Author Archives: The Sunbury Event

The Final Count Down

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With less than three weeks to go until the Sunbury Block Party, things are coming together nicely and excitement is building for this amazing event. Here are some of the things that have been released since our last update:

  • Geoart Unveiled: The geoart for the 25 challenge caches has been published and the final mystery geoart caches are now live!
  • Nightcache Adventure: Explore the Emu Bottom Wetlands with a newly released nightcache.
  • Special Guest: We’re thrilled to welcome a Geocaching HQ Lackey to Sunbury!
  • Mascot Spotted: Signal and Muggle the Puggle have been spotted hanging out in Sunbury, adding to the fun.
  • Geostuff Onsite: Geostuff will have their full shop on display, so get ready to gear up!

Event Schedule Released!

Plan your weekend with our full event schedule listed at the bottom of this blog. Additional info is available below to help you plan your weekend::

  • Nature at Night (Friday): Join the Entomological Society of Victoria, Astronomical Society and Hume City Council for stargazing and to learn about the nocturnal creatures at Emu Bottom Wetlands. Astronomers are new to the lineup! Free tickets are available here, with a complimentary shuttle bus from the Global Learning Centre to the wetlands.
  • Trivia Night (Saturday): Secure one of the few remaining free tickets for this fun and friendly trivia challenge. Reserve your spot here.
  • GPS Adventures Maze: This super rare icon is available at The Sunbury Event. Avoid the usual Saturday morning queues by planning your visit for a less busy time across the weekend. Foundation Friends of the Maze can skip the queue at any time with their maze nametag or by checking in with maze volunteers. Help support the maze by purchasing the Sunbury Maze Geocoin here.

Unobtanium Geocoins

There are only 12 Limited Edition Sunbury Unobtanium geocoins to win, with plenty of opportunities over the event weekend to participate and win one of these golden beauties. Stay tuned for more information and remember – these can only be won!

Merchandise

Pathtags, geocoins, hats and flags are still available to purchase via the Geocaching Victoria online store. Sunbury and Maze merchandise orders, $100 or over (cumulative over all orders), enter you into a draw to win a Sunbury Unobtanium Geocoin. Entires close 16 March so get your pre-orders in now! The Sunbury Event – Shop

Parking

Enjoy free, unrestricted parking at the rear of the Global Learning Centre (entry via Brook St) on both Saturday and Sunday. We have agreed with Hume City Council that parking inspectors will not enforce the 2P and 3P areas that are within the designated OFF STREET Global Learning Centre Carpark accessed from Brook St (Sat & Sun Only). Additional parking is also available along Macedon Street at the front of the Global Learning Centre and on Brook St at the rear, however parking restrictions WILL apply according to the signs in these and all other parking areas in Sunbury, so be sure to check the signs before leaving your car.

Disabled parking is available in the main car park off Brook Street as well as along Macedon Street (Macedon Street parking requires use of stairs or lift access).

There is limited parking at the Sunbury Memorial Hall (Home of the GPS Adventure Maze and some gadget caches). We therefore recommend parking at the Global Learning Centre where possible and walking the short 200m between the two venues.

Raffles

As part of engaging with the local community at each of our Mega and Block Party events, we nominate a local charity to be the beneficiary of the raffle sales from our FTF and much loved Maccamob hamper raffle. We are thrilled to have maccamob’s generous hamper donation for yet another year – Thank you Mary and David.

This year we are pleased to support the Sunbury Neighbourhood Kitchen, who are a not for profit, entirely volunteer run organisation (just like us!). They help feed locals in need and are aiming to provide over 2,500 meals this year. With your support, we are delighted to help them achieve this goal. A representative from Sunbury Neighbourhood Kitchen will be at the farewell event and tickets for the raffles will be on sale at the Global Learning Centre throughout the event.

We Can’t Wait To See You!

Don’t miss this epic geocaching celebration! If you haven’t already, log your “Will Attend” and start planning your Sunbury Block Party adventure today.

