could I hide a powertrail of caches.

After way too much deliberation I decided to make a geo-art powertrail using mystery geocaches, that way the artwork could be offsite from the actual hides…. Brilliant I thought, but how could I come up with 30 mystery caches and what would my geo-art look like? I soon had the idea to combine my two passions of geocaching with SES and thus my artwork was born. The internet opened up my thinking to a wealth of different puzzle caches and I soon had the concept to hide 30 unique SES puzzle geocaches.

When creating and deciphering puzzle caches I’ve found there are so many different options but most of them can be grouped into the following categories

• Hidden information – Often the information we seek is right there in front of us. Text can be in plain sight or in the form a hyperlink, some caches use varying font sizes, colours or typefaces to provide information about the cache. Another good place to hide coordinate information is in the source code of the cache listing. Other less common places to find information are the cache title, cache attributes, cache logs, travel bugs, geocoins or the hider’s profile.
• Lists – This is common type of puzzle, most cache coordinates will be made up of 15 numbers so if a list contains 15 items it is very likely that each item can be associated with a single digit.  Sometimes a list can be pictures instead of words. Nearly every list requires you to find a particular pattern.
• Codes and Ciphers – This is where it gets a little harder. A code can be like Morse code, Binary, Braille or even foreign languages while ciphers can range in difficulty from cryptograms to much more sophisticated ciphers that use keys. Many ciphers utilise symbols or letters as a way of substituting or transposition of the real coordinates. Often a frequency analysis can be used to recognise letter patterns.
• Images – To coin a phrase “a picture tells a thousand words” and this is so true, whether its counting the number of pictures on the cache page or counting items within a picture. Reversing an image or taking away coloured layers can reveal coordinates. Changing the pixels within a picture or animated gifs have been used in the past. Painting with numbers can expose coordinates in an image or the use of stenography.   
• Word, Maths and Logic puzzles – This is a common form of puzzle with word puzzles being very popular. The puzzle can often take the form of anagrams, acronyms, crosswords, rhymes or word sudoku’s. The use of maths in a puzzle can take many forms, whether its finding the area of a shape, sequencing of numbers, finding constants or the use of base numbers. Finally, the use of logic statements, nonograms or hidatos can be used to reveal the coordinates, often the hider asks a number of multiple choice questions which can be placed into crosshatch grids and/or tables to find the coordinates.

In getting my series of SES puzzle caches published I’ve learned a lot about puzzles and the use of Google earth for my artwork. I hope the finders of my caches enjoy them as much as I have in placing them.

Thanks for undertaking the challenge
The Rats

Melbourne's 1st Mega Event

A geocaching mega event is one of those smileys that don’t come around too often so when Melbourne put their hand up to host their first one we jumped at the chance to attend, but as luck would have it the dates clashed with a close friend’s wedding…. In the end we opted for the mega.

Driving down to Melbourne on the Friday the Rats and mini rats were excited to be achieving respective milestones. For us it was to be our 12000^th find while for the kids they were about to chalk up their 1000^th find. However before getting to the mega there were a few other memorable caches to do along the way. Melbourne’s 1^st geocache GC7A and Devil Bend GCAD are two of Australia’s oldest caches and for us were a “must do”. 

The trip to Melbourne wasn’t solely for caching as it gave us time to catch up with long-time friends we’d made as we travelled around Oz. We also took the time to do a bit of shopping and a drive-by of the latest “The BLOCK” renovation which had Leonie and Sam in awe.

For us the mega was a lot of fun. There was a huge variety of other events attached to the mega, the night time fireworks, the meet n greet, CITO and labs caches were all worthy of our time, but regrettably our time in Melbourne was too short and we were soon heading home after a short 4 day trip.

The Road Less Travelled

A power trail to the Rats is like bees to a hive. With this in mind the Rats teamed up with the mini rats and Mizmaz to tackle this new power trail which had been placed by a few geocachers.

As the Rats and mini rats neared respective milestones we were keen to make the Melbourne Mega our milestone cache so we needed numbers quickly. The school holidays offered the perfect opportunity for a 2 day drive around Mudgee.

