Category Archives: Event2022

Whittlesea Mega – less than 2 weeks!

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We wanted to give you an update on some of the preparations and contingencies we have in place for the upcoming Mega. The weather in the last month or two has been challenging for all of us, however we are not letting it dampen our spirits… Instead we are riding the waves (fortunately not literally!).

Campgrounds

You may have seen Day’s ‘marvellous’ pitch report earlier today regarding the campgrounds at the Mega. Most are in good shape with a few more warm weather days ahead. Here are some of the insights from our visit today:

  • Sheep Pasture – Campsite is high and dry – sites have a good solid base
  • Pig Pen – Freshly mowed and reasonably dry in the camping area. No mud or slosh visible.
  • Chicken Run – Solid base with gravel roads on all sides of the campsites
  • Cow Paddock – As expected this campground (football oval) has some muddy areas, mainly towards the middle. We removed these sites from sale a few weeks ago, and currently there is little impact to the existing bookings. We are holding a number of sites in reserve as a contingency should any of the allocated spaces become unsuitable. For the most part, the area around the outer of the grounds is quite solid.
Sheep Pasture
Chicken Run
Cow Paddock
Pig Pen

Parking

Some of our overflow car parking plans have had to change, however we have identified other areas with solid ground (mainly gravel) that we will utilise. Obviously it does help where teams are car pooling. Also, if you are camping, we ask that you leave your vehicle at your campsite whilst at the showgrounds so that spaces are available for day visitors.

Other Contingencies

We have moved some of our activities indoors as a precaution, and have contingencies in place for events should we have unfavourable weather on the day. We can’t control the forecast, but we’ll do our best to deal with it as things come up.

Other questions – Was The Whittlesea Show postponed?

Indeed it was. As an agricultural show, it has significant animals moving around the grounds (in low lying areas we are not utilising), has amusements and other structures all over the grounds, and has 1000’s of attendees who require parking. Many of the photos of flooding that were seen came from the carparks on the opposite side of the road to the showgrounds – an area we were never using. So whilst we sympathise with their difficult decision, our considerations are different.

Volunteers – a few spots to fill

We have a few last volunteer spots to fill. If you think you can help, especially with any of the spots below, please complete the form here. Don’t forget volunteers go into the daily prize draw (gift vouchers and other prizes), as well as exclusive pre-access to the puzzle room (and Maze) on Friday night.

  • Friday AM – Maze setup
  • Friday PM – Puzzle room/Camping Check in
  • Saturday AM – Registration/Camping Check in/Parking
  • Saturday PM – Registration/Maze/Gadget Alley
  • Sunday AM – First Aid
  • Sunday PM – Maze packup/Registration/Puzzle Room/Gadgets

Thank you to those that have already volunteered. We will start sending emails on Monday with further details.

There is no doubt the recent rains have been an unwelcome thorn in our side, however rest assured we are evolving our plans daily to ensure that we still deliver a great event. We look forward to seeing you all in Whittlesea in just a couple of short weeks.

Whittlesea Event Schedule

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With just over 4 weeks to go until the Mega, I’m sure you are starting to plan your weekend. The event schedule has now been released to help you build your adventure and is available by following the link below.

Mega Event Schedule

It is filled with lots of awesome activities and events, whilst also allowing plenty of time for caching! The schedule will be updated with any further information as we get closer to the event. Be sure to also follow our facebook page Whittlesea Whispers for further updates.

Volunteers

If you have not already done so, it is not too late to register your interest to volunteer at the Mega. It takes a lot of people to make the event a success and we would love your help.

Simply click this link to register your details – Whittlesea Volunteer Registration.

Thank you to those of you who have already registered. We will be in contact with you in the coming weeks to confirm your volunteer role.

Only 47 Days to go!! Are you ready for some MEGA Fun?

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Happy October and welcome to day light savings – finally. Bring on the sunshine and warmer weather ahead – all of which are great for geocaching!

Don’t Forget to Register!

It is hard to believe that our Whittlesea Mega is only 47 days away, I can feel the excitement building. Now I don’t want to give any secrets away, but there will be some really special and unique activities planned at this Mega, so ensure that you register your attendance, if you haven’t already (GC8EW40).

Are you up for the MEGA challenge?

Okay – I will let you in on ONE secret…..that is, if you are up for a new challenge? Can you help Professor Cachington? He has been developing an antidote for a new disease known as Geopoxitis – a debilitating disease that causes the human body to create its own magnetic field, interfering with any navigational instrument that comes near them. The professor was only 5 ingredients short of finishing the antidote. However while stopping to get a cache on his way to the lab, Professor Cachington contracted the terrible disease. It is now up to you to finish his work, by identifying the 5 crucial ingredients and completing the antidote. The effects of Geopoxitis become permanent after 20 minutes, so time is of the essence. Hurry, the caching world is counting on you! All you have to do, is come to the Mega and more will be revealed….

