Category Archives: Beginner Series

Beginner Series #5 – The Joy of a First to Find (FTF)

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It doesn’t take a new geocacher long to hearing within the community that we have our own language and our own acronyms. It can sometimes take a little bit of time to decipher the words…

TFTC (Thanks for the Cache)…

TOTT (Tools of the Trade)…

or maybe even SWAG (Stuff We All Get aka swaps)…

but there is one that is worthy of a bit more discussion… FTF (First To Find) as there can be lots of fun in chasing them.

Recently Jo Cox caught up with 999Hunter to talk through this concept that he knows of only too well. Below we share the interview in his own words.

Hunter can you first share with us when you started Geocaching and what got you into this crazy hobby we love?

Thank you, Ms President, for this opportunity.

Back in Jan 2016, we were looking for an outdoor hobby. Something that would keep my older boys happy, while my daughter could go to the playground. Geocaching fit the bill perfectly. The family sometimes still comes with me, the girls have their own accounts, and during our last family NSW holiday Son2 wanted to go night tree climbing and did most of Burden of Sisyphus himself.

For those that are new to the game, can you explain what a first to find is?

The name First to Find, kind of explains itself. It’s the first (person) to find a newly published cache. I’ve heard that in the old days the First to Find or FTF went to the person who actually first found the geocache container. Now it’s a bit more civilised and anyone who helped search a cache newly published and was there when the log was opened can claim “Joint FTF”. Out of etiquette, it’s often good to ask this question when there are 2 or more geocachers looking.

It is polite to log the FTF quickly when you can, but like caching in general, everyone does it their own way. I try to log a “Write Note” when I’ve returned the cache to let people know I’ve already been there which gives me time to write a nice log when at home. This is important as often there are many people that will race to find a new cache and some travel great distance to claim a FTF.

Why does the publication of a FTF get the geo-community excited?

A new geocache means the game is still expanding and there is a new geocache to find. We all have our favourite hiders and love it when they put a new one out, or it could be a new hider who soon becomes one of our favourites, or it might take us to a place we didn’t know about. For the “FTF Hounds” it means the race is on!!!

Personally, I’m not a social geocacher, which means most of the geocachers I’ve met in person have been when looking for a FTF, and some have become great friends.

Sometimes it even turns into a FTF party with lots of geocachers arriving and all searching together, enjoying the chat as much as the hunt.

For me, it’s not just thrill of the race, or the feeling when holding the logbook wondering if another name is already in it, it’s also seeing the geocache in its pristine state, just the way the Cache Owner first hid it.

And for those that love the numbers, what statistics are important for chasing FTFs?

Geocaching has a lot of numbers for the people that love statistics. Even if geocaching.com doesn’t count a FTF as a statistic, ProjectGC does. If you log a FTF with the tags {FTF} or [FTF] then ProjectGC can track your FTFs finds correctly. Then all the same statistics can be monitored – LGAs (Local Government Areas), Calendar and DT Grid, etc.

The stat that I am most proud of is my monthly FTF streak (that is at least 1 FTF each month) for 39 months, before the Covid lockdowns broke that streak. Nothing compared with Suscoe’s 90 months with a FTF however.

So can you explain a little about your own FTF Hound reputation?

I have a reputation? (heymissjo nods her head and smiles)

I’ve heard people calling me “The Hound” and I like it.

I guess, Hunter-Hound are similar, but it also comes from claiming that I’m not a FTF Hound for so long. For some reason people stopped believing me after 100 FTFs. On occasion I still claim I’m not a Hound and with over 4000 finds now, only 9% are FTFs.

However, there are other Hounds that deserve the title more than me.

The Welder when the mood strikes him seems to be everywhere. N0w0rries is always a threat. Anything near Cranbourne and Biggles1024 is the competition. Mornington Peninsula is becoming crowded with BFG, Brain and Deepsky24 trying to push me out. Not forgetting AHomburg, Day1976, PinkPiggy7 and SteMicMitSar and they are just some of the big the Hounds I compete with.

That is not counting Hounds in the North, or the Geelong crew who sometimes sneak a FTF on the east side of Melbourne and whose stats are just amazing. Sims_Family, Suscoe, AusFox, The Tritonz and Bushfire take 5 of the Top 10 Victorian FTF Hounds, and they can just stay over in Geelong thank you.

