Category Archives: Our Community

Beginner Series #9 – So you want to become a Cache Owner!

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There comes a time in every geocachers journey where you start to explore the idea of hiding your own cache. After your initial first find, the first ten, twenty, maybe fifty finds – your numbers really start to find pace and you are hungry for more. You start to to hunt them down at every chance you can get.

It is often at this time, that your geo-sense really kicks in and the world around you starts to look completely different. It dawns on you how many possible hide locations you have in front of you and wonder how you never knew about this before. Your conversations with family and friends are suddenly filled with geo-this and geo-that and they start to wonder what in the geo-world you are talking about!

Now if the geo-bug really bites, a geocacher will start to consider hiding their very own cache. But where do you start? What do you need to consider? In Victoria we are very fortunate to have some passionate geocachers/reviewers that can guide you through the process. With the Mega only four days away and a special forum scheduled on the Sunday to “Meet the Reviewers”, I thought that it would be the perfect time to interview Bunjil aka Peter and Helen.

Thanks so much Bunjil for chatting with me, I am intrigued – how did you first get into Geocaching?

We started Geocaching back in April 2007 – and boy, there’ve been a lot of changes since then!  We owned a hand held GPS (Garmin GPSMAP 62) and found out about Geocaching from Scouting friends.  We were just heading to Tasmania for 1 month and decided to try it out.  After printing reams of paper – one for each geocache (no paperless geocaching then and another era), we were taken to locations around Tasmania, not on our itinerary, that were really interesting, so we thought there must be something in this!    

We found our first geocache while taking our dog to the kennels for our Tasmanian trip – ‘Mitchells Stop’ (GC277B) at Expedition Pass near Faraday/Castlemaine. It’s still available to be found. 

Our First placement was made after we had accumulated well over 100 Finds and as a result of some ‘taps on the shoulder’ from other Bendigo Geocachers. So, on 23 August 2008 ‘theUMP’ published ‘Dry Run’ (GC1FGGG) and we were off and running as Cache Owners. This cache is still available too. 

Tell us a little about how you became a reviewer?  

Basically, as is described in the Help Centre article: Community Volunteer Reviewers.  We were approached sometime in the second half of 2013.  We were given our magic wand on 8th November 2013 and then the fun began – lots of on-the-job training and, we are still learning! 

What makes a good hide? 

There are a number of elements that can go into making a really good placement, but overall, it should provide an enjoyable/interesting experience for finders.  There are a multitude of resources and information available on line to help cache owners put together an enjoyable placement.  These are the links we suggest to intending Cache Owners: 

– Hiding a Geocache  

– Ten Tips for a Tip-Top Geocache Container   

– Geocaching Etiquette 201: Cache Ownership

– The 4 Most Common Geocache Hiding Mistakes  

– Be a better hider  

A Cache Owner (CO) who has experienced some good placements and has a variety of finds, will have a better idea as to what makes an interesting geocaching experience.  Obviously, this will vary from Geocacher to Geocacher – what one person finds enjoyable, another may not.  

Talking to other Geocachers (at Events) can be very useful for a budding Cache Owner as they go about designing and manufacturing their placement. 

What are common mistakes you often see for new cache owners? 

Overall, the understanding that Cache Ownership is a whole lot different to just finding caches: that they are undertaking an aspect of Geocaching that has both a lot of requirements, as well as ongoing responsibilities. 

The number one mistake is failing to read the Guidelines and source out information in the Help Centre.  There is a seven chapter section in the Help Centre titled:  Hide a Cache, but unfortunately, very few budding Cache Owners take the time to read through it. 

The second most common mistake is not understanding the technicalities and process of establishing accurate coordinates. 

Who creates the guidelines for hiding caches, challenges, puzzles and events? 

The Guidelines were first established in July 2002, prior to that it was ‘anything goes’.  The first Guidelines were in regard to: No precedent, Off-Limits, Commercial, Virtual and Locationless Caches defined. 

As the activity evolved, so did the Guidelines.  Since July 2002 there have been 14 significant changes or additions to the guidelines.  As well there have been ongoing minor adjustments, clarifications and corrections.   

In 2015, in recognition of varying requirements around the world, a Regional Policies element was introduced. 

In 2016 there was an embargo on Challenge caches for a year while the Challenge Cache requirements we redrawn and changed. 