Heading off mid-morning on Wednesday 23^rd we started at the Sunny Corner end of the power trail, after a few hours of weaving our way through the pine forests we found ourselves at Sofala where we setup camp beside the river. For Mizmaz this would be her first experience of bush camping and with a bit of trepidation she managed to get through a very cool night.

Day 2 saw us headed north-west towards Mudgee and Gulgong. The trail winds its way up and over Mt Parwa and then through some beautiful countryside as it drops down onto the open plains. The uniqueness of this trail is highlighted by the different hiders and their unique styles but for much of the way the hides are very good and worth the 2 days of country driving.

By days end, the Rats and mini rats had racked up the required number of finds to make our trip to the Melbourne Mega in a few weeks all the more pleasant.

Thanks to the cache owners and Mizmaz for an enjoyable powertrail.

Stanthorpe QLD 2015

As Queensland prepared to host their first mega event it was a good chance for the Gangsters to get together for another road trip. As with previous mega events the Gangsters head away a few weeks beforehand to find all the local caches so we could enjoy a relaxing mega event with our families. 

Heading to Stanthorpe a few weeks before the event we were blessed with clear skies and a warming country lifestyle. The Gangsters had 4 days in the Granite Belt finding over 400 caches which littered the area. A number of powertrails dotted the countryside in anticipation of the hordes of geocachers that would ascend on the area over Easter. For us, we flew into Brisbane where we collecting a hire and started heading west. Our first night was at the noisy Cunningham Gap. Our next day had us in the thick of the powertrails finding over 240 caches along various road tracks and over some beautiful rural areas. We had another under stars while enjoying a campfire and a few drinks. Sunday saw us doing much of the same however we’d ventured closer to civilisation with us stopping the night in the local caravan park of Stanthorpe where we enjoyed a nice warm shower and the relaxed atmosphere of a nice pub meal. Our 4 days was quickly coming to an end but not before we found a few more caches as we headed for Brisbane…. Our again the Gangsters had shared a memorable road trip. 

As Easter approached we were disappointed to learn that steeba wouldn’t be joining us at the mega due to the pending birth of the 4th child. For the rest of us the weather prediction didn’t sound great but that wouldn’t deter us, we were keen for some time away with our families. Arriving in Stanthorpe on Easter Friday we were barely setup when the heavens opened up setting the tone for the rest of the weekend. I’d packed a huge tarp which allowed us to have a good amount of dry covered area for the kids to run around. Over the course of the weekend we intentionally didn’t do much caching, choosing to focus more on the fun activities organised as well as visiting some of the local attractions, one of which being the guard dog training facility where dogs are trained in the finer points of security and attack work. Throughout the weekend we attended the 3 other events organised around town and found some of the more unique types of hides available at a mega. The mini-rats did exceptionally well in this department finding a credible 10 cache types in the one day. Another highlight for us was the night-time entertainment and the very social atmosphere (despite the weather) of a great mega-event and to see many of our caching friends from around Australia was an added bonus. 

Unfortunately by Monday it was time to pack up and start the long trek home. Except for Leonie, who had to be back at work by Tuesday the rest of us took a leisurely 3-day road trip down the coast to get home.

Caching around Oz

I was under strict instructions that our holiday around Oz wasn’t to be all to do with caching and I was happy with that. Setting off on our 6 month trip I thought if we found 20-25 caches a week I’d be happy with that, I was more interested in using the trip to highlight some of the great hidden spots that mostly go undiscovered if it wasn’t for geocaching or finding the unique cache types that I don’t regularly get to find around home. So wherever possible we would go out of our way to find an earthcache, a virtual cache or the odd webcam.

On many occasion we took advantage of the plethora of highway caches that litter Australia as a way of breaking up a long day in the car or the need for a wee stop. If we spent a few days in a town we’d often look at the number of favourite points added to caches to determine the better ones to seek out.

In a few locations around Oz I submitted new earthcaches based on unique features that we’d seen, we hosted a “meet n greet” event in Perth as a way of getting to know other geocachers, I tagged along on a Roymerc day in Denmark and stopped by our own virtual cache in SA.

By the time we’d gotten home I’d amassed an impressive 900+ finds, 53 earthcaches, 19 letterbox caches, 13 virtual caches, 6 wherigo caches and attended 2 events. I’m pretty with these stats considering we drove 31,000km in 6 months.

