Geocaching

Saturday , 27 December 2014 Eight caches had been added since our last walk up the hill, which is now getting to be close to 4k to the end one. For variety, and to get an additional cache at the northern end of Goat Hills, we walked own the Zig Zag fire trail and that needed care to avoid involuntary sliding. Montrose List 12 - Holden on Fortunately it didn’t take long to work out the answer as an internet search just happened to bring up the right list, although there was 1 dicky one in there. Montrose List 11 - Hard Rock (but no Cafe) Number 12 was visited first and while there Peter's pack tipped over before we headed off to this cache.  Once the log was extracted we discovered that some items were missing and Peter had to walk back to 12 where he also found his drink bottle as well.  An unplanned 300 metre extra walk.   But we did have a cup of tea, although it was a BYO variety. Montrose List 13 - I Love Puzzles I worked out what the puzzle items were but th...

Thursday , 4 September 2014 As we ran out of time on a recent trip to the Channel district we returned to seek out those caches missed. The weather was even better than last time because there was no early fog.  Plans had to be slightly rearranged to fit in lunch at the Lotus Eaters café in Cygnet. Coffee was spot on and the food good.  After this visit we still have more in the area to look for and another return is needed. Ana's View It was where expected.  It was a lovely bay we only had ever seen was briefly whilst driving past. We left a lizard TB. Tranquil Bay Very neat hide which was not easy to see wearing sunglasses.  Left black sheep TB. Middleton 1 Sue picked the correct side.  A small wallaby was very quiet close to us and may have been unwell, as it didn’t bolt off as is normal. Two Ladies Meet Didn’t take long to find once there.  We parked well south and walked along the beach.  Enjoyed the views of Huon Island and Adamson Peak...

Tuesday , 15 July 2014 Peter decided to spend the morning helping the Friends of Coningham with weeding out Erica in the reserve while Sue went for a walk along the beaches and cliff tops, collecting a geocache on the way. After lunch we walked up to Sheppards Hill where we noticed that a lot of Erica had been sprayed and was looking very lifeless then down the eastern end and along the coastal cliff top track to the car, getting three more caches on the way. For Sue the days walking distance was 12k. Channel Views Good views still, but the young trees nearby are growing taller. The log had just a touch of dampness. Littoral 2 The tree that was down stopped Sue as she still had a caste for her broken wrist. Peter hopped over it and then hopped over a rail to make getting to the cache easier. Sunday Drive #2 Conningham Sue found and it was well hidden. The log was signed on the old picnic table. The Cave Peter had been past here several times but never gone to look at the cave from...

Wednesday , 14 May 2014 We parked at the northern end of Mortimer Bay and walked along the beach. It was good to see that some of the cursed invasive radiate pines have been sawn down, but what wasn’t so good was the wet dog that ignored its owner and jumped up on us. On the other hand it was fantastic to see so many Oyster catchers in the bay. It was straight forward walking along the bush lined track until reaching a small beach where it was hoped there would be a way up to a road, however a fence and wet area caused rethink. We decided to continue on to the Isthmus beach and walked a short distance beside the main road. A track off to the side was used then another short bit beside the road before the Storm View track, which started steeply uphill. It is almost 2k along that track and it was very annoying to get almost to the end and find a closed sign. That would have entailed an additional 4 k walk to backtrack and there had been no sign at the start to warn of the closure. The ...

Wednesday , 30 April 2014 After running out of time two days earlier and with a pleasant weather prediction, we headed off to do the caches that had been planned for the previous trip, plus some more. But it took us so long walking and searching that we ended up still being at Ranelagh after 1 PM and bought lunch at Summer Kitchen baker. It advertises as an organic business and the food and coffee were tasty. Save a cowboy Ride a ??? A light shower was falling, but Sue was able to hop out and quickly bring it back to the car for signing. One Lane Creek 4 Looked where the GPS and logic said, but no sign of it. 4 Corners-2 Found one in this series before so went straight to the the right spot. One Lane Creek 3 Peter went north side and kept his shoes dry, whilst Sue encountered long wet grass on the south approach. The log was so wet it was impossible to sign. Actually on first sighting Peter was none too sure that this wasn’t just some an old discarded object rather than the cache ...