The Guidelines themselves are developed, managed and maintained by Geocaching HQ in Seattle, USA, based on input from the Geocaching Community through the Geocaching Forum and from Reviewers through the Reviewer Forum, as well as outcomes from the Appeal process.  They are changed from time to time as the activity evolves and to meet the changing requirements of the activity.  Changes are announced through the Community Forum as a ‘Release Note’ or ‘Update’, as well as in the Weekly Newsletter – Logbook. 

Whilst Reviewers are there to assist and guide Cache Owners through the various requirements and publish their cache; a gate keeper so to speak, it is expected that a Cache Owner will have some knowledge and understanding of the requirements.  

If a proposed cache has an unusual aspect or there is a query as regards the requirements, a Cache Owner can submit the Cache Page for review with the word ‘QUERY’ in the cache title and include their query or concern in a Reviewer Note log.  This facilitates the cache being looked at by a number of Reviewers as well as Geocaching HQ, if there is a contentious aspect to the cache.  

What advice would you give a ‘new geocacher’ who has recently discovered the game and is interested in hiding their first geocache? 

First of all, don’t be scared off by the requirements – we have all had to place our first cache at some time or another and as a whole, it is a great learning process.  However, we would suggest they need to grasp a clear understanding of the activity.  This is best done by attending a few Events and talking with other Geocachers. They might even find a helpful Cache Owner who is willing to guide/mentor them. 

Then they need to develop ideas for their placement and run through a check list to ensure that it meets the requirements.  There is a comprehensive list on our Profile page – DETAILED CHECKLIST: CACHE PLACEMENT, but there are other simpler ones around. 

Once they submit their cache for review, keep an eye out for Notification Emails from Geocaching HQ and be sure to respond to all the Reviewer’s enquiries by Reviewer Note log (on the cache page). Hopefully the cache can then be published and they are on their way to experience the joy and pleasure of cache ownership. 

What are the expectations of a new cache owner once a cache is published? 

Whilst it is impossible to keep a cache in the pristine condition it was when it was published, a Cache Owner should be making ‘regular’ visits to ensure the cache is in good condition and is placed as it should be.  The ‘regular’ will depend on the nature of the cache, where it is located and how many visitors it is getting.  Obviously, the more complicated the cache, the smaller the log capacity along with the nature of the placement, will all dictate a requirement for more frequent checks.   

A Cache owner should have an understanding of the maintenance requirements and regime along with the need to monitor the various logs placed on their cache. Responding promptly where there is an issue indicated and, if they cannot attend to it within a few days, disabling the cache until the issue can be addressed. 

Once a cache is published, there is still a job for the reviewers, tell us a little about that? 

Ideally, if a Cache Owner lived up to their responsibilities, there wouldn’t be anything for a Reviewer to do once a cache is published!   

However, we don’t live in a perfect world, so, as an ongoing function, reviewers are provided with cache listings where it would seem there is an issue with a cache or where a CO has not responded as expected. 

This generally occurs when there are a series of Did Not Find logs (DNF) or a Needs Maintenance log has been placed on the cache by a finder.  As a general rule, if there is no CO action within 3 weeks of either receiving an email from Geocaching HQ, or the placement of the Needs Maintenance log, Reviewer intervention will follow.  This can vary from Disabling the cache to sending a reminder to the CO and, if there is no action, eventually end in the De-listing (Archiving) the cache.  

If there is a need for Reviewer intervention, Cache Owners should be aware of the Guideline that advises; “Cache owners who do not maintain their existing caches in a timely manner may temporarily or permanently lose the right to list new caches on Geocaching.com.” 

Thanks so much for such comprehensive answers – this is great. But one final question – do you still cache and how do you pick which ones to collect as you would see so many published.  

Yes, we continue to geocache under our geocaching account ‘Phetlern’.   

Dealing with the large number of caches that pass through the review queue as we do, unless a cache is particularly outstanding or there are issues, we don’t generally remember much about the caches we handle. 

There are a number of protocols provided by Geocaching HQ that Reviewers undertake to follow which includes aspects regarding the finding of caches.  For us this means: 

  • When we place a cache we arrange for another Reviewer to check and publish.  
  • We do not chase First To Finds (FTF) but have found the occasional one that has stood waiting for some time and we happened to be in the area, generally with other Geocachers. 
  • We allow a period of time to elapse before attempting to solve a Mystery/Puzzle cache.  

Thanks so much Bunjil that is sure to give many newbie geocachers something to think about! I remember when I met you at my first Mega in St Arnaud and heard you speak at the ‘Meet the Review session’ and I was in awe of the amazing job you both do. I had only just started publishing my own first cache or two and remembered how invaluable your advice was. So for those that are new to our community and are considering your first hide, I highly recommend attending the session at the Whittlesea Mega and learn more tips and tricks from Bunjil.