Full Event Schedule

TimeActivityLocation
Friday21 March 2025
6:00pm – 7:00pmGCB1GJA Friday Night Casual Catch UpSunbury Park
7:30pm – 10:00pmNature at Night (Free shuttle buses from GLC)
Register with Hume Council HERE.		Emu Bottom Wetlands

Saturday22 March 2025
9:00am – 4:00pmGCAP417 The Sunbury Event – Block Party 25Global Learning Centre
9:00am – 9:30amOpening Ceremony (and photo)GLC Amphitheatre
9:45am – 4:00pm– Registration, Merchandise and Stalls Open
– Gadget Adventure Labs Open
– GCB169V GPS Adventure Maze		Global Learning Centre
GLC & Memorial Hall
Memorial Hall
11:00am – 12:00pmInformation Session – Creating Robust Caches by WatashiGlobal Learning Centre
12:00pm – 1:00pmInformation Session – Challenge Caches by BFMCGlobal Learning Centre
1:00pm – 2:00pmPathtag TradingGlobal Learning Centre
2:00pm – 3:00pmMeet the Reviewers and LackeyGlobal Learning Centre
4:00pmRegistration, Merchandise, Maze, Gadgets CLOSEGLC & Memorial Hall
Evening Activities
5:00pm – 8:00pmGCATP00 Community Celebration Event
(Optional Dinner and Lawn Bowls)		Sunbury Bowls Club
8:15pm – 9:30pmTrivia night – booking required (free)Sunbury Bowls Club


Sunday23 March 2025
8:30am – 9:00amGCB1HJ2 Sunday Morning at The Sunbury EventThe Village Green
9:00am – 1:00pm– Registration, Merchandise and Stalls Open
– GCB169V GPS Adventure Maze		Global Learning Centre
Memorial Hall
9:00am – 2:30pmGadget Adventure Labs OpenGLC & Memorial Hall
9:30am – 10:30amGCB1GJ9 Holden Flora Reserve – CITOHolden Flora Reserve
11:00am – 12:00pmInformation Session – Designing Themed Letterboxes by THE EVIL MUGGLEGlobal Learning Centre
12:00am – 1:00pmInformation Session – EarthCaches by micaparamedicGlobal Learning Centre
1:00pmRegistration, Merchandise, Stalls, Maze CLOSEGLC & Memorial Hall
2:30pmGadget Caches CLOSEGLC & Memorial Hall
2:30pm – 3:00pmPhoto Opportunity with SignalGlobal Learning Centre
3:00pm – 3:30pmGCB1TGM Farewell EventGLC Amphitheatre

The Sunbury Event: Block Party – January Update

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The Sunbury Block Party is just two months away, and excitement is building! Recently, BFMC and leelee (crack’n’leelee) joined PCE on the Geocaching Downunder Podcast to share the latest updates. You can watch the podcast episode below.

Here’s a rundown of the exciting new details:

Event Schedule

Get ready to plan your ultimate Block Party adventure! The newly released schedule is packed with activities, allowing ample time to reconnect with friends and explore the area’s caches and attractions.

TimeActivityLocation
Friday21 March 2025
6:00pm – 7:00pmGCB1GJA Friday Night Casual Catch UpSunbury Park
7:30pm – 9:00pmNature at Night (Free shuttle buses from GLC)
Registration coming soon.		Emu Bottom Wetlands
Saturday22 March 2025
9:00am – 4:00pmGCAP417 The Sunbury Event – Block Party 25 Global Learning Centre
9:00am – 9:30amOpening Ceremony (and photo)GLC Amphitheatre
9:45am – 4:00pm– Registration, Merchandise and Stalls Open
– Gadget Adventure Labs Open
– GCB169V GPS Adventure Maze		Global Learning Centre
GLC & Memorial Hall
Memorial Hall
11:00am – 12:00pmInformation Session – TBCGlobal Learning Centre
12:00pm – 1:00pmInformation Session – TBCGlobal Learning Centre
1:00pm – 2:00pmPathtag TradingGlobal Learning Centre
2:00pm – 3:00pmMeet the ReviewersGlobal Learning Centre
4:00pmRegistration, Merchandise, Maze, Gadgets CLOSEGLC & Memorial Hall
Evening Activities
5:00pm – 8:00pmGCATP00* Community Celebration Event
(Optional Dinner and Lawn Bowls)
(*pending publication)		Sunbury Bowls Club
8:15pm – 9:30pmTrivia night – booking required (free)Sunbury Bowls Club
Sunbury23 March 2025
8:30am – 9:00amGCB1HJ2 Sunday Morning at The Sunbury EventThe Village Green
9:00am – 1:00pm– Registration, Merchandise and Stalls Open
– GCB169V GPS Adventure Maze		Global Learning Centre
Memorial Hall
9:00am – 2:30pmGadget Adventure Labs OpenGLC & Memorial Hall
9:30am – 10:30amGCB1GJ9 Holden Flora Reserve – CITOHolden Flora Reserve
11:00am – 12:00pmInformation Session – TBCGlobal Learning Centre
12:00am – 1:00pmInformation Session – TBCGlobal Learning Centre
1:00pmRegistration, Merchandise, Stalls, Maze CLOSEGLC & Memorial Hall
2:30pmGadget Caches CLOSEGLC & Memorial Hall
3:00pm – 3:30pmGCB1TGM* Farewell Event (*pending publication)GLC Amphitheatre

Nature at Night (Friday Night Following The Casual Catchup Event)

Thanks to our major sponsor, Hume City Council, and the Entomological Society of Victoria, we’re thrilled to offer a unique nocturnal experience on Friday, March 21st. Learn about moths and other fascinating insects that call Sunbury home while spotting other nocturnal animals and learning about the local biodiversity.