10000 finds

Back in January 2002 when geocaching was nothing more than an underworld, never talked about, geek’s game, The Rats (that’s us) found our very first cache some 30km north of Wollongong. From those early days when we were called SES Rats and our first find was at Trainspotting GCDFF with 2 of my SES friends we’ve since dropped the SES part and have made geocaching a real family sport to the point where many of our family activities are organised around geocaching.

In finding our 10000^th find I look back and reflect on what the sport of geocaching has done for me and my family. The places we have been and sights that we would most likely not have ever known about has been truly amazing. Similarly, the like-minded people we have met and the friendships that have been forged as a result of geocaching is priceless. I recall turning up to an event thinking “I’m way outside my comfort zone as I don’t know anyone here” but within minutes we were made feel welcome and started chatting about the same common goals.

There have been 10000 memorable moments, but not that I can remember the detail of every one of them. There are some moments that stick with you forever like our

• Our milestone finds are a special time for us.
• The long bushwalks in search of a cache in some remote wilderness location.
• The unique and challenging caching containers we’ve found
• The many road trips with mates around Australia and overseas in search of caches
• The record breaking 24hr caching run around Adelaide
• The not so enjoyable time when we tried to out-run the Police
• The challenge of caching in the city.
• Finding 1000 finds in 4 days
• Testing my personal skills and capability in an attempt to find a cache, and
• Some of the great caching events we’ve attended along the way.

In the context of geocaching 10000 finds is just another number, sure its a lot of finds and many geocachers will never achieve that in a lifetime but for us it all about the fun we have along the way and I look forward to the next 10000 finds.In celebrating this milestone I’d like to thank those who attended our 10k picnic http://coord.info/GC528K7. I couldn’t think of a better way to bring our 10000^th find. 

What a year - 2013

It’s a logical progression that as the popularity of geocaching increases then so will people’s caching statistics. 2013 has been a huge statistical year for “The Rats”. I’ve highlighted a few of the more amazing ones.

·         2233 finds for the calendar year.

·         An average of 6.1 finds per day.

·         Increased my best find day to 325 finds.

·         Increased my best month to 1049 finds.

·         Increased my caching streak to 130 days.

·         Found my fastest 1000 caches – 5 days.

·         2 consecutive days of over 300 finds each day.

·         3 trips away with the Gangsters.

·         Found Australia’s highest cache

·         Placed our 100^th hide.

·         Hosted 2 events and attended 12 events.

·         Found 281 Mystery caches

Many of these stats can be attributed to a 5 day caching spree around South Australia with the Gangsters. I’m not sure these stats will ever be achieved again by us but in saying that, that’s like waving a red flag to a bull.

The Pigeon's are Calling

No one likes doing maintenance on their caches, but it’s a necessary evil. The thought that someone has intentionally trashed (muggled) your cache can be heartbreaking and that feeling swept through me when I’d heard of a few DNF’s on one of my remote caches, but the thought of a bushwalk to the top of Pigeon House Mt certainly put a smile back on my face. Pigeon House Mountain is located in the Morton National Park, it’s a 35km drive west of Ulladulla, the last 14km being dirt road which generally in good condition.

It’d been a few years since I’d walked out here and I hoped recent bushfires in the area hadn’t spoilt the vista. Arriving in the carpark I was pleased to see new facilities and amenities had been provided. There was only one other car in the carpark so I was pretty sure I’d have a nice peaceful walk. A sign at the start of the walk confirmed my cache notes that this is a hard walk of approximately 3-4hrs and a change in elevation of 450m.

There is no easing into this walk, straight out of the blocks you head up a very steep section. For me this took approx’ 30min but I’m pretty fit and I know others will take it a little easier than I did. Once at the top of this section you get your first glimpse of your goal. After a refreshing break I continued on along the easiest part of the walk. For about 10-15min you traverse the level plateau through heavily wooded areas where the serenity of the area was broken by the various birds calling. Slowly the track starts to rise up as you being your assault of the cone shaped land mass. Well-constructed timber steps and a good path make the job easier but once again you can really feel your heart beating as climb to the base of the rock pinnacle.