The WEGT (Whittlesea Event Gadget Trail)

The WEGT (Whittlesea Event Gadget Trail) series, is a series of family friendly Gadget caches, placed for the Whittlesea Event 2022. The trail may expand over time, so keep your eye out for new additions. The series starts with (GC9ZWZV)

Victorian Cache of the Year Awards

Due to a few requests, we have agreed to extend the voting period by two weeks. But you will need to get your votes in soon. The Awards night will be held at the Mega on the Saturday night and it will surely be a night to remember. Be sure to make your vote count and submit your entry before Friday 14th October. All those who vote, will be eligible for the random unobtanium draw, which will also be drawn on the night. Here is the link to the finalists and the voting.

Car Rally – Lead up Event

This month we have our latest Mega Lead up Event planned and we hope to see as many of you there as possible. The car rally is a team adventure where you travel around in a vehicle, exploring the area. You are given a series of clues and information to help you navigate to key locations, whilst gathering answers, completing tasks, as well as challenges along the way. The aim is to make it to the rendezvous point with as many answers and tasks completed as possible. We do ask that you log an attendance if you plan on joining us to assist us with logistics.

  • GC9WKNH – Car Rally Staging Point and Morning Tea – 15th October 2022
  • GC9YAQB – Car Rally Rendezvous Point and Dinner – 15th October 2022

New Puzzle Series

As many of you know, the Whittlesea Compass geo-art has been active for a few years, as the original Mega in Whittlesea was delayed due to Covid. But fast forward a year or two, we felt that it was time to publish an additional series in preparation for the Mega. This new series has been designed to encourage and support those geocachers that are new to puzzle solving. By working through this series, we hope that new skills and techniques can be learned. The puzzles include additional information to help step through the solving process. The link to the new puzzle series can be saved to your geocaching profile for ease of locating. https://www.geocaching.com/plan/lists/BMBJ774

A few other reminders..

  • A last minute shout our for clothing orders – the cut off day to pre-order clothes (for pick up at the Mega) will be Sunday 9th October, so be sure to get your orders in.
  • Events, Events and Events – there are lots of Mega sub-events planned, so be sure to check out this list and log your planned attendance
  • A final BBQ Fundraising event is planned and we hope to see many of you there. Remember Mega Events are only possible because of the dedication of our volunteers and through the fundraising that we do. Please do drop by and buy a sausage and say hello – Mernda 29th October 2022 (GC9YXZT)
  • Ribbon colour for the event is Purple, so be sure to find a snip of purple ribbon so you can attach it to your car for the Mega weekend.
  • Any other Mega Questions? Check out our FAQ or contact the committee via whittleseamega@geocachingvictoria.com.au.

Move it, Move it!

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I like to move it, move it
I like to move it, move it
I like to move it, move it
We like to move it!

I like to move it, move it
She like to move it, move it
He like to move it, move it
We like to move it!

Just like the words to “I like to move it” by Reel 2 Reel as featured in Madagascar, this month we would love to see you move it, move it… to some of the August events scheduled

August Events

August is finally upon us, as is some warmer weather and days with more sunshine. We have a record number of events being hosted in August – we have over 20 to chose from, including:

  • Whittlesea Lead Up Event on Saturday 14th August GC9WKN8 
  • The Great Victorian Cache Crawl on Saturday 20th August (Multiple Locations)
  • Welcome to the Newbies – Whittlesea Lead Up Event on Sunday 28th August GC9WKN8 

Be sure though to check out the events page for a full listing for all scheduled events.

August Move it Competition

So what does move it, move it have to do with events you ask? I am so glad you did. The August competition is to submit or post a video of yourself or your caching team moving… or should I say dancing…. (either on a Facebook post or blog comment below)

The clip needs to go for at least ten seconds to be eligible and filmed whilst caching or attending an event during the month of August 2022. For a little bit of inspiration, I asked The Welder aka Ross to share his cache dance rendition filmed recently on a road trip with heymissjo.

We look forward to your own cache dances! For further inspiration, check out the Cache Pants Dance clip by the Geocaching Vlogger

July BernieH Competition

A massive thank you (especially from BernieH) on everyone who participated in his July Challenge of finding a cache on his remaining unfound cache date. He was super excited to complete the grid. A special should out must go to horror.fan.jm who won best log – congratulations! Here is a link to the winning entry. We will be in touch with you shortly to organise your prize.

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.