As we gear up to celebrate our 10th anniversary on Saturday, it will come as no surprise that we are also due for our 10th AGM and that milestone meeting was held on Wednesday night.
The past year has been nothing short of spectacular, and that’s partly thanks to the largest Geocaching Victoria committee we’ve ever had! A heartfelt shoutout to each and every one of the committee members for their tireless dedication and hard work over the past 12 months. We’ve had a whirlwind of events and community engagement, and guess what? There’s even more fun on the horizon, all thanks to our fantastic team of volunteers!
Welcoming Our New Treasurer
Bernie has been our treasurer from the very beginning, and after a decade of stellar service, our beloved treasurer is stepping down from the role. Bernie has been the backbone of Geocaching Victoria’s finances since day one, ensuring everything runs smoothly behind the scenes. From mega events to awesome projects like the Maze and GeoTour, Bernie has truly kept the financial wheels turning. A massive thank you for your incredible contributions over the years!
With Bernie indicating his intention to step down as treasurer some time ago, the search began for a replacement. In some exciting news, I am thrilled to share that Julie Richards-Fox aka LetThemEatCache, has stepped up as our new treasurer! With her impressive business acumen and financial experience, Julie is ready to take the reins. Julie has been waiting in the wings for a while now as we wrapped up some projects throughout the year. We couldn’t be more thrilled to officially welcome her into the role, Congratulations Julie!
Farewell to Donutholes
A bittersweek moment, Kim Baker, aka Donutholes, recently stepped back from his role on the committee. Kim joined us in February 2023 and brought a wonderful mix of fresh ideas and laughter to our meetings. With a busy home life (3 young “crumbs”) and new work travel commitments piling up, Kim made the important call to focus on his family. Thank you for all your hard work, and we hope to collaborate with you again in the future. Enjoy that extra family time!
Meet Your New Committee
I’m excited to announce that all remaining committee members are back for another term! After all positions were spilled the following office bearers and general committee were elected.
President: RoamingHowie
Vice President: Bernieh
Treasurer: LetThemEatCache
Secretary: ahomburg
General Committee: Grub62, Mister Doctor, chooknchunk, crack’n’leelee
Let’s give a big round of applause to our committee members! Thank you all for stepping up once again for our community. I can’t wait to work alongside you all this year as we continue to grow and enhance our beloved pastime.
Here’s to another fantastic year ahead filled with lots of geocaching adventures! Happy caching!
2023 Victorian Cache of the Year Awards and 10th Anniversary Celebrations
Get ready for a night of celebration! This Saturday, we’ll not only be toasting to our 10th anniversary at the Yarraville-Footscray Bowling Club, but we’ll also be unveiling the winners of the 2023 Victorian Cache of the Year Awards. Make sure you’ve logged your attendance at GCAWDFX so you don’t miss out on the fun!
10 years ago today, on the 21 October 2014, an enterprising bunch of Victorian geocachers got together with the lofty idea of hosting the first Victorian Mega. The pioneers, Day1976, LouiseAnn, BernieH, °, ahomburg and sharkiefan got the ball rolling, and as history now tells us, their efforts early on, along with a lot of support from the community, was a great success. In fact the first mega, The Melbourne Event, is still the largest ever mega held in Australia. That initial planning marked the start of Geocaching Victoria (or Geocaching Melbourne as it was known in the early days).
It didn’t stop at just one Mega, with plenty more in the years following. Other events and activities began to be hosted, and involvement in advocacy and support for the geocaching community grew as did the thriving community.
Over the years, there has been a total of 20 individuals who have volunteered and dedicated their time on Geocaching Victoria’s committee. Their energy and guidance have helped to nurture the organisation in continued support of the geocaching community.
In addition there have been numerous sub committees filled with dedicated volunteers who have worked tirelessly to provide major activities and events. These include but are not limited to:
Mega sub committees
GPS Adventure Maze sub committee
Ballarat GeoTour sub committee
Block Party sub committee
and countless volunteers who have supported our megas, BBQs and other events throughout the years
Without all of these volunteers, Geocaching Victoria wouldn’t be what it is today. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who has volunteered and contributed over the past 10 years.
For those that love their stats, here are the last 10 years by the numbers:
8 Mega events delivered
1 Block Party in development
4 GPS Adventure Maze exhibits
1 GeoTour
250+ events hosted
14,000+ attendances
573 geocaches hidden
As we look forward to the Anniversary and Cache of the Year Celebration event on 16 November (GCAWDFX) and our first ever Block Party in March 2025 (GCAP417) there is no shortage of activity to come. Don’t forget to log your will attends for these events.
As always, none of this is possible without fundraising, and you can commemorate the occasion, and support future Geocaching Victoria activities by purchasing our limited edition 10th anniversary geocoin through our online store.
We look forward to what the next 10 years has in store, and we hope that you will continue to join in all the fun.