It was on this steep slope that I came across the occupants of the other car, these people had obviously made an early start to the day as they were already making their way back to the car. After a quick chat I kept going knowing that I now had the place to myself. I soon arrived at the first set of ladders and a realisation that I was nearly at the top. There are probably 8 sets of steep steps and 2 ladders to negotiate, all of which are very secure and safe. Once on top there is a short walk around to the trig and a fenced lookout and the beauty of this place can be realised.

From the trig the view in a westerly direction is fantastic. The wilderness area of Morton National Park, The Castle and Yadboro Flat are all before you. In the distance evidence of the recent fires could easily be seen. To the east, the coastal towns of Ulladulla, Milton and Burril can easily be seen. After plenty of photos I set about replacing my muggled cache. I wondered how a cache so remote could be muggled twice in 6 months but this area is too nice not to share with my fellow geocachers so a new container was placed in a slightly different spot.

With my caching duties complete and some more photos taken it was time to head back. The ladders seemed a little daunting as you look down on them but they are no problem if you take your time. The up slopes were now the down slopes and its often said its harder on the knees going down and I have to say that was the case for me this time and as always the return journey always feels quicker. I was soon down the cone slope and moving freely along the plateau when I had an encounter with the wildlife. A one metre goanna and I wanted to share the same pathway. Luckily he saw who was the boss and soon moved to the side allowing me to pass. Taking in one final glimpse of my achievement I headed down the steep slope and back to the car.

Goanna clinging to tree

My hike had taken me 2hr 20min which included a 30min rest on top. Those who are considering this walk should easily allow 3hrs, take plenty of water, a first aid kit and your camera with you.

Mid North Coast Wander

Some 6 months after our washed out attempt of caching through these parts we’d finally locked in a date and were heading north. Only half the Gangsters could make the trip, but Hoojar had joined us for the ride.

Leaving Sydney late Friday afternoon we made good time as we headed up the F3 Freeway and by 10pm we were leaving the tarmac for our first cache of the weekend. The darkness of night had us naive to the beauty we were entering. The caches flowed and after a few hours we decided to make camp for the night just near No: 42

Morning revealed we’d jagged the perfect grassed camping spot, waking refreshed we were soon back on the trail of the Mid North Coast. In the light of day the magnitude of the countryside could be appreciated, the mountainous terrain of the “Brother Ranges” and beyond was beautiful. As a daunting spin-off there was a strong smell of smoke and over the next few hours it got stronger and thicker. At one point we considered exiting the area for our own safety.

By late morning we’d nearly finished on the western side of the highway included the enjoyable caches of GCX204 and GC4FG9B. After a couple more caches around Coopernook we headed out to Harrington. Its’ here that 2 series of caches come together to provide a plethora of caches for a coastal town. For us it was earned lunch break and an opportunity to replenish our supplies. However our break was short lived as there was lots more to do.

Heading north along the coast road, the finds continued to mount as we visited the small towns of Crowdy Head and Diamond Head. We all agreed given more time we’d love to return some day for a better look. By late afternoon we were exploring the option that we’d finish the trail by nightfall. After a couple of phone calls it was decided to catch up with the Browngang caching team who lived a short drive further north.

Meeting Chris and X (Browngang) at the pub we enjoyed a hearty meal, a bourbon or two and some good company before accepting the hospitality of our fellow geocachers.

Sunday dawned with inclement skies and no real urgency to do anything, but after a hearty breakfast we were on the road again. Chris took us to a few of his local caches before we were on the road heading south. By the time we’d reached the highway at Kew the heaven had opened and for the next few hours we drove through constant rain. We all agreed how lucky we’d been to have done all our caching the day before.

Arriving home, we were very pleased with our efforts. 250 finds and another Gangsters trip complete. Thanks FarmerFrentzen and Hoojar for a great weekend. 

Powertrail Pandemic

After nearly 10 months, the Gangsters were back. This time we were off to South Australia for another invasion. Unlike our last visit to Adelaide where we set a new one-day record, this time we were in search of powertrails and the lucrative numbers that are associated with them.