But for Victorians FTF Hounds, CovertHypnosis (C@H) has the most reported FTFs according to ProjectGC with 738 FTFs and all before 2012

What has been your most memorable FTF Hunt?

Now that is a very hard question. My first FTF obviously. TeamThommo was my local hound and would get everything, but she was on holidays, and it was a hard PinkPiggy puzzle that took a few days to solve.

Hounding at Mt Baw Baw above the fog, the wonderful beach locations, a sneaky FTF while on holidays in other states. My first D5 FTF – Eat Fruit: Apples solved 9 months after publication and when the CO heard I was going to my first real event baked an Apple Pie as a FTF Prise and everyone enjoyed a slice. It took another 12 months for the second to find. A Dirtbag FTF is always a memorable adventure, including a Night Tree climb during a gale, an old mine shaft and finding the amazing “Greg’s Rock” container. Exploring the Jewellers Shop Mine with the family where the parking coordinates were out, so we bush bashed the whole way there to explore the great mine. But the one that always springs to mind the most is a FTF in Bunyip. It started at 3am and by 4am I was stuck waist deep in the Billabong watching a shooting star. At 5am I found the wonderful final and got home by 6am after driving home naked. A change of clothes now permanently resides in the car.

Love your stories, thanks Hunter. If a new geocacher wants to start to chase FTFs what do they need to know?

A wannabe FTF Hound really only needs to know 4 things.

1. You need to know how to create an email notification on geocaching.com to alert you for newly published geocaches. An 80km radius is the maximum allowed distance.

2. You will fail to get more FTFs then you will find. So be prepared to find that dreaded name in the logbook, with no online log. Yes, I’m looking at you Day.

3. Learn who the local Hounds are, and if possible, their routine. To quote Sun Tzu “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight”. As an example, after running 3km from a train stop for a FTF, I discovered that that hound n0w0rries lived 3 blocks away. I ignore all FTFs in that area now, unless I know he is not around.

4. And the most important thing to know, Stay out of my territory!!!

Haha – love it thanks Hunter! Good luck with your future finds, not sure #4 will work…. but then I know the Welder pretty well too. Thanks for taking the time to sharing some of your tips to the newer members in our community.

Beginners Series #4 – What are Gadget Caches?

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Stumbling across a gadget cache or field puzzle for the first time, can be a pretty exciting experience, particularly if you are not expecting it. Now let’s face it, we all love finding a geocache, but when that cache is not your typical container and instead is one of inspiration, colour, creativity or ingenuity, we are often in awe of the craftsmanship and creativity that is before us. These caches can often be easy to find, but can prove to be a puzzle to open and claim the smiley.

But for those that are newer to geocaching, you have not yet have come across a gadget cache or field puzzle before. You may not be prepared for the mysteries that await you.

With the Whittlesea Mega only a few months away and the whispers of some special caches likely to be on display, I thought that it was time to reach out at chat to one of Victoria’s Most Inspiration Gadget Cache Puzzle Maker “Mister Doctor” aka Peter to find out more about his pieces of art.

Thanks for chatting with me Mister Doctor, I am keen to hear how you started geocaching and what it is you love about the game?

Way back in 2010 I had heard about geocaching, I think there might have been something on the radio, and so I borrowed a GPS receiver over the Christmas holidays. I remember being stunned at all the caches on the map and super excited to go out hunting in our area. We found 27 caches locally. I was actually very lucky as they included Unexpected by GJMMelb and Buccaneers of Buckanbe by team_coxy. These were amazing finds for a newbie to make, and they inspired me to think creatively about my own caches.

It took 6 years for me to find my next cache, as it took that long to finally get a smart phone and get the app, which is how I go caching now. I always say it’s the local knowledge that is the reason I love geocaching so much. I love that each cache shows you a location or tells you a story. I love that you can meet a great range of friendly people, share caching experiences together and share stories of places and adventures.

You are often known for your creative gadget caches, but for new geocachers this is a new concept – can you explain to our newbies – what is a gadget cache or field puzzle?

There is a special attribute for field puzzles, it looks like a puzzle piece with a question mark. If a cache listing has this it means that when you find the container there is still a trick to getting it open. There are a huge variety of field puzzles – from discovering hidden latches, to pouring in water, to interacting with the cache’s electronics via buttons or your phone.