– heymissjo

November AGM Election Results

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The GVI Committee would like to advise, that on Monday 9th November 2022, that the Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held and the following committee member elections were made:

President – Jo Cox (heymissjo)

Vice President – Andrew Howard (RoamingHowie)

Treasurer – Bernie Hollaway (BernieH)

Secretary – Adriaan Homburg (ahomburg)

Member – Day Gowland (day1976)

Member – Rod Lyon (n0w0rries)

Accepting a role on the committee is not done lightly as the hours volunteered are often done while juggling other family, work and personal commitments, but it’s the love of the game that keep us coming back for more. Congratulations and thanks to all of you, for accepting your positions for the year ahead.

We would also like to take the time to acknowledge and thank Lorraine Sleep Olgivie (the_tritonz), who previously held the Vice President role, for her dedication over the past few years. After many years, she has decided to step down and enjoy new ventures ahead. We wish her all the very best.

Questions for our Lackeys & Reviewers

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We are just a little excited and would love to share some news… did you know we are fortunate enough to have some Lackeys attending our Whittlesea Mega!! Woo Hoo!

What is a Lackey I hear you ask? Great question!! A Lackey is someone who works and represents Geocaching HQ at events with pride. Some of you might remember that we had Rock Chalk attend St Arnaud Mega in 2019, but this Mega we have more than one Lackey attending… we have FOUR!! Each Lackey plays a different role at HQ and bring different professional expertise to the game we all love behind the scenes. Can you imagine working for Geocaching HQ – how awesome would it be! Our special visitors are…

Maria – (AKprincesswarrior) Learning & Development Manager
Kelli – (ktaylor211) Adventure Lab Support Manager and Scrum Master
Erin – (oceanazul) Product Manager – Adventure Lab
Emily – (MychaelAnne) Revenue Accountant

We are also fortunate to have many reviewers attending the Mega Bunjil (Vic), Diogeones & Penelope (The Netherlands), Jingeri (Qld). Ngaambul (NSW/ACT) Balayang (Tas, WA, NT)/GeoAwareANZ2 and Tchingal (SA)

Given that we have the opportunity to connect with these awesome humans, we thought that it would be great to host a “Meet and Greet” session with the Lackeys and the Reviewers (Sunday 9am) and provide an opportunity to our community to connect and ask questions. To help us prepare for this session, if you could let us know what questions or topics you have that you would like to hear about. Click on the form and register your questions.

Beginner Series #8 – I Challenge You!

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It would be fair to say, that there are a few of us in the geocaching community that have a competitive streak in us. But the beauty of geocaching is that often – the competition is with ourselves!

I never forget when I first discovered what a challenge cache was – it was like a whole new world of geocaching opened up to me and I was in awe of how rich, yet diverse the game really was. I had many late nights after that moment, delving into the possibilities, the statistics, the challenges and tried to see if in my newbie status of geocaching, I actually qualified for any…. sadly I didn’t – BUT I had a whole new appreciation for what I COULD achieve.

With the Whittlesea Mega only a few weeks away and with the recent publication of a new challenge series (Whittlesea Challenge Wander Series) available, I thought it was an opportune time to connect with one of our challenge greats – Adriaan Homburg aka ahomburg on his experience on what makes challenges so exciting.

Thanks for chatting with me ahomburg, firstly can you share with us when you started Geocaching?
I registered in 2006 but never tried to find a cache until 2010 when I was heading out for a BBQ with my family on Australia day. There was a Muzza cache called Dandenong Ranges Track #3 (GCC4F2) which was close by. The rest is history!

You have a great reputation for creating and achieving lots of different types of challenge caches – for those that are new to the game, can you explain what is a challenge cache?
A challenge cache uses the same icon as a geocaching puzzle or mystery cache and it is usually at the listed coordinates and will have the word “challenge” in its title. But there is no puzzle to solve – rather it has a challenge for you to meet!

So finding the container is not enough to claim a smiley. Within the description of the cache, it will outline what you have to achieve or what criteria you have to meet in order to qualify and complete the challenge.

This could be as simple as finding a total of 50 caches, or it could be that you have to find 5 large caches, or attend ten events. There are a wide range of challenges available some suitable for beginners, where as others may be for more seasoned cachers and could take years to achieve.

How do you find challenge caches? Is there a list?
There are a few ways to locate challenge caches. The easiest way is to go to project-gc.com where you can bring up a map or view a list of nearby challenges.