Monday , 28 April 2014 As a nice day was in the offing we decided perhaps a bushwalk might be the go. However it was not until breakfast that the thought of Pelverata and Slippery Falls would be a good option. We seemed to recall there was a geocache there and a check on the web revealed two in fact. Being not a long walk we thought that a few more caches could be picked up during the drive back from the walk. All this investigation and downloading data to the GPS ended up taking longer than expected, with the result that it was close to midday by the time we started walking. After reaching the viewing platform at Pelverata Falls, we then commenced the ascent up the scree to the top of the falls. A lunch stop in the sun on the way up of course took a bit of time, plus the distance up the scree was longer than our memories, which meant there was not really sufficient time to venture as far as Slippery Falls. And of course by the time we got back to the car the idea of stopping for fur...

Monday , 21 April 2014 With a fine morning predicted, followed by rain arriving in the late afternoon, it was off soon after breakfast to New Norfolk. A 12.5 k circuit walk from the town centre took us past 10 caches. Return was by Boyer Road which is marked at 80KPH all the way to Bridgewater which we kept to, but some drongo who seemed to be unable to read and had little regard for road safety passed us on double lines beside an 80 sign whilst beeping and gesticulating violently as he roared past. The morning of caching did however turn out to be a day of caching, but we did beat the rain home; only just though. Third Bridge Stopped as traffic was light and the swans came to check what we were doing. SB Multi #1 We called at WP1 on the way to New Norfolk and confirmed the suspicion about where WP2 would be. Then later as part of the walk we did the second calculation, but Peter made a mathematical error and the GPS pointed to a most unlikely spot. A recheck of calculations gave a...

Wednesday , 16 April 2014 It was a delightful autumn day and we decided on an afternoon walk from North Hobart to the Domain and down to the Bahai Centre and back to North Hobart, taking in three caches on the way. Bahai Architecture Walked here from Domain and noticed it wasn't the most pedestrian friendly way. No muggles on foot at the time of finding. My bad Bonsai A quarantine container was noticed and thought it might be a trick one, but of course it was the real thing. Cache eventually found in a nice hide. The Mural Laneway We once owned a container a bit like this, but it went missing. It was a quiet time when we looked and took the cache to a seat to write the log. Unfortunately a muggle decided to sit at the opposite bench, so replacing had to be a bit stealthy. There were a few things that were not as they seem, but it was not until we returned the cache that discovered the others.

14 April 2014 Chudleigh hut We stopped for lunch at the Chudleigh General Store and afterwards had a look for this cache , which on the last time through had muggles.  This time it was  a quick find because the container was easy to see as the lid was open and showing.  Someone had stuffed a bit of paper rubbish nearby so it may have been opened by a muggle.

Wednesday , 9 April 2014 We were off to meet some friends to walk on the track from Oatlands to Parattah. There was time for a couple of caches on the way up and then a return on Mudwalls road, via Jericho, enabled a few more. It was fine until driving up Spring Hill where drizzle was met, but by Oatlands this had stopped and the 14k return walk was at least dry although still cloudy. LITTLE QUOIN This was some heck of a stretch. Eclipse Tin Power Trail Somewhat amusing we must say. It was actually higher than lower, but is back to lower than higher. Not So Dull Was going to way but the fence soon put a stop to that. A revised approach soon has us at GZ. Mudwalls Had last been close to this spot a good many years ago, probably when the main road went past and it was easy to see without the exotic tree hedge now there. Had a look before going off to collect the cache. JERICHO Peter looked down and saw the mark but could not get to the cache. He ended up getting over an obstacle a...

Friday , 4 April 2014 We planned a trip staying overnight at Brockley homestead and to include the Part of the Old Coach Road that we hadn't previously walked. Brockley has been restored and offers accommodation in the historic homestead. On the way we settled on a few geocaches to do between Penna and Orford, plus a visit to the Bushland Garden near Buckland. Sharkdog walk Found without problem after the short walk beside the calm bay. A Digital Digitation Looked complicated but after consulting Google the conflict between I & P was resolved, but then during the calculation stage it was further complicated by the number 10 which would have been out of bounds. An assumption was made and when the final result was viewed in Google Earth it all looked plausible and when at GZ the road name gave more confidence. Some drivers of passing vehicles gave us curious looks. It was found at the suspected spot. Convict Cove It was a very pleasant latish afternoon walk to the quarry and...