If you come across a gadget cache for the first time, how do you approach it?

As each one is often quite unique, I would definitely first pay close attention to the cache page – there are often specific instructions about what you need to do, or more subtle clues in the title or description. Don’t forget to look at the hint if there is one! I think it’s also important to give yourself enough time to solve the puzzle, you don’t want to arrive at a field puzzle expecting a quick park and grab. And even more importantly – be prepared to have some fun! Cache owners want you to find their caches, and a field puzzle hopefully adds to that memorable and fun experience.

Some caches may need a TOTT (tool of the trade) to help solve and open the puzzle. So things like batteries, magnets or even a bottle of water may come in handy. But you can often pick up hints or clues from reading the cache description.

Is there any etiquette or considerations that would be important for a new geocacher to know?

I would say the main thing is to please respect the cache. Don’t force things. It is always better to message the cache owner for help or to report a problem than to damage the cache in order to get that smiley. One of the beautiful features of geocaching is that behind every cache there is an owner who was once a newbie too and will often be more than happy to help you. Also remember to leave the cache as you found it so that the next finder has a good experience too.

Another thing that new geocachers may not be aware of is the correct choice of log type. “Found it” means you located the cache, solved the puzzle and signed the logbook. You earned a smiley in your find account. “Write note” means you located the cache, but couldn’t work out the puzzle to sign the logbook. You have not yet earned a smiley in your account. “Didn’t find it (DNF)” means you couldn’t locate the cache container at all (this flags that the cache may be missing and the cache owner may need to check. This log type can potentially lead to a cache being disabled or archived)

Have you got a photo of your own favourite cache that you can share?

The Hidden World This is part of a diorama that has a field puzzle to solve before the scene is revealed.

Thanks so much Mister Doctor for your insights and advice on gadget caches. They are often a favourite cache type of many and with field puzzle attribute now active, it does mean that geocachers can actively hunt out these special caches.

I have it on good authority that you are planning something special and super magical for the Whittlesea Mega, but I have been told Mum’s the word and I am not yet allowed to spill any beans. Are there any insights that you can share?

A team of very talented gadget fairies have been working their magic to create 20 brand new gadget caches for you for the Whittlesea Event. They will challenge, perplex and delight you. How many will you solve? Here is a first glimpse of some of the special caches that await you.

Thanks so much Mister Doctor – now I am super excited. I can’t wait! The count down begins only 81 days to go!

Beginner Series #3 – I’m Puzzled, Where do I Start?

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There comes a time when a new geocacher starts to get a little more comfortable and practiced at the art of finding a traditional cache. Slowly you start to increase the level of difficulty on your hides from a 1.5 to a 2, maybe even a 2.5 and the same with the terrain ratings. You have started to recognise that hides are more than sistema containers, bisons and the familar mint tins.

But it is with this new found confidence that a new cacher starts to wonder what other cache types are out there and you ponder the blue question mark. There may even be a bold but rookie mistake of trying to find a mystery cache at the given coordinates, only to discover that there is nothing hidden there or that the coordinates are in some random, unusual place, like the centre of a round about or football oval.

Upon some reflection and even some research, there is a light bulb moment and the realisation that the coordinates are infact virtual and do not lead to the actual hide. There is some work to do before the real coordinates can be gleamed. These delightful caches are often referred to as mystery or puzzle caches, but to a new geocacher can seem to be a little confusing to know where to start.

So to help all the new geocachers within our community on where to start with one of these mystery/ puzzle caches, I caught up with the Puzzle Queen herself – OzHockeyChick aka Kirsten for some advice.

Thanks for chatting to me OzHockeyChick, can you please share with us when you started Geocaching and what got you into this crazy hobby we love?

I started geocaching early 2015, when the lovely xsurfergirlx introduced me to what was going to become my new addiction. It was the puzzle aspect that really piqued my interest. I’ve always loved puzzles, all kinds, from jigsaws to word search to kakuro, and everything in between.

Thankfully, the details of those little blue circles with white question marks (along with the orange ones) were briefly explained to me – enough to get me started on my journey past trads.