After solving countless puzzles, booking flights & cars and last minute route changes we flew out of Sydney late on the 21st Aug for a 4-day spree. We all had various expectations about what we’d achieve on this trip, but we all agreed on 2 goals
a) To improve our one-day find count and
b) To improve our monthly find total

We were greeted with inclement weather but that didn’t deter us and we were soon in the Adelaide hills collecting our first series of caches. After midnight on the Thursday we started the Fruit Loop series. Clearing skies and cool temperatures made for easy caching and by the time we stopped for the night we’d found an easy 30 caches.

Thursday dawned with clear skies and a beautiful country vista. We quickly packed up and continued where we’d left off the night before. The rest of the Fruit Loop series didn’t take long to complete and we were soon in Mannum getting a late breakfast. We boarded the ferry-punt for one of the many crossings we did over the Murray River and continued further south.

It didn’t take long before we were starting our next powertrail, the Oz Mega 2014 trail had approx. 180 caches and took us most of the day to complete but we weren’t done yet. By late afternoon we were starting the Oz Mega Signal trail which had an additional 90 caches for us and just after 7pm we finished our days caching with a massive 325 finds. We finished the night off with a good pub meal and a comfortable bed in Murray Bridge.

Passing our 210th find milestone

Friday morning started slowly, we were all pretty weary after big previous day but we were soon into the swing of things again as we made our way to Tailem bend and the start of the Wandering Heroes powertrail. This powertrail pays homage to much of the caching community with a cache in their honour. Throughout the day we found a cache for Matt, me and our 210 record attempt, along with many other themed caches in honour of the owner. The weather wasn’t as kind today and on a number of occasions we had to put raincoats on or shelter from the chilly wind, but alas by days end we’d found another 317 caches.

By Saturday we’d already eclipsed my expectations of the trip and we still had 2 days ahead of us. Pushing north we zigzagged across the Murray River once again before arriving at the TDF powertrail. This p/t by far was the most enjoyable of the trip. It meanders down an old stock route, has good sized containers and the rural vista was breathtaking. We’d found the 104 caches by early afternoon and were soon on our way to the Auzzie Convicts – wild adventure powertrail. Reading the feedback on this trail had us a little cautious but after finding a few of the caches we soon had the theme of the series and the finds flowed and whilst we didn’t set a cracking pace we had a relaxing afternoon picking up tricky hides.
That night we headed to Kapunda for a bed and a feed, checking in to cabin the local pub came recommended and we weren’t disappointed. Huge meals and plenty of beverages filled us up ensuring we had a good night’s sleep.

A room with a view

As our last day for the invasion commenced we all hovered around personal milestones, none bigger than the possibility that we might find more than 1000 caches for the trip. This excited us but we still had a long way to go, so it wasn’t long before we were finding our first cache in the Five-oh series, this was quickly followed by the “It’s a small World” powertrail. By early afternoon we started our final p/t of the trip. It was here on the PSA trail that Matt, Jason and I all achieved our personal kilo milestones. I had amazing only celebrated my 8000 find 2-weeks earlier and here I was now celebrating 9000 finds. Celebrations were short lived as the clock was starting to beat us. Our flight home was nearing and we still wanted more caches. As we headed towards the airport we were fortunate enough to collect the necessary finds for us to achieve an amazing 4 days in South Oz.

My 9000th find

With only minutes to spare, we arrived at the airport, handed over the keys for our rental car and boarded our flight for home. We had spent 4 days on the road, done countless km’s, had 2 consecutive days of over 300 finds each day, completed 9 powertrails and amassed over 1000 finds. Thanks to my fellow Gangsters for another great trip.

GC49DZP Yerranderie 4x4 Event

Back in October 2011 we scheduled this event but due to a medical emergency we had to cancel. Some two years later the event was back on the calendar and we were looking forward to returning to the historic mining town of Yerranderie. That was until our 4WD was stolen and burnt out, this potentially ruined any plans of us attending our own event and we were once again faced with the possibility of having to cancel our own event. At the eleventh hour having good friends is a blessing and it was one of these friends who kindly let us borrow his 4WD for the weekend.

It was a cool Saturday morning of the June long-weekend when we met other geocaching families at Oberon for the trip to Yerranderie. In convoy we headed to Mt Werong for our first stop, being the long weekend the place was already busy. Pressing on we made it to Yerranderie for a late lunch. It was here that we met up with other geocachers. The place was far crowded than I had anticipated but that we soon found a nice spot and setup camp.