  • Time: 7:30pm – 9:00pm (following the Friday night event)
  • Location: Emu Bottom Wetlands Reserve, Sunbury
  • Cost: Free! (Registration required via Eventbrite – TBA)
  • Activities: Moth identification, nocturnal animal spotting, expert talks on local biodiversity, and a fun Biodiversity Bingo challenge
  • Transport: Limited on-site parking; free shuttle buses running between the Sunbury Global Learning Centre and Emu Bottom Wetlands Reserve (departing every 20 mins between 7:00pm and 9:30pm)
  • What to bring:  Comfortable walking shoes, weather-appropriate clothing, flashlight/headlamp, and a smartphone/tablet with the iNaturalist app

Trivia: Did you know that Gil Grissom from CSI is an entomologist, just like our expert guides.

Unobtanium Geocoin

Congratulations to AnyMules for snagging the first rare Sunbury Event Unobtanium geocoin.

Would you like to win the next unobtanium? Anyone who pre-orders Block Party and Maze merchandise will go into the draw to win an unobtanium. Get a bonus entry if you have cumulatively spent $100 or more on eligible merchandise (before discounts). Entries close Sunday 16 March and the winner will be drawn at the closing event.

More opportunities to win these coveted coins will be available at The Sunbury Event.

New Caches

We’re working hard to ensure there are a number of new geocaches in the area. This is a combined effort between the committee and the community. Puzzle caches are our current focus so there is plenty of time to solve, with multiple small batches being published soon. We will announce once all of the planned puzzles have been published. Keep an eye out for more exciting cache types to come, including the new Virtual published on Tuesday night.

Lead Up Events

Our final Victorian lead up event is scheduled on 9 February at Fitzroy Gardens (GCB1TAG). We’d love to connect with you and answer all of your questions to help you plan your weekend adventure.

A big thanks to DavidWazza for spreading the word at the recent event in Brisbane. There are two more interstate opportunities to get more information:

  • GCB1FKQ – Saturday 18 January (Alberton, SA) – Thanks Locus Cache!
  • GCB215F – Saturday 1 February (Howrah, TAS) – Thanks stainless-steel-rat!

Accommodation Update

While some options are filling up, there’s still plenty of accommodation available:

Treetops Scout Camp –  plenty of unpowered sites available.

Macedon Caravan Park – have multiple spaces available.

For more options, check our Accommodation page – many sites still have availability.

Volunteers

Now is the time to register you interest in helping us deliver The Sunbury Event. Events like these are only possible thanks to the generous team of volunteers who help in the lead up and over the event weekend.

To register your interest and share your volunteering preferences, please complete the Volunteer form HERE.

Don’t miss out on this epic geocaching celebration! Log your “Will Attend” and start planning your Sunbury Block Party adventure today.

The Sunbury Event: Block Party – December Update

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The Sunbury Event is just 3 months away and there has been lots of news to share this month. Here is the round up if you missed it.

Merchandise – Pre-Order Now!

The Sunbury Event merchandise is now available for sale. Head on over to shop.geocachingvictoria.com.au to grab all of your official event merchandise and help support the event.

Clothing orders close 2 February 2025 so be sure to get your order in before then. Our promotional offer (Spend $100 or more and save $5) also ends at that time so don’t miss out.

If you’ve noticed a lot of blue so far there is a good reason! The official colour for The Sunbury Event is BLUE. We also plan on that being the colour of the sky on 22nd & 23rd March!

Major Sponsor – Hume City Council

We’re absolutely thrilled to have Hume City Council joining us as a major sponsor of the Sunbury Block Party! This partnership is fantastic recognition of the hard work that is going into this event by our brilliant team of volunteers. It also further cements the amazing support Hume has shown from day one.

Hume City Council, joins Geocaching.com as our two major sponsors for the event.

Additional Sponsors

We would also like to acknowledge the following additional supporters of The Sunbury Event, which include:

  • Pathtags who have assisted with pathtag production.
  • Scurvy Dog Designs who designed our wonderful pathtag set and Limited Edition Geocoin.
  • Bunnings Warehouse Mernda who are ongoing supporters of Geocaching Victoria and are supporting this event through donations and fundraising opportunities.