You can sign a challenge cache log book at any time. It is important to note that if you find the actual cache before you qualify, you can add a ‘write note’ to the cache confirming that you have signed the physical log and that you intend to work towards the challenge. Once you meet the requirements of the cache, you can then follow up with a ‘found it’ log and claim the smiley.

Sometimes you qualify for a challenge cache before you find the actual cache. If this is the case you can add a write note with your evidence (from project gc checker as an example) of how you meet the criteria and show your intention to sign the log at a future date. This can then be followed up with a ‘found it’ log when you sign the actual log.

You mentioned project GC checkers to see if you have qualified, what is a checker and how do I use it?
All challenges since 2016 must include a project-gc.com challenge checker. Challenge checkers are used to see if a you qualify for a challenge and an easy way for the cache owner to know if you have filled the challenge criteria. These are all on project-gc.com, there is usually a link on the challenge cache page to see if you have qualified. It’s just a matter of opening the link and clicking on “Run Checker” and crossing your fingers. 🤣

What are some great challenges that beginners should start on?
The best type for beginners is to find a certain number of caches, these are great as you don’t have to think too much about it. You can then move to the more complex ones like finding a certain number in a particular month.

BettyBoo3747 has some great challenge caches around the Beechworth Area like ‘Who Hid That There’ (GC4GZXH) where you have to collect 26 caches alphabetically from A-Z by Hider name. Perhaps even some of Sharkiefan’s challenge caches like (GC5AKTV) The 50 Souvenir Challenge Cache.

Geocaching Victoria also has quite a few listed on their website to help get you going. So be sure to check out that challenge web page.

What have been some of the favourite challenge caches that you have completed?
Most challenges are fun. My absolute favourite are ones I don’t qualify for and have to work towards.

The original Unloved challenge, (GC3KWWQ) Spread the Love Challenge – where you had to find caches that had not been found in at least 183 days (6 months) it was great fun and always great to find these with a focus on caches that had not been found in the longest amount of time.

The other one I really like is the map based ones like (GCY98X) Victoria Country Road Atlas Challenge, where you have to find one cache on every page of the Victorian Country road map book and of course the (GC5DFFR) Victorian LGA Polygon Challenge where you need a cache in all the local government areas in Victoria.

You have such a high number of finds, and an experienced cacher, is there still challenges you are working towards that have not yet qualified for?
Sadly in recent years the guidelines around publishing challenge caches have changed whereby all challenges need 10 local qualifiers to be published. Often I find that I already qualify for new challenges, but there has been a few recently like the 12 in every Victorian LGA and the 20 in 80 LGAs which have given me something to work on.

But in recent months I have enjoyed creating new challenge caches for others, like the recently published Whittlesea Challenge Wander Series.

Thanks so much ahomburg – I certainly look forward to working towards your more recent challenges, but to be honest I have many of your older ones still on the go too!

I must say I am a fan of the project GC challenge tools, because once you have added a write note to a challenge cache and run the checker, it tracks what challenges you are working on via the profile statistics… and lets just say my list is long!

– heymissjo

Beginner Series #7 – The Life of a Trackable

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It doesn’t take long for a geocacher “new to the game” to stumble across a trackable and wonder what on earth they have found. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and although these game pieces are often unique, it is not immediately clear as a new geocacher, what you are suppose to do with them.

With the Whittlesea Mega only a few weeks away (which is a great place to discover or move on a trackable), I thought it would be great to get further insight into what these game pieces are all about. To help shine a light on the life of a trackable, I spoke to Pinkpiggy7 aka Bert, Danielle and Adam recently to hear their thoughts on what they were all about.

Thanks so much Pinkpiggy7 for your time, firstly can you share with us when you started Geocaching and what got you into this crazy hobby we love?

We are Pinkpiggy7, being Bert (Dad) and the now young adults Danielle and Adam, at anytime we could be out caching as the 3 of us, or just one of us.

In January 2014 the 3 of us went on a family holiday to Merimbula, one night at the accommodation, there was a fire on one of the power poles out the front, and while waiting for the fire brigade, we got chatting to the owner, and they mentioned this game that they occasionally play. The next day using Danielle’s smart phone (I still had an old not so smart phone), we found our first cache at the nearby airport, and a few more in the area. That started our crazy obsession. Which has taken us to places we would have otherwise just driven past.

Can you explain what a trackable or TB is?