Thursday , 3 April 2014 After receiving a helpful suggestion from GoldJ we decided to return to the Old Beach area to try our luck. There had also been a new cache placed in the area which meant we might score more than one new find. Otago, The Barque From an earlier log we had a notion where this would be and Sue hopped out of the car and had it quicksmart. We were treated to an eagle flying just over our heads. Tasmaniosaurus We went to where the GPs pointed, but if we had read back in the logs far enough we would have searched much further afield. As is was the noise of the whizzing traffic made us glad to leave. Secret Skatepark It was well hidden, but on reading the Graham51 log we followed his example and found the blighter. Old Beach #3 Would it? Previously we had concentrated around the old stump, but following the GoldJ prompt we looked in the right direction and quickly had it. Peter managed to flip the cache lid in the air during the opening process but kept it good sig...

Saturday , 29 March 2014 It was a predicted fine day and although quite cloudy and misty in Hobart it became sunnier as we drove west. The plan was to get a few caches on the way, do the Lady Barron Falls circuit and then the remainder of the caches on the eastern side of the Derwent on the way back. No limes were harmed. Spotted by Sue quite quickly and handed to Peter to open as there were lots of ants about. The old kilns were quite an interesting historical feature. It all happens here It was where suspected and not at the spot that the GPS was pointing to. Firemans Retreat This was just so easy to find; it was lying on the ground at GZ. The only effort was getting it back to the rightful place. This could be a difficult spot to get to when the blackberry and other weeds grow a bit. How Tall? Handy having two GPS units as one was 20 metres out but the other much closer; still the hint made it easy. Took a TB Derwent Valley Trail #8 St.Augustines Church GPS pointed about 10 ...

Sunday , 23 March 2014 New caches on the Wellington Falls track plus the replacement of Tiger Snake was a good reason the take the bikes out for a ride. We started out at Neika and rode to the start of the walking track. At least a year had elapsed since they were last used and on the return journey it was starting to be felt. Previously to the current reincarnation of the Tiger Snake cache we had looked for it on several occasions and again today were still not able to locate the very frustrating cache. PTPT Tiger Snake Strikes Back We looked for the original cache on a number of occasions, both going and coming back on the track and again with this reincarnation we had the same result. We checked about the spot that matched the hint until we got fed up and left. PTPT - Take a Seat Took a while to locate and then we had difficulty extracting the container; the use of tweezers eventually did the trick. PTPT - Table and Chairs Well OldSaint we found your cache before anyone else and...

Thursday , 20 March 2014 From the top of the head it sounded plausible; go on a bushwalk to Mount Styx and because it is not a long walk collect some geocaches on the way, plus stop for a coffee at Mount Field. On the return stop for coffee and get some caches by taking the alternative road back to New Norfolk. But I had forgotten how much longer it takes to get from Mount Field through to the Styx Valley and didn’t factor in the stopping times for each cache. The result was the completion of in first half of the plan only at 5:00 PM and obviously the second half was completely out of the question. That will have to wait until another day. View of Nevada Peak from Mount Styx Derwent Valley Trail #1 Bryn Estyn. When driving up the road we did not get the GPS settled until past GZ so it was attempted on the trip back. The road was quiet and the car was parked on the right hand verge beside numerous warning signs about an electric fence and surveillance cameras. We saw the bracketed...

Friday , 28 February 2014 During a pleasant sunny afternoon we started off at the jetty and walked to Cassidys Bay and back and find as many of caches as we could. It was warm in sheltered spots but at some the sea breeze was quite pronounced. The score was six out of seven. Old Beach - #1 Hop-a-long Like several others we thought this was a great hide. We have seen a couple of similar style ones during the week. Old Beach #2 Wattle Sue spotted it. Mind you it was not a wattle, although some were not far away. Old Beach #3 Would it? Looked as we went one way and then again on return. Should have looked at some of the earlier logs about the location (which we have now done). Old Beach #4 Duck Pond Was quite quick, but there was a bit of a worry about dropping the container before it was secure; but is was safely ensconced when we left. Old Beach #5 Lone Pine One of the logs helped with this one. Old Beach #6 Sun Valley Was fairly quick to locate, but at first we thought it was go...