    If you are looking for new pathtags, or in the market for home improvement and lifestyle products, why not consider using one of our event supporters.

GPS Adventure Maze

Australia’s own GPS Adventure Maze will be making an appearance at The Sunbury Event. Grub62 and the team at Geocaching Victoria have been working on a couple of updates and look forward to sharing the opportunity to earn this rare icon with everyone once again in 2025.

Special thanks to Narelle from Nel&Andy for her assistance with the design work on the latest updates and to those who have contributed content including horror.fan.jm, Mister Doctor and ILookedThere.

Lead Up Events

If you get the chance, come and connect with us at one of our leadup events, just like those in Ballarat did on 8 December (GCAYRZZ). Further events include:

  • GCB0QHD – Sunday 12 January @ 11am (Geelong) – Committee member BFMC will be leading this opportunity to find out all about our block party.
  • February TBA (Melbourne)

Interstate opportunities

A big thanks to Brain for sharing the word at a recent event in Canberra. There are other interstate events where the hosts are kindly sharing the Sunbury love so check out these opportunities coming up:

  • GCB166H – Wednesday 15 January @ 6pm (South Brisbane) – Thanks Davidwazza!
  • More to come.

We are also looking forward to all the fun of the Sydney GeoQuest in late January.

Block Party Event Details

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

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!

The Sunbury Event: Block Party – September Update

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In May we broke the news that our next big event in Victoria would be in 2025. We mentioned it wouldn’t be a Mega… because it will be even BIGGER – Victoria’s first ever Block Party – The Sunbury Event (GCAP417). Mark your calendars for March 22-23! This rare opportunity to add a new cache type to your finds simply cannot be missed (the stats hounds are no doubt already drooling over the opportunity!).

Did you know? According to project-gc, there are currently only 8, yes 8, Victorian cachers who have logged this cache type. Australia wide, there are only 32!

What Makes a Block Party Special?

Forget about Scott Cam and Shelley Craft – this Block Party is all about geocaching! Aside from being a unique icon/cache type, we’re combining the best elements of our mega events with unique Block Party action. The worldwide release of Block Parties for 2025 (which were previously only held in Seattle, and only between 2011 and 2015) is to help celebrate 25 years of Geocaching. A key part of the privilege of being allowed to host a Block Party, instead of a Mega, is the ability to join the global celebration of 25 years of Geocaching. So, expect a distinct 25 year flavour right across the event and associated activities.

Did you know? On 2 May 2000, ‘selective availability’ was removed from the Global Position System (GPS). The very first geocache (as we now know them) was placed by Dave Ulmer and shared via a newsgroup on the internet on May 3, 2000. It now exists (mostly for posterity) on geocaching.com as GCF – The Original Stash

No doubt many of you have been itching to hear more about what’s in store, so here is one of many updates to come in the lead up to March 2025.

Introducing…. Your Event Mascot!

With the Block Party being located in Sunbury, on the urban fringe, it is home to a number of indigenous fauna species, providing a rich range of choices for our mascot. After deliberating over a shortlist of fantastic options, the committee has settled on…. 

Ornithorhynchus Anatinus (meaning duck-like bird-snout), or the platypus as it’s more commonly known (meaning flat-foot).

The platypus is endemic to the east coast of Australia, and is well represented within the Hume region, living in Emu Bottom Wetlands, which includes Jacksons Creek.

A baby platypus is known (among other terms) as a puggle, which just so happens to rhyme with muggle. So please welcome, our Sunbury mascot…. Muggle the Puggle!

Fun Fact: Melbourne Water conducts platypus monitoring throughout its catchment area. In 2015, the largest platypus discovered in the monitoring program was found in Jacksons Creek, weighing in at an impressive 2.7kg! If you happen to spot a platypus in the wild, you can report your sighting and assist with ongoing research & conservation of this iconic species by visiting platypusspot.org for more info.

Event Details

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

Further accommodation options have been added to the website, with plenty of camping, cabin & Hotel/Motel options provided. Some have special rates available to event attendees so be sure to check it out.

Sunbury Block Party Committee

An event of this magnitude requires the support of a team of many people to be successful. Central to this success is the the event committee. We’ve assembled an all-star team to make this event unforgettable and are thrilled to introduce ConnieandRick, Crack’n’LeeLee, BFMC, FMH1977, and ILookedThere who are hard at work, firming up the many block party elements including mascots, merchandise, information sessions, event related caches, ad labs and much more! You can read more about your block party team at this link.

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!

We look forward to sharing more details with you over the coming months. Stay tuned.