It’s been a whirlwind of activity for us over the past couple of months, and the excitement is far from over! Join us as we recap our recent Cachemas in July, National Tree Day, and SideTracked Day – 17th Anniversary celebrations. If that’s not enough – we’ve got even more events on the horizon, including a fundraising BBQ and a special celebration honouring the 2023 Victorian Cache of the Year winners and the 10th anniversary of Geocaching Victoria.
Oh and the best part? We’ve just unveiled a one-of-a-kind, premium 10th anniversary geocoin that you won’t want to miss! Take advantage of our early bird offer and save $5 off the regular price. Don’t let this opportunity slip away – read on to discover how you can secure your piece of geocaching history today!
The Kensington Town Hall was transformed into a Cachemas wonderland as geocachers from near and far gathered for a day of delicious food, exciting games, camaraderie and plenty of Cachemas cheer! It was the perfect way to cap off the 12 Days of Cachemas, which saw the placement of 30 new geocaches across Victoria as part of the celebration.
A huge thank you goes out to all of the TDOC24 COs and community reviewers who made this possible. We’d also like to extend our thanks to everyone who helped put together the Cachemas event and volunteered their time on the day, including our Bingo team Snips and Co and Kristysadventures, and our special guest Santa.
Across the state, geocachers came together to celebrate National Tree Day on 28 July through a series of CITOs hosted in Hume, Knox and Wangaratta LGAs. In anticipation of the upcoming Sunbury Event – Block Party (GCAP417) in 2025, Geocaching Victoria collaborated with the Hume City Council to help plant an impressive 1,800 native grasses in a local conservation reserve, which is home to the black-shouldered kite, Thara.
As the sun broke through the clouds, attendees enjoyed an enlightening talk followed by a fast-paced planting session, all made possible by the enthusiastic support of goecachers, locals and various community groups. The activities concluded with a live animal exhibit that captivated both young and old, along with pizza for lunch. Thank you to everyone who pitched in.
All aboard the excitement train! Geocaching Victoria’s SideTracked Day 2024 celebration was an absolute smash hit, with over 130 enthusiastic geocachers and train enthusiasts gathering to mark the 17th anniversary. With exclusive access to the Diamond Valley Miniature Railway and the sun beaming down, it was the perfect location for this fun filled day and there were smiles for miles!
The festivities included a delicious free BBQ and an array of tasty treats. Attendees were also treated to a Thomas themed geotrail, a colouring competition, a “guess how many lollies in the jar” contest (over 300!) and more. However, the true highlight of the day was the opportunity to catch up with fellow cachers, and enjoy riding the incredible minature railway, all thanks to the brilliant idea proposed by Long John Silver, and the dedicated volunteers of Diamond Valley Railway Inc.
In SideTracked terms, this event was no ordinary celebration – it made history! SideTracked Day in Victoria was the largest attended SideTracked event globally in 2024, and the second largest EVER in the 17-year history of these events worldwide. It was only surpassed by a gathering scheduled at the end of a Mega Event! What an achievement and a testament to the vibrant geocaching community in Victoria!
Thank you to everyone who attended and helped out on the day to make this a resounding success. Your enthusiasm and support are what makes events like this so special.
Upcoming Activities
Fundraising BBQs at Bunnings – 6 October & 1 December (GCAWW4Z)
The first ever Block Party in Victoria is scheduled for 22-23 March next year, don’t forget to mark your calendars! It is set to be a huge event, and to help fund this free weekend we’ll be hosting two Bunnings fundraising BBQ’s later this year. The first one is set to take place on Sunday, 6 October, in the Mernda Bunnings carpark. If you can spare just 2 hours to volunteer on the day, we’d love to have you join the team. Simply reach out to grub62@geocachingvictoria.com.au to sign up.
Even if you can’t volunteer, we encourage you to stop by, show your support, and sign the logbook. And while you’re there, why not treat yourself to a delicious sausage? You can also contribute by purchasing a packet of sausages and a loaf of bread for us to sell on the day via our Geocaching Victoria Shop.
2023 Victorian Cache of the Year Awards & Geocaching Victoria 10 Year Anniversary – 16 November (GCAWDFX)
Join us for a fantastic night as we celebrate all of the nominees and announce the winners of the 2023 Victorian Cache of the Year Awards. Voting will open in early October, so make sure to explore as many of the 2023 nominees as possible before you vote.
This event is also a chance to celebrate a decade of Geocaching Victoria. We’ll take a nostalgic journey through the past ten years, reminiscing and celebrating the adventures and memories we’ve created together.
The celebration will be held at the Yarraville-Footscray Bowling Club, where we’ll kick off with some casual barefoot bowls and drinks. Following that, optional meals will be available, as we toast the winners and celebrate the journey of the past decade.
Don’t forget to log your will attend to reserve your seat at GCAWDFX.