Puzzles can sometimes be daunting to a new geocacher, what advice do you give for those new to the game?

For those who haven’t had the benefit of an explanation of the various types, I would start here: https://www.geocaching.com/about/cache_types.aspx

I joined a few Facebook groups, and visited the only geocaching shop in Victoria at the time (GeoStuff – now in SA). It was there I found Cully Long’s “How to Puzzle Cache” book. I read it cover to cover, and enjoyed working my way through it, learning lots of tips and tricks.

I then began solving some mysteries in my local area. I quickly discovered the D rating and what that meant. So I chose one CO and began solving all his puzzles, beginning with the lower Ds and working my way up to the D5s. I found that sticking to one CO at a time, allowed me to get inside his/her head, and begin thinking along the same track. This has proven to be quite helpful in many puzzles since.

But how do you know where to start?

Unless the puzzle is glaringly obvious (crossword etc), I usually do a sequence of keystrokes….

Ctrl+A Ctrl+U Ctrl+F <!–

To break that down…

Ctrl+A selects the entire cache page. This lets you see if there’s any hidden (white) text.

Ctrl+U is the shortcut to see the source (html) code. It is here where a CO can hide more text using the “commenting” syntax of <!–some hidden text ->

So using Ctrl+F (shortcut for Find) and looking for the instances of <!– is a quick way of finding any hidden text here. Currently Groundspeak uses 9 such comments, eg Copyright, Google Tag Manager etc, so if the search comes back with 1 of 9, there’s nothing to see here. However, if it shows 1 of 10 or more, head on down to the 8th instance, and see what’s there.

Where do you learn puzzle solving techniques?

The book mentioned above was my first main source. The Geocaching Toolbox and dCode are other useful places to visit. There are also various multi-solvers available, but I rarely use them. I like to know how the cipher/code actually works, and dCode explains each one in detail. I find this a better way to learn about cryptography, rather than just throwing the ciphered text into a multi-solver and have it do all the heavy lifting for you. Each to their own. Of course, the more puzzles you solve, the more you learn, and are able to recognise or identify different methods.

I also engage the help of Google – a lot! It’s not uncommon for me to have 50 tabs open at any one time, following various leads.

Another wonderful source of information is our fantastic community. I try to get to as many events as I can. I often have cachers approach me to ask for a nudge on one of my puzzles, and of course, I’m happy to help. I’d rather give hints and have my puzzle caches found, than have them discarded to the “too hard” pile and not get found.

Do you have a favourite type of puzzle?

I do like multi-layered puzzles. Once you have solved one part, it leads you to another. A bit like unwrapping a pass-the-parcel.

Anything involving maths, geometry, physics, I find quite challenging and rather satisfying to solve.

I also like the printed puzzles (sudoku, crosswords, kakuro etc), and have a number of bound booklets of these sorts of puzzles, which are great to take away off-grid camping.

Thanks so much OzHockeyChick for giving our beginners a great place to start. I am sure you have given some food for thought for those starting out. You have plenty of your own puzzles hidden which might be great to learn and build upon a geocachers puzzle solving repertoire.

For additional tips and tricks, we suggest you also look at this page for ideas.

Beginner Series #2 – The Art of Log Writing

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The excitement of finding your first few geocaches, is often followed by the wonderment and awe of the hide. It is common for us to start with entry level hides (mint tins, sistema containers, perhaps even bisons), but as you start to explore further afield you discover that the variety of the containers are vast and so many caches have great camo, cleverly hidden in plain sight.

Often though, the excitement is not captured in the written logs of a new geocacher, and it can be common to not appreciate the value of the digital log. As we get more involved in the game, we try for harder more complex caches and undoubtably come faced with a cache that we just can’t find. It’s often at this stage, we trawl through the logs of past finds skimming for clues and realise that there is more to a log than…..

Found it… Got it…Good one!

TFTC! (How cool am I that I know the acronym!)

I remember this moment as a beginner and started to notice that there was much more to writing a short note and that I could actually be more creative with my entries. I started to have a deeper appreciation for logs and discovered that I could actually get to know my local geocachers. But aside from that, as I became a Cache Owner myself, I started to love and enjoy the logs from the finders of my own caches. Years on, I still love a really good log!

