The Sunbury Event: Block Party – November Update

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Caches, places and famous faces

So, you’re coming to join us in Sunbury, or at least hoping to? That’s Blocktastic! There are plenty of wonderful things you can see, do, and of course find while you are visiting, so we wanted to share a few. Of course if you haven’t done so already, we encourage you to log your will attend to assist us with planning.

Did you know? Rupertswood Mansion is a short stroll from Block Party GZ. The former home of Sir William Clarke is widely considered the birthplace of The Ashes after Sir Williams wife,  Lady Janet Clarke, presented a small terracotta urn to England captain Ivo Bligh, believed to contain the ashes of bails from a cricket game played at Rupertswood during England’s 1882-83 tour of Australia.

 Caches to visit in Sunbury, the Hume region & surrounds (as at 3/11/2024)

There are plenty of geocaches all over the Hume region, including the famous The Woodlands series containing 100 caches around Woodlands Historic Park, which is immediately opposite Melbourne Airport. Here are some of the others to put on your list.

Top 5 favourited caches in Hume region:

  • GC35E2X Woodlands 100 – Final (165 FP)
  • GC35X2N Woodlands 16 – Platypus (126 FP)
  • GC8D73 Aeroplane Gelli (67 FP)
  • GC9P5Y2 Melbourne Airport ✈️ Virtual Reward 3.0 (59 FP)
  • GC1ABT8 Victoria’s Oldest Homestead (57 FP)

  • GCAT82P SSID? (MkII) Honourable mention (<5 months old and 21 FP’s already) It’s also one of only fourteen active caches Victoria-wide that has the Wireless Beacon attribute.

5 oldest caches in Hume region:

  • GC8D73 Aeroplane Gelli (Sept 2002)
  • GCM2VW Not a peaceful resting place (November 2004)
  • GCKVJ5 Cumberland Walk V.2 (January 2006)
  • GCWVM4 NO FORDS allowed! (June 2006)
  • GC1259CAsian Work In Progress (April 2007)
  • GC7A Victoria’s 1st (Melbourne’s 1st) Honourable mention. Not too far away is the oldest cache in the state of Victoria, placed on 8/10/2000. (1,293 finds and 497 favourites)

Are there new caches coming for the block party?

Rest assured, the Block Party Committee (with the wonderful support of some local CO’s and other volunteers) are working feverishly on adding more caches to the map prior to the big event. Stay tuned for further information.

Places to visit in Sunbury, Hume & surrounds

Below are just some of the things to see & do during your visit. Be sure to check opening hours and admission fees using the links below.

The Gatehouse Cafe is a wonderful bluestone building constructed in the mid 1870’s and is located at the entrance to Rupertswood Mansion. The Gatehouse Cafe is open to the public, however the mansion itself is a private building for Salesian College.

Woodlands Homestead was established in 1843 and is a rare example of a large, pre-constructed timber kit house brought to Australia from England. It is home to an extensive art collection and horse racing memorabilia as part of Living Legends, which provides a life after racing for race horses including including former Melbourne Cup winners Doreimus, Rogan Josh & Saintly, to name a few.

Organ Pipes National Park is situated in the traditional country of the Wurundjeri people and sits on the edge of one of the worlds largest ancient volcanic lava flows. It includes Rosette Rock, the Tessellated Pavement and the basalt columns, formed around 1 million years ago, that the park is now named after. Keep an eye out for echidnas, kangaroos, wallabies and last but not least, you might even spot a platypus! Note: accessing this site includes navigating a short but steep hill.

Animal Land Children’s Farm in Diggers Rest provides the opportunity to take a self guided tour around a working farm. Book in advance for the best prices. A great experience for both the young and the young at heart.

Jacksons Creek Rail Bridge is one of the many significant bridges in the area and is Australia’s oldest girder bridge built in 1861.

Emu Bottom Homestead is a rare example of early Australian Colonial Architecture and is the oldest existing farmhouse constructed by settlers in Victoria.

Faces at lead up events

Our first official lead up event (GCAYT3D) was held in Wangaratta on Saturday 2 November – thanks to those that came along. The next event (GCAYRZZ) is in Ballarat on Sunday 8 December at 10am. Check out the cache page for information on how you can go into the lead up events draw to win a custom pack of event coins from previous Victorian Mega events (prize to be drawn at the Sunbury Event). More lead up events will be coming soon!

Last but not least, GCAWW61 is at Bunnings Mernda on Sunday 1 December from 9am-4pm. Come down to say hi, and if you like, purchase a snag (or two) and a cold drink & help raise funds to support the Block Party.

Block Party Event Details

Don’t forget to keep updated on all our Block Party news by engaging in the following channels:

Want To Get Involved?

Over the coming months we will be reaching out to the community for volunteers to assist with various support activities in the lead up to, and during the event. Every little bit helps, and you can support the event experience for all involved with as little as a few hours of your time. In the interim, if you would like to get involved in some of the background activities as we build up to the event, you can email sunbury2025@geocachingvictoria.com.au. No experience necessary!

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