Category Archives: News

Hot Off The Press at Awards Night

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As we wrap up a night of entertainment at the Yarraville-Footscray Bowling Club, there is an atmosphere of celebration and achievement. The 2023 Victorian Cache of the Year Awards have just concluded, and the sense of community among geocachers is palpable. This annual event, a highlight on the Geocaching Victoria calendar, celebrates the creativity and dedication of our fellow cachers who have made significant contributions to our beloved pastime over the past year.

The evening began with a battle between barefoot bowls in the Spring heat, and a drink in the cool of the indoors. It was a great chance to mingle and share stories about the latest caching adventures before transitioned indoors for the awards ceremony and 10th anniversary celebration. This year’s awards again featured a range of categories that highlight the diversity and ingenuity within our community. From Best Traditional Cache to Best Adventure Lab, each category showcased the exceptional talent of our nominees. The anticipation built as we awaited the announcement of this year’s winners, and if the glory wasn’t enough, there was $1,000 of prizes of offer for the award winners, thanks to our very generous community sponsors.

And the winners Are…

With great enthusiasm, the awards for each of the eleven categories were presented and the winners for 2023 are:

CategoryGC CodeWinner
Best Traditional CacheGCAAK8FTDOC23: solo? by RyderSpider
Best Multi CacheGCAD0WZJuzzMagic – Bring a Friend by JuzzMagic
Best Mystery CacheGC9YANWThe Lie of The Land by Jacko83
Best Other Cache
(joint winners)		GCADTP6
GCA9G2C
GCAAGTV
Danger!!! Drop Bears by SciFiRulz
TDOC23: The Grinch by OSHFAM the Grinch
TDOC23: A Letterbox/TB Hotel for Cachemas
in July by surefoot24
Best First HideGCAC2YWDog walk sniffs 1 by TanSaf
Best Cache SeriesThe BasinThe Basin by JuzzMagic, Mister Doctor,
iTEEM & Crustyvarmint
Best Cache LocationGCA33DZTDOC23: The Beaumaris Fossil Beach
by gmj3191
Best Regional CacheGCAAGTVTDOC23: A Letterbox/TB Hotel for
Cachemas in July by surefoot24
Best Adventure LabThe Great
Victorian
Ice Cream Tour		The Great Victorian Ice Cream Tour –
Double Scoop by RoamingHowie
Best Cache LogGL1929B59Log on Ducks Ahoy by OSHFAM
Best Overall CacheGCA9G2CTDOC23: The Grinch by OSHFAM the Grinch

Congratulations to all of this years winners and to everyone who was nominated by their peers.

Sponsors

We wish to acknowledge all of the amazing sponsors for this years awards who very generously donated prizes:

  • BernieH
  • Crack’n’LeeLee
  • Grub62 & Bunadoorian
  • ILookedThere
  • OzHockeyChick
  • posums
  • Generous Cacher
  • Kind Cacher
  • Mystery Cacher
  • Supportive Cachers
  • Your friendly neighbourhood cacher

Profile Badge and Cache Page Banner

You can share your nomination/win in the 2023 Victorian Cache of the Year Awards with fellow cachers by doing the following:

  • Add a badge to your personal profile, proudly sharing with the community that you were a nominee/winner
  • Add a banner to your cache page to highlight to finders that your cache was part of the 2023 awards.

Visit this link to find the badge and banner for you.

Prizes

In addition to our award winners, congratulations go to McLookers who took away the major raffle prize valued at over $250 and LongJohnSilva who won the first of our money can’t buy 10th Anniversary unobtainium coins. Stay tuned for more details on how you might be able to win one.

And a huge thank you to our 10 year service award recipients, BernieH and ahomburg for their outstanding contribution to Geocaching Victoria since inception. Geocaching owes an incredible gratitude to you both for your contributions.

As we conclude this year’s celebration, it is inspiring to see the creativity displayed throughout our community. We hope it inspires you when hiding new caches. You never know, you might be one of our nominees for 2024! Congratulations once again to all of the winners and nominees! Here’s to more adventures ahead!

AGM and Committee Update

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As we gear up to celebrate our 10th anniversary on Saturday, it will come as no surprise that we are also due for our 10th AGM and that milestone meeting was held on Wednesday night.