To explore this concept further, I recently spoke with Brain aka Angus to hear his thoughts on creative log writing, as he too is known for inspiring geocachers through the art of log writing.

Hi Brain, please share with us when you started Geocaching and what got you into this crazy hobby we love?
Once upon a time it was mid-January in 2015 and a smaller version of me read a newspaper article explaining a fun little game involving hidden containers around the world and it sounded pretty good! I was on holiday on the far south coast of New South Wales at the time and found my first few that day with my family – we all really enjoyed it and I’ve since found that I am physically unable to stop which is a little concerning but mainly fun!


There has definitely been commentary amongst our community for the great logs you have written, tell us where do you get your inspiration?
You’re too kind! A lot can happen in the process of solving and finding a geocache, and many of my logs are just transcribing the events of the world around me (perhaps with a few embellishments here and there – lets not let the truth get in the way of a good story!).

A few sentences explaining the context of the hunt can build the foundations of a substantial log pretty quickly, and from there the experience of finding the cache tends to form the rest (the more intricate the cache, the more inspiration there is to be found). Often times I find that the easiest ones to write are when something’s gone wrong, or when I can’t find a cache – but why not share the adventure and sometimes the pain!


Why is log writing an important aspect of the game?
Geocaching wouldn’t be the game that it is without the dedication of its cache owners and logs help to give something back to them! If a CO has gone to the effort of putting a great cache out, it’s usually because they want other people to enjoy it, so receiving a detailed log can really make their day. Plus, it helps to indicate to other cachers which ones are worth their time.


For newbies to geocaching what advice can you share on ‘how to write a great log?”

Start small! It’s easy to think that “great log = long log” but that isn’t always the case – focus on getting the main points down:

  • What do you want the CO to know?
  • What do you want other cachers to know?
  • What do you want to remember about the cache and experience if you read your log in a few years’ time?
  • Is there anything else interesting worth mentioning?
  • But just remember never give way the location or placement of the hide in your logs, as it can ruin it for the next set of finders….and you might end up with a grumpy CO!

From here you can expand the details from there if you want to. You don’t have to write an A+ essay, just something that you (and hopefully others) would enjoy reading. Writing logs comes more naturally over time, so keep up the effort as you find more caches!

Thanks Brain, that is great advice – can you share with us one of your favourite logs (that you have written?)
I more commonly find that I like certain bits of logs that I’ve written – a sentence or two that sticks in my head for a while after I’ve written the log. My (current) favourite (it usually changes) is from my log on GC2JD7V: Balnarring The Headache Maker which reads:

“I pretty much entered a state of shock as is all too common in my puzzling escapades where I am simultaneously overjoyed that the puzzle is solved and bewildered by the fact that I have managed to keep myself breathing for so long despite being this stupid.”

And a quick note to include my favourite logs that I haven’t written… I frequently find myself going back through the archives of those written by the hamfish. Regularly poignant, often humourous and beautifully crafted every time – highly recommend a read.

Haha thanks Brain for your insights, you certain have given some great tips to think about! But it is important to call out, is that we all do play the game differently, some love the hunt, others lovely the social events, whilst others love the creative expression of logs. We are not all going to embrace and embellished stories of our caching adventures, nor will we all share in the woes of the DNF nemisis – but it’s nice to share some of the etiquette associated with what you should or should not add to a log.

I encourage us all that if we receive a log from a new geocacher, to remember that we were were all newbies at some stage and it takes time to learn the etiquette relating to log writing – you can always reach out to them and welcome them to our community and perhaps give them some tips.

Keen to hear your thoughts, who in the community inspires you through their logs? Share some of your favourite logs below!

Welcome to our new Geocaching Beginner Series!

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With another exciting Mega on the horizon and an influx of new geocachers within our community, Geocaching Victoria thought that it would be great to launch a new blog series – specifically for Beginners. I am sure that many of us have been in a conversation on a Monday morning, where you are asked what you did over the weekend….

“I went geocaching and ….” geo-what?

“Yeah I climbed some sand dune looking for…..” Tupperware?

“Drove a few hundred kms for a find….” insert look of disbelief here…..

But how often do you find that you spark the interest of someone that can see passed your geo-nerdiness and can appreciate the adventure, the opportunity for great family time but perhaps also the challenge.