Wednesday , 26 February 2014 We decided to take a trip out to the Poimena Reserve to attempt a few caches. A couple of years ago we both recollect walking to the top of the reserve for geocache, but there is nothing on the web and it has us somewhat puzzled; are we mistaken or has it been archived. The caches today were varied and inventive. Flying Saucers We walked up from the bottom car park only to find a council truck with workers inside parked at GZ. We think they may have been waiting for knock off time to lock the gate on the road. Fortunately the cache further up the hill beckoned and after finding that we returned and the truck had gone. Sue suspected where the hide might be and she was correct. It had been popular up here as we were the 5th in the log for the day. The Birth Place of Australian Disc Golf A fairly quick find and we hope the plastic bag lasts a bit longer as there was no hard container and it had a hole in it. Peter pulled out a few Boneseed plants while Sue ...

Friday , 21 February 2014 The caches along the near the bike track between Cornelian Bay and the Botanical gardens had been in for over a month, but despite not living all that far away we hadn't got around to looking until today. Lots of bikes whizzing past during the time we were on the track and the return we switched the walking track which now has an entry point at the eastern end. In all a bit over 3k round trip. HBT Branching Out We had a fairly good idea what to look for but it still took a time to locate. The GPS was pointing to a different object but when Sue moved north she soon spotted it. HBT Bridge to Nowhere Sue looked at the web and said this was disabled, but when Peter looked a few minutes later it had just been enabled; a bit of luck there. However we spent a bit of time looking whilst cyclists sped past. Peter looked at one spot and missed it but Sue had a closer look and found the container she suspected it to be. One interesting aspect was the foreign objec...

Sunday , 16 February 2014 One of the main drivers for looking for caches today was to try again for the Bee cache at Rosny that had eluded us. A trip up through Winifred Curtis Flora Park rounded off the outing. A new park After walking down the path from the flora park it was a quick and easy. Maybe that is why Peter made the find. Dance of the Bee. This had been a struggle to locate and in fact had stopped for a search twice without success. After seeking a clue from OldSaint we returned and this time found the little blighter. Thanks heaps OldSaint, your help was enough to tip the balance. Darwin's Rock It It was a bit surprising that as soon as wee arrived at the spot several cars came in and out of the small road. Eventually things settled down and the search began, but Sue found the right spot and the type of container that she suspected it would be.

Monday 20 January 2014 Playground series #3 Well after failing to find this last time we decided to ask OldSaint for a hint and did he come up with goods.  Even with this brilliant and kind help, which gave us a very good idea what to look for, the cache we were still not sighting it.  But we were in luck, because Ella our granddaughter was with us and she pointed out the object in question.  Sue and Peter were concentrating on a spot a bit to the right hand side.  Unfortunately the news took Peter's mind off the ground he was on and he trod on what a dog left behind (well you know what) and while he cleaned his garden boot up, Sue dashed up to collect the object.  However on close examination there was definitely not a log included and we thought maybe in had been muggled.  Sue went back to the location and lo and behold there was an identical object and this time it included a log. Perhaps NewTownKnights have picked  up a  trace of the Barad ...

8 January 2014 On a very pleasant summer day that never got too hot, we walked to Snowy South via Lake Skinner and located the cache.  On this walk only Peter went along with friend Neville. We were impressed by the fast time by AlbyDangles of 1 hour; it took us 1:20 and we weren't going slow. The log entry from Old Saint was touching. We also brought out a fairly recently discarded beer from the area.

Thursday , 16 January 2014 We went for a walk after parking the car in Giblin Street and began by taking a laneway at the very top of that street and walking through to the Mount Stuart playground, then over to Len Wall park and further downhill to Valentine and Carlton streets. By the time we finished it felt quite warm and a lunch stop at Augusto Café was called for. Playground series #3 We had in mind the comment in JABs log about something "out of place", but a fair amount of time was pent looking without success. Some kids came through to the play equipment but didn't seem bothered by us roaming about peering. Leonard Wall Valley Street Reserve On approaching the site a ute was parked at the entrance and the resident next to the park was stowing prunings for a trip to the tip. Fortunately he was too busy and looking the other way when we swooped on the cache. Our 1st Cache/ Playground series#1 Went to the likely spot and Sue soon found the cache. Kids were at the...