Geocaching Victoria 10th Anniversary Geocoin (Pre-sale)
Don’t miss your chance to own this one-of-a-kind geocoin commemorating a decade of Geocaching Victoria adventures! Whether you’ve been with us since the very first Mega Event in Casey Fields in 2015, attended recent events like our SideTracked Day celebration above, or have been following along online, this special coin lets you be a part of our history.
This premium 10th Anniversary geocoin was meticulously designed by Chris Mackey of AURA Design Group. At 3 inches wide and 4mm thick, it’s a substantial piece of memorabilia that will stand out in your collection. Each coin comes with its own unique tracking code.
You can purchase your coin for pick up at our Celebration event (or delivery afterwards) by visiting the 10th Anniversary Geocoin on our website.
Early Bird Offer – Expires September 22!
As a thank you to our loyal early adopters who dive in headfirst and support us, we’re offering a limited time $5 early bird discount until 22 September. Check out the coin link for more details on how to secure your discount and take home this premium coin.
Be sure to mark 27 July in your calendar as we welcome all cachers and muggle families to join us to celebrate Cachemas in July, an afternoon of fun, food and good times with fellow cachers. There has been a short delay in event publication, however we expect this should appear next week and will be available at GCAPPGD once published. All the details are below:
We were thrilled by the response to last years Twelve Days of Cachemas (TDOC23) cache series and are pleased to welcome it back for 2024.
This year we are opening the series up to the community so that more people can participate. Are you interested in submitting a hide to form part of TDOC24?
To register your interest, create a cache page (it can be blank for now – you just need a GC code), and then complete the cache registration form by 2 June. You don’t have to have hidden your cache or completed the cache page details by then, we just need an idea of your hide so we can plan for it in the series. You can start working on your cache straight away. We will touch base with you once registrations close to confirm your hide and supply cache page artwork.
Importantly you should initially plan to have your cache submitted for review no later than 7 July 2024, however earlier is better. If this is one of your first hides, or your hide has some tricky review elements, you should initiate the review process a week earlier.
Some guidelines to help with your Cachemas geocache are as follows:
The final and any associated waypoints need to be within Victoria.
We encourage use of the Cachemas theme throughout your hide, however it is not essential.
Include “TDOC24:” at the start of the cache name and include the series banner and intro on the cache page (content will be provided at a later date). The remainder of the cache name and cache page are entirely yours to design as usual.
The cache will be published at a designated date and time per the series schedule (with reviewer support). This will be advised.
Please keep your cache and timing to yourself to enhance the enjoyment for everyone during the festival.
You can accommodate multiple attributes into your cache (ie it can be proposed in the Mystery cache category and still incorporate a rare LGA type or rare D/T.). The broader the mixture of types, sizes, locations and attributes the better.
You can propose a cache in more than one Cachemas category, although we recommend focusing on quality and variety vs quantity.
Use your main CO account (no sock puppets).
We may reach out to you for help if there are limited caches in a particular category or location
Victorian Geocache Statistics
If you are wanting to add an extra dimension to your Cachemas (or other) hides, you may like to visit our new Victorian Geocache Statistics page. This page has various statistics for caches placed in Victoria. You may like to work towards adding a cache to one of the rarer spots shown in the statistics grids.
We can’t wait to see the ideas the community has for this years series, and look forward to joining you on July 27 in Kensington for the Cachemas celebration event.
Geocaching Victoria is thrilled to mark 25 years of geocaching by hosting Victoria’s first ever Block Party, set to take place in Sunbury on the north western fringe of metropolitan Melbourne. The Sunbury Event (GCAP417) will be held on March 22nd – 23rd, 2025 and promises to be a celebration of all things geocaching. Anticipate lead up activities, side events, and plenty to see and do during the weekend. The Block Party event is now live so ensure it finds a place in your calendar by logging your will attend now! Only 5,064 geocachers worldwide have found the rare Block Party cache type, so don’t miss this unique local opportunity to add it to your own find list!
The event will be held at the Hume Global Learning Centre in Sunbury, a state of the art facility boasting a $21m investment and a mere four years old. Conveniently located within close proximity of Melbourne Airport, it offers easy access via a short stroll from both trains and buses servicing the airport, Melbourne CBD, and regional Victorian locations. In addition it has ample free onsite parking.
We look forward to sharing further plans over the coming months, so be sure to stay connected via the following communication channels to receive all the latest updates:
There are plenty of travel and accommodation options already listed on our Block Party website, so be sure to log your will attend and start planning your Blocktastic adventure today.
We can’t wait to welcome you to Sunbury in 2025 to help celebrate 25 years of geocaching, and Victoria’s first ever Block Party.
Want To Get Involved?
If you’re interested in joining the organising committee or lending a hand with cache placements and other pre-event activities, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us via email at sunbury2025@geocachingvictoria.com.au.