A trackable is a game piece which has a unique tracking code on it, which once enabled on Geocaching.com and released into the wild, can be picked up and moved around by players to different caches. They can also stay with their owner to be discovered at events. When looking at a trackable page, look at the map, it can really show some interesting travels. PP7 Map example

There are 4 basic things you can do if you find one: –

  • Retrieve – Which means you take it from the cache, and log that it is now in your possession, to take it on its travels, be it to the next cache down the road, or on a longer journey to help it fulfil its mission.
  • Discover – This just allows you to make an electronic log to indicate that you have seen the trackable on your travels, it may be in a cache, in the hands of the owner or maybe at an event.
  • Grab it – This can be used if you pick up the trackable from somewhere besides where the website thinks it is. As an example, we have found one in a totally different cache than listed, or at an event someone has given it to us to help it’s on its journey. This moves it into your possession.
  • Write note – Often used to send a note to the trackable owner, it could be that it is missing from the listed cache or some other random note.

Are there different types? Are they different to geocoins?

Yes there are many different types of trackable items, the most basic is a dog tag style with a tracking code, which is often attached to some other random item, i.e. we have them attached to key tags, old USB sticks, toy animals, etc. Often the mission is based around the object you attach.

Then there are many other types, as an example we have T shirts which are trackable that we wear to events, Sully our car has a trackable code on it, I have even seen people with a trackable tattoo (that’s crazy), if you can put a tracking code on it, it can be done.

There are also Geocoin’s which have tracking numbers, but these are rarely let loose into the wild due to their value and are mostly retained by the owner more to commemorate special events. As an example, we just purchased one to mark our 8000 find, and will keep that in our display. We also collect Geocoins from the Mega’s we have attended.

If a new geocacher wanted to have a go at releasing a trackable, how do they do it?

First buy a trackable from a Geocaching store, maybe start with a cheap dog tag. We tend to attach some random object, which relates to its mission.

Head over to the Activate Trackable page on Geocaching.com

Here you need to enter the unique code on the trackable, and an activation code. Give it a unique name, describe what mission you would like it to complete (ie. Visit random caches, visit as many zoo’s as possible).

This will then activate it, and you can go and drop it in a cache to begin it’s travels.

Here is a picture of one we have setup just for this blog post. (TB7FKB2) Travel Bug Dog Tag – Beginner Blog Trackable (geocaching.com) Feel free to look at it’s mission and travels to date.

How many do you have? Have they travelled far?

We currently own 43 trackables, some have gone AWOL after travelling zero km’s, others have travelled well over 50,000 km’s all over the world.

We also have a trackable on our car, which gets logged when we go on trips, Casper our first Geomobile clocked up over 33,000 km’s, and Sully is currently up to 7000 km’s, in his 2 years with us, noting that our caching has being severely curtailed in that period.

Our trackable which has travelled the furthest is Oink ( (TB6CJGD) Travel Bug Dog Tag – Oink! (geocaching.com) ) which has over 154,000 km’s.

We have a personal trackable which we try to log into every cache on our travels, it has travelled over 130,000 km’s of cache-to-cache distance, are we addicted? No way.

Am I right in saying that you can set missions for your trackables?

Yes, when first setting up a trackable the owner can set a mission on the page, doing this doesn’t guarantee that finders will help it on it’s mission, but it is a guide rather than a must do.

We have 5 which their mission was to complete a race to 2 other continents, then come back to Australia, only one ever completed the mission, but it was fun watching them.

Once when visiting QLD we had 10 minutes to spare before the plane was due to leave, so we went and found a cache (as you do), it had a trackable, but we didn’t have time to check it’s mission, but took it anyhow. When we checked it at home, it’s mission was to go only 20 km’s down the road from us, so the next day we dropped it off.

Anything else that a beginner should know about trackables?

Trackables are a side game to Geocaching, if you don’t want to participate, there is no requirement to log or take the trackable from a cache. Our game is a fun game, where we all tend to play it slightly differently so don’t feel compelled to take part.

Never publish a photo of the number on the trackable to social media, a cache log or anywhere else, there are people out there who find these numbers and log them as found, they even publish lists of the numbers, and the owner gets spurious logs because some people just want to spoil it for everyone.

Playing trackables can be a fun or frustrating part of the game, some of ours have gone missing within days of being released, others have travelled thousands of kilometres, don’t get to attached to the items you send into the wild, just make it a fun thing and enjoy.

Enjoy our addiction!!!

Thanks so much Pinkpiggy7, you have given us great insight into the world of trackables and even cleverly inserted your own to be discovered within this blog. What a creative idea and a journey I would be interested to follow.

For those of you that are keen to learn more about trackables you can read more at geocaching.com/track

– heymissjo