Category Archives: GPS MAZE

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:

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

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Now we have come a far cry from the days when we would see newspaper boys standing on the corner, promoting the release of breaking news. But it is timely that we do have some updates to share with you about the up coming Mega. So jump straight in and read all about it!

Firstly did you that we have organised a pre-Mega catch up? This is planned for Saturday 25th March 2023 – GCA5NZT – Pre Rutherglen Catch Up. We hope to see you there!

Information Sessions

We have just finalised the details of the Information Session and are excited to share the topics and schedule of the information sessions planned over the Mega weekend. All Information Sessions will be held at The Old Council Chambers, above the Rutherglen Library – 153 High Street, Rutherglen

  • Cachly Information Session by beckNmonts
  • How to create an Earthcache by GeoAwareANZ2
  • Placing Night Caches by ILookedThere
  • Solving Puzzle Caches by GJMMelb
  • Cachetur.no – more than a road trip app by Kittykatch
  • Pocket Queries and Lists by GeoLibrarian54
  • Adventurous Caching for Beginners by Jamin Appleford
  • Do’s and Don’t s For Placing Geocaches’ by Bunjil
  • NEWBS & scary events! by skuzzybear

Meet the Reviewers Sessions

There will also be an opportunity to meet the reviewers and ask some questions and get ideas for your next hide. This session will be held at Soldiers Hall – 150 High Street Road, Rutherglen

For more information please refer to our webpage.

The GPS Maze is coming to Rutherglen

We are proud to present the 4th version of the maze for all geocachers to enjoy. Be sure to check the schedule for dates and times. (GC9V3RY)

Whether this will be your first Maze visit or you’ve visited  every GPS Maze, you should proudly proclaim your achievement by purchasing an “I survived the GPS Maze T-Shirt”. Worn by the most discerning and fashionable geocachers, make your geo-friends jealous that they too, should attempt to survive the GPS Maze and have not yet done so. Stocks are limited but are available in all sizes from Small to 3XL. Buy one for each member of your team and join an exclusive club. Only $22

We also have a limited edition Rutherglen Maze Geocoin availabe, so be sure to order one of those at the Geocaching Victoria Online Shop.

Win an Unobtanium Coin with a Nametag

For those of you attending the Mega weekend, we would love you to wear your nametag! The name tag must be on the most visible layer of clothing (ie an embroidered shirt would count, but not if you have a jumper over the top).

It’s a great way to recognise those caching names you may be familiar with, particularly if you do not recognise faces. It’s also a lovely way to connect and meet other fellow cachers that you may not have met before.

Over the course of the weekend, the MEGA committee will hand out raffle tickets to those of you spotted wearing a name tag. Each recepient will go in the draw to win an Unobtanium coin. The winner will be drawn at the closing ceremony (you must be present)

To participate, you can:

  • Get creative and make a nametag
  • Bring a nametag you already own
  • Purchase a geocaching nametag
  • Pack enough geocaching items with your name embroidered to wear each day

Volunteering at the Rutherglen Event

As you know, our MEGA events are run entirely by volunteers. We need a few more volunteers to fill all roles. Have we mentioned that volunteers do get a small thank you gift for their time?

Some examples of things that we need assistance with is as follows:

  • Work the gate on Thursday afternoon. When else will you get a chance to tell so many people where to go?
  • Have you got pavilion set up experience? We need a few people from 2pm Friday to help the council set up some tables and pavilions for us.
  • Help set up the maze Thursday morning.
  • Work the gate on Friday, another perfect opportunity to tell people where to go.
  • Help on Saturday, both morning and afternoon.

Please complete our volunteer registration form

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We Have Some aMAZEing News!

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Geocaching Victoria is excited to announce that the GPS Adventure Maze will be returning to Victoria really soon, after recently travelling all the way to Townsville in April.

The GPS Maze will make its third appearance at The Whittlesea Event (GC8EW40) on 19th – 20th November 2022 (GC9N1CX).

For those that don’t know, the GPS Adventure Maze Exhibit is a rare event icon that originally appeared in the USA in 2007. The Exhibit, initially hosted by Geocaching HQ, travelled around the USA and Canada until 2015 before being retired. The Czech Geocaching Association were allowed to create their own maze in 2013 and it first appeared in Prague of that year. The Czech maze travelled to the UK and Germany in 2015, back to the Czech Republic in 2017, to Austria in 2018 and Czech Republic in 2022. The Texas Geocaching Association began their own maze in 2019 and appeared in Fort Worth in that year. It has travelled to Georgia, Ohio and Kansas in 2021. Finally, GeoNord are bringing the maze to France for the first time ever in 2022.

This maze, created by Geocaching Victoria, will be the third maze in the southern hemisphere and will make Australia only the 7th country in the world to host a maze.

Want to Attend?

This Adventure Maze Exhibit will be in the Cattle Shed, which is part of the showgrounds at The Whittlesea Event on the weekend of the 19th to 20th of November, 2022. There is disabled access, plenty of parking and restroom facilities. The Adventure Maze Exhibit is totally free to attend and is open to the general public.

Exhibit Hours:

  • Friday 18th – 5pm – 7pm – Special pre-event opening for Foundation Friends of the Maze and VIPs only.
  • Saturday 19th – 9am – 3pm – Open to the public
  • Sunday 20th – 9am – 12pm – Open to the public

We anticipate the highest crowds to be on Saturday morning, so if you can wait, please consider coming on Sunday.

What should you know?

  • Except for the Friday afternoon pre-event for the Foundation Friends of the Maze, entry to the maze is on a first-come-first serve basis.
  • Only a limited number of people can be admitted into the maze at a time.
  • We anticipate the longest lines to be on the Saturday morning and the shortest to be on the Sunday morning.

Log your “will attend now” (GC9N1CX)

aMAZEing Merchandise

We also have a great selection of merchandise available in the shop, so be sure to have a browse and add to your cart.

SHOP LINK IS HERE

Whittlesea Merchandise

And just in case you missed it – we have a great selection of goodies for the Whittlesea Mega as well! Be sure to check it out!

SHOP LINK IS HERE