As the day progressed, further geocachers arrived making a sizable gathering. We pretty much did our own thing for the rest of the day, some chose to explore the surrounding ruins while others headed to the private town. By nights fall we all had the same idea, to congregate around the fire and shared in much laughter and storytelling.

Sunday saw some of the caching teams head off as they continued their long weekend 4WD adventures, for the rest of us we headed to the private town for a tour of the buildings and old mining relics. As we took in the vista of the place we also found a few of the local caches, one of these included a memorable afternoon hike to the Yerranderie Peak. From these dizzy heights we could see the Warragamba catchment and the wilderness areas of the Blue Breaks.

The Sunday evening around the campfire was a perfect example of what bush camping should be, clear skies filled with thousands of stars, perfect bush silence and the warmth and glow of a fire.

Monday dawned under clear skies but they didn't last for long. The predicted rain showers were moving in fast and by mid-morning as the last of us packed up camp, the rain started. We said our goodbyes to the other geocachers as most of us were taking separate routes home. From us the trip home was dogged by constant rain and heavy weekend traffic, but by late afternoon we’d made it home from a memorable 4x4 geocaching event. Thanks to those who shared the weekend with us.

Australia’s Highest geocache

An item on my bucket list has been to climb Australia’s highest mountain, knowing there were two caches on top was the only incentive I needed to tackle this quest. The story of our trek can be found here.

Having geocached for many years now, my interest has somewhat turned to improving various statistics and since our visit to New Zealand did improve my elevation statistic I was keen to grab the Mt Kosciusko caches.

On the 6^th April we made it to the top of Australia and to Australia’s two highest geocaches were on offer. As we sheltered under raincoats from the hail, wind and rain we gathered the information for the earthcache and then a gap in the weather gave us enough time to scour the rocks for the traditional cache.

Emotions were mixed as we completed our achievement. We’d completed our goal but it was with only half of the family. Thank you to my lovely wife for making this a reality.

Mid North Coast wash-out

The Mid North Coast power-trail had been on our radar for some months. Planning and logistics were all sorted but as is the case we couldn't control the weather. Mother Nature put a spanner in the works with predicted heavy rain making us reconsider our plans. As it turned out, Canberra has always been a good spot to grab a plethora of caches some with plan A washed out it was onto plan B (Canberra).

Early Saturday morning on the 2^nd March we headed to Canberra with a makeshift plan of grabbing a few smaller power-trails and then a plethora of caches that dot the suburbs. Our timing was perfect as we seemed to dodge the Canberra Rally in various spots we visited. We quickly accumulated a handy sum of finds as we completed the Constellation and Must See power-trails.

By days end we’d amassed an impressive 136 finds and we still had another day ahead of us. After a decent meal and a good night’s sleep we were back into the caching. Today we concentrated our efforts in the north-western area of Canberra were we grabbed a few caches in the specimen series and a scattering of other caches. By the time we left Canberra we tallied an impressive 201 finds, which had us on par for what we’d original planned to find on the Mid North Coast. Not a bad weekend’s geocaching under clear skies.

Dargans Ck Canyoning Capers – GC43CRA

It’d been a while since I’d done a Blue Mountains canyon and having missed the last canyon event I was keen to tag-along for this one.

A large crowd of geocachers gathered at the meeting point and we were soon suited up and ready for this short but picturesque canyon. Our first hurdle was the now locked gate which accesses the creek, this turned out to be a bit of a blessing as it broke up the large group into more manageable sizes.

Once in the creek it was evident the region needed rain, water levels and flows were low for this time of year. Our group of 3-5 geocachers were soon slipping n sliding our way over fallen logs and down rocky chutes. Moving through the canyon you soon notice the light fading to a point where sunlight barely flickers through gouged and overhanging cliff lines. At many spots we stopped to take photos of these dark and eerie vistas.

In what seemed to be no time at all, we soon reached the exit point of the canyon. A rope dangling over a small waterfall provides a simple climb up the first section to where a very interesting spiked tree allows you to climb up the remaining 3m cliff line and then the walk out.

Thanks to Tronador for organising a fun event.