As we count down to our next Mega, (yes in only 126 days) – we would love to introduce this crazy game to those whose interest is sparked, to let them in on our little geo-secrets and perhaps convert them from being a “muggle” to one of our own. Do we dare?

Recently I spoke to Tim from veevers12 who started playing the game in 2019, precovid and asked him how he got into the game and what advice he had for those curious about geocaching.

Hi veevers12, can you please share with us when you started Geocaching and what got you into this crazy hobby we love?

My daughter had a school geocaching excursion to Westerfolds Park in Templestowe in mid 2019. We had not heard of geocaching before then, so we gave it a try by looking at GC60BE0 Eltham Fire Brigade (now archived) after the kids had their swimming lessons at Eltham Leisure Centre. We soon wanted to find another, then another, then another, then we were hooked and we have been hooked ever since. We started with a basic membership, but on one of our early geocaching outings my daughter and I bumped into shack1961 who told us we would probably sign up for premium soon and never look back. She was right!

Some of the things we love most about geocaching are:

  • It gives us something really fun to do as a family.
  • It takes us to lots of different places and when we are at a loose end, instead of being bored, we go and find a cache.
  • We have met lots of really nice people. We love how people of all different ages and different interests are able to get along and talk about their adventures.
  • It connects us with other people, some of whom we may never meet, but who have interests in geocaching in common.
  • Every time someone posts a find log on one of our caches. We love reading every log, especially the ones with a story.

Okay so I am a little bit excited with your response, sorry total #geonerd here – I have to ask what is your favourite type of geocache and why?

We find this hard to choose as we like them all, however there are three particular types that we like. One is a good puzzle, another is a good gadget cache, and the other is any cache that takes us to a really nice secluded location. A geocache that does all three of these is the ultimate.


When you first started geocaching, what helped you learn more about geocaching (cache types, styles of hides, puzzles etc)

Quite often, it was other geocachers that we bumped into at caches or at events that have helped us with this, however most of what we have learnt has been from solving and finding geocaches of all different types and styles. We also looked at lots of geocaching videos on YouTube when we were stuck at home during lockdown. We particularly enjoyed the videos from West Virginia Tim.


Research is a great suggestion, what advice would you give a newbie geocacher just starting out?


If you can’t find a cache, don’t give up. Don’t ask for hints too soon as it is much more satisfying to go back to a cache multiple times and eventually find it than it is to ask someone where it is. If you can’t find it, check the hint, check when it was last found and read some of the past logs. If you still can’t find it, leave it and try again with a fresh mindset. If you can’t find it after multiple visits then message the cache owner (CO) for an additional hint.

Look for good areas to go geocaching. We looked for caches that had lots of favourite points when we were starting and they gave us lots of joy and helped us to get hooked (thanks Mister Doctor!)

We also recommend that you write a good log. Something more than ‘got it’ or ‘found’. This is much more rewarding for the cache owner who has gone to the trouble of hiding the cache for you. Try to log your finds promptly and try not to copy/paste logs too much.

Over the past few years, what has been your most memorable cache/cache adventure?

We remember most of them. There are a few that stand out. Winding Waters (GC367RT) was one of our first as it was in a beautiful location and we went back to it so many times with more and more ideas and tools before we finally managed to locate and retrieve the cache. My daughter really enjoyed our time at Hillcrest Hike (GC1CD5F) because it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. We also really enjoyed our adventure after the Community Celebration Event at Wangaratta when we decided to do the Wherigo 3MC Workout (GC8HWM6) because it just kept going and going. We bumped into The Easter Bunnies, who I went to uni with, who joined us for the adventure. We didn’t know when the adventure would end and by the time we got back to the car it was very late and very dark!

Thank you so much veevers12 for sharing your insights! Now for those of you that are new, or for those geocachers that have friends and family that are curious about geocaching – we have a brand new event scheduled which is perfect for newbies.

Geocaching Victoria is excited to announce a newbie event in the lead up to the Whittlesea Mega (GC9WXFY). This will be held at the Whittlesea Showgrounds on Sunday 28th August 2022 @ 10.30am. We encourage all those new to geocaching or curious about what geocaching is, to attend.

For those in the community who have been caching for a while, we would love you to tag a muggle and introduce them to this great game of ours.