As we wrap up 2024, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our incredible community! Your participation, support, and enthusiasm have made this year another one to remember. We’re excited to welcome 2025 with more fun, adventure, and camaraderie planned. What are your geocaching goals for the new year?

Here are just some of the highlights from 2024:

• February – We kicked off the year with a life-saving first aid information session! The Ballarat GeoTour concluded after three successful years, having welcomed over 1,700 unique geocachers and celebrating 340 completions of all 25 caches.
• April – Excitement buzzed as we announced the nominees for the 2023 Victorian Cache of the Year Awards at Cherry Lake in Altona.
• May – We unveiled plans for The Sunbury Event, Victoria’s very first Block Party scheduled for March 2025. Mark your calendars for this groundbreaking celebration!
• July – Cachemas in July returned to Kensington Town Hall, featuring a special guest appearance by Santa! This was followed by a successful National Tree Day CITO event in Sunbury to help build habitat for Thara, the black shouldered kite – featured on the Sunbury Event Geocoin.
• August – The community celebrated International Geocaching Day with a full weekend of events across the state, including the Great Victorian Cache Crawl. Additionally, our SideTracked Day at Diamond Valley Miniature Railway became the second-largest event globally in the series’ 17-year history!
• October – Geocaching Victoria turned 10 years old! This milestone was celebrated with much fanfare.
• November – The glitz and glamour of our anniversary celebration included awarding the winners of the 2023 Victorian Cache of the Year Awards at a gala in Yarraville.
• December – Preparations for the Block Party are heating up! Exciting announcements include the appearance of the GPS Adventure Maze, event merchandise launch, and more details about the weekend festivities.

Victoria – 2024 by the numbers

Here is a snapshot of caching in Victoria this year:

• Total 2024 hides: 1,657 (inc 490 event type caches)
• Favourites accumulated on 2024 hides: 2,939
• Total finds on 2024 caches (non event): 24,818
• Event attendances: 5,475
• Average D/T: 2.05 / 1.83
• Most common/Least common difficulty: 1.5 (481) / 5.0 (7)
• Most common/Least common terrain: 1.5 (663) / 4.0 (4)
• No. of D/T combos with nil placements in 2024: 18
• Most common/Least common size: Small (491) / Large (23)
• Most common/Least common type: Traditional (802) / Wherigo (9)
• LGAs with most new hides: Golden Plains, Glenelg & Indigo
• LGAs with no new hides : Ararat, Brimbank, Gannawarra, Greater Dandenong, Horsham, West Wimmera & Yarriambiack
• LGAs with most events: Ballarat, Hepburn, Greater Geelong
• No. of unique cachers with 12 or more finds (average 1 per month): 2,386
• No. of unique cachers with 366 or more finds (average 1 per day): 152
• No. of unique hiders: 343

You can find more statistics on all active caches in Victoria on our website at https://geocachingvictoria.com.au/victorian-geocache-statistics/ with more to be added next year.

Looking Ahead: 2025 and Beyond

With lots planned for 2025, we can’t wait to dive into the new year. Let’s continue to grow this amazing community and create new experiences and adventures for us all to share. If you’d like to be first to hear more about what’s in store, or have an idea you’d like to share, why not come and join us at our event GCAVXK6 on Saturday January 11 at Knox Community Gardens.

Here’s to another year filled with exploration, friendship, and endless adventures. Happy New Year from all of us at Geocaching Victoria.