Geocaching

Thursday , 21 January 2016 It had been several months since we had been out for a day caching and we chose South Arm as the venue. Peter thought to view the Australian geocaching site and this added a few extras to look for. With the Australian caches, for some reason the option to download the cache data to the Garmin GPS no longer works, but even when downloading the GPX file, and copying to the GPS, it doesn’t dhow as a geocache when searching.  So the only option was to record it as a waypoint. GREAT BALLS OF ??? Stopped but when we saw the rubbish, including toilet paper, we soon lost interest. Racecourse Flats Was just too hard to open, so a photo has been added in lieu of logging. Seven ZL/R Radio Mast ST466 Stopped at a spot roughly as close as we could get to. Billy's Bluff - the views The old log  bag was very wet so we removed it and dried the container insides.  A good view from here. 2014 Amongst the Fir Trees Looked at the spot the...

Thursday , 5 March 2015 We had been thinking about doing the multicache on the Canopus hill for sometime and as the weather was not looking the best for a Mount Wellington walk this seemed to be a good time to do it.  The first thing that struck us was the huge noise of the highway traffic and was not until after leaving waypoint 4 before it abated.  At the next stop the land owner was very curious to know what we up to and so ensued a lengthy explanation of geocaching and GPS units; by which stage he had changed from being concerned to helpful and pointed to where we ought go for views from the top.  We met him again whilst as he said was his regular walk round the top.   The Curse of the FTF (Tasmania) #3 A quick look at this puzzle had us in the dark, so we were pleased to get it the easy way.   A Stroll or a Trek The optional  walk was well worth it and had the advantage of a walk through the pleasant bush on the summit.   And the b...

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 , 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...

Monday , 16 December 2013 We had planned to visit the fruit farm at Sorell to pick some berry fruits and stopped at a few sites on the way there and back to search for caches. Old Road We nearly didn't bother with this when it was realised that a small dead tree was blocking access and the only feasible other way was the get through the thorns. In the end peter decoded to try. The Travel Bug and Geocoin were not in the container. Lots of Cars (2) Spent a bit of time at two likely spots, but the long grass hindered the search. Don't get wet! Made an small error in the calculation and wasted time searching in the wrong spot, but even when corrected there was still no joy. One of Ten Tribes Did a circuit walk, once we discovered the starting point. Sue located it, but the GPS differed by several metres. Between the Bridges (2) [not anymore] Quick find by Sue after reading the hint.

Wednesday 4 September 2013 We had decided to go for a walk along part of the Kaoota Tramways track and had assumed that this cache would be somewhere along the route.  After parking the car and starting off Peter realised that the GPS was saying that WP1 was back where the car was parked.   Once the info was collected and plugged into the GPS, it showed that the cache was not anywhere near the expected location.  Thinking that he must had inserted something wrong or made a miscalculation, Peter rechecked and in fact found he had used the B value where the A should be.  That should fix it he thought; but no it was still not where Peter imagined it would be.   A recheck and yes everything seemed to be entered correctly, so back to the compass and now it suddenly was suggesting the location was over 9,000 k away; whoops S had been inadvertently replaced by N.  Back to the compass and still thousands of kilometres away; whoops again W had got in inst...

Wednesday, 17 July 2013 Many thanks to the geocachers who brought us down to the Taroona foreshore track. It was unknown to us and may never have been discovered otherwise. Council had closed off part, but not where the caches were hidden, and a laneway diversion had to be adopted. Lunch was at a café in an old service station and seems a popular spot. Retreat Cove Went from track through the schoolyard; noted a lot of Vinca at GZ (a spreading and horribly invasive weed). Dead or Alive Name and hint honed us onto this. Took Orion geocoin and left KJs trackable Time & Tide Glad to have been brought here. Followed dirt track which was a bit muddy to the final waypoint. Caching Greatest Hits We walked from the café at Taroona after doing the foreshore caches and, despite it being winter, by the time we got up the hill to GZ we were quite warm and sweaty. The views of the large old home and another fairly old one were interesting and something not noticed as well when driving. Too...

Friday, 28 June 2013 Our ambition was greater than what we could achieve on this walk. This was partly brought about by the fact that the multicache took us on a circuit of Rosny Hill that we had already just walked. Those we didn't get can wait for another day. Fire Up Bingo! Sue spotted a cache then found in fact there were two for the price of one. We did not have this one down searching and realised when checking the web site map that it did not show up due to it being hidden behind the "Black Beetle" mate at the same coords. With this one we signed the log and put it back in the hide Foreshore Track - Reflections Of … This time there were no workers about and in fact it was all fairly quiet as we walked past. Quickly grabbed the cache and walked on a little, in case vehicles came past, to sign the login before returning it. VIEW 360 A geocache track took us down to the spot. No More Mr. Nice Guy We entered the Rosny Hill reserve from the western side and walked ...

Saturday, 8 June 2013 For the last couple of months we had on the radar a visit to the Murdunna area to both the see the destruction from the bushfire and to get the Barard caches. We also thought buying morning coffee and lunch would be a way of helping the local businesses. Coffee at the Murdunna store was acceptable but only came in throw away containers; it could be better with cups and some food to choose from plus a door directly out to the deck. Lunch was at Dunalley Waterfront Café which had a nice atmosphere and service was good. Sommers Bay is a pretty area. Murdunna Moments After having a coffee on the deck at the Murdunna store it was a short stroll to GZ. In fact Sue had it found well before Peter even had his GPS on. We left Soccer Ball TB Sommer Set #1 We walked down the gravel path to the jetty then were unsure