The past year has been nothing short of spectacular, and that’s partly thanks to the largest Geocaching Victoria committee we’ve ever had! A heartfelt shoutout to each and every one of the committee members for their tireless dedication and hard work over the past 12 months. We’ve had a whirlwind of events and community engagement, and guess what? There’s even more fun on the horizon, all thanks to our fantastic team of volunteers!

Welcoming Our New Treasurer

Bernie has been our treasurer from the very beginning, and after a decade of stellar service, our beloved treasurer is stepping down from the role. Bernie has been the backbone of Geocaching Victoria’s finances since day one, ensuring everything runs smoothly behind the scenes. From mega events to awesome projects like the Maze and GeoTour, Bernie has truly kept the financial wheels turning. A massive thank you for your incredible contributions over the years!

With Bernie indicating his intention to step down as treasurer some time ago, the search began for a replacement. In some exciting news, I am thrilled to share that Julie Richards-Fox aka LetThemEatCache, has stepped up as our new treasurer! With her impressive business acumen and financial experience, Julie is ready to take the reins. Julie has been waiting in the wings for a while now as we wrapped up some projects throughout the year. We couldn’t be more thrilled to officially welcome her into the role, Congratulations Julie!

Farewell to Donutholes

A bittersweek moment, Kim Baker, aka Donutholes, recently stepped back from his role on the committee. Kim joined us in February 2023 and brought a wonderful mix of fresh ideas and laughter to our meetings. With a busy home life (3 young “crumbs”) and new work travel commitments piling up, Kim made the important call to focus on his family. Thank you for all your hard work, and we hope to collaborate with you again in the future. Enjoy that extra family time!

Meet Your New Committee

I’m excited to announce that all remaining committee members are back for another term! After all positions were spilled the following office bearers and general committee were elected.

  • President: RoamingHowie
  • Vice President: Bernieh
  • Treasurer: LetThemEatCache
  • Secretary: ahomburg
  • General Committee: Grub62, Mister Doctor, chooknchunk, crack’n’leelee

Let’s give a big round of applause to our committee members! Thank you all for stepping up once again for our community. I can’t wait to work alongside you all this year as we continue to grow and enhance our beloved pastime.

Here’s to another fantastic year ahead filled with lots of geocaching adventures! Happy caching!

2023 Victorian Cache of the Year Awards and 10th Anniversary Celebrations

Get ready for a night of celebration! This Saturday, we’ll not only be toasting to our 10th anniversary at the Yarraville-Footscray Bowling Club, but we’ll also be unveiling the winners of the 2023 Victorian Cache of the Year Awards. Make sure you’ve logged your attendance at GCAWDFX so you don’t miss out on the fun!

Double Digits! Geocaching Victoria Turns 10

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10 years ago today, on the 21 October 2014, an enterprising bunch of Victorian geocachers got together with the lofty idea of hosting the first Victorian Mega. The pioneers, Day1976, LouiseAnn, BernieH, °, ahomburg and sharkiefan got the ball rolling, and as history now tells us, their efforts early on, along with a lot of support from the community, was a great success. In fact the first mega, The Melbourne Event, is still the largest ever mega held in Australia. That initial planning marked the start of Geocaching Victoria (or Geocaching Melbourne as it was known in the early days).

It didn’t stop at just one Mega, with plenty more in the years following. Other events and activities began to be hosted, and involvement in advocacy and support for the geocaching community grew as did the thriving community.

Over the years, there has been a total of 20 individuals who have volunteered and dedicated their time on Geocaching Victoria’s committee. Their energy and guidance have helped to nurture the organisation in continued support of the geocaching community.

In addition there have been numerous sub committees filled with dedicated volunteers who have worked tirelessly to provide major activities and events. These include but are not limited to:

  • Mega sub committees
  • GPS Adventure Maze sub committee
  • Ballarat GeoTour sub committee
  • Block Party sub committee
  • and countless volunteers who have supported our megas, BBQs and other events throughout the years

Without all of these volunteers, Geocaching Victoria wouldn’t be what it is today. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who has volunteered and contributed over the past 10 years.

For those that love their stats, here are the last 10 years by the numbers:

  • 8 Mega events delivered
  • 1 Block Party in development
  • 4 GPS Adventure Maze exhibits
  • 1 GeoTour
  • 250+ events hosted
  • 14,000+ attendances
  • 573 geocaches hidden

As we look forward to the Anniversary and Cache of the Year Celebration event on 16 November (GCAWDFX) and our first ever Block Party in March 2025 (GCAP417) there is no shortage of activity to come. Don’t forget to log your will attends for these events.

As always, none of this is possible without fundraising, and you can commemorate the occasion, and support future Geocaching Victoria activities by purchasing our limited edition 10th anniversary geocoin through our online store.

We look forward to what the next 10 years has in store, and we hope that you will continue to join in all the fun.

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.

Cachemas In July 2024

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After the success of Cachemas in July last year we are pleased to bring back this caching festival in 2024.

  1. Cachemas in July Lunch – 27 July
  2. Twelve Days of Cachemas (TDOC24) Cache Series
  3. Victorian Geocache Statistics

Cachemas in July Lunch – 27 July

Be sure to mark 27 July in your calendar as we welcome all cachers and muggle families to join us to celebrate Cachemas in July, an afternoon of fun, food and good times with fellow cachers. There has been a short delay in event publication, however we expect this should appear next week and will be available at GCAPPGD once published. All the details are below:

  • GCAPPGD (publication pending)
  • Saturday 27 July 2024
  • 11:30am – 3:00pm
  • Kensington Town Hall, Kensington
  • Fully catered lunch (lunch and dessert)
  • Soft drinks available for purchase
  • Games, prizes and Kris Kringle (optional)
  • $28 per person – Book your tickets at https://www.trybooking.com/CRXGK

We can’t wait to celebrate with you on the day.

Some snaps from last years event.

Twelve Days of Cachemas (TDOC24) Cache Series

We were thrilled by the response to last years Twelve Days of Cachemas (TDOC23) cache series and are pleased to welcome it back for 2024.

This year we are opening the series up to the community so that more people can participate. Are you interested in submitting a hide to form part of TDOC24?

To register your interest, create a cache page (it can be blank for now – you just need a GC code), and then complete the cache registration form by 2 June. You don’t have to have hidden your cache or completed the cache page details by then, we just need an idea of your hide so we can plan for it in the series. You can start working on your cache straight away. We will touch base with you once registrations close to confirm your hide and supply cache page artwork.

Importantly you should initially plan to have your cache submitted for review no later than 7 July 2024, however earlier is better. If this is one of your first hides, or your hide has some tricky review elements, you should initiate the review process a week earlier.

If you need to change your submission or have a specific question you can email us at cachemas@geocachingvictoria.com.au.

Some guidelines to help with your Cachemas geocache are as follows:

  • The final and any associated waypoints need to be within Victoria.
  • We encourage use of the Cachemas theme throughout your hide, however it is not essential.
  • Include “TDOC24:” at the start of the cache name and include the series banner and intro on the cache page (content will be provided at a later date). The remainder of the cache name and cache page are entirely yours to design as usual.
  • The cache will be published at a designated date and time per the series schedule (with reviewer support). This will be advised.
  • Please keep your cache and timing to yourself to enhance the enjoyment for everyone during the festival.
  • You can accommodate multiple attributes into your cache (ie it can be proposed in the Mystery cache category and still incorporate a rare LGA type or rare D/T.). The broader the mixture of types, sizes, locations and attributes the better.
  • You can propose a cache in more than one Cachemas category, although we recommend focusing on quality and variety vs quantity.
  • Use your main CO account (no sock puppets).
  • We may reach out to you for help if there are limited caches in a particular category or location

Victorian Geocache Statistics

If you are wanting to add an extra dimension to your Cachemas (or other) hides, you may like to visit our new Victorian Geocache Statistics page. This page has various statistics for caches placed in Victoria. You may like to work towards adding a cache to one of the rarer spots shown in the statistics grids.

We can’t wait to see the ideas the community has for this years series, and look forward to joining you on July 27 in Kensington for the Cachemas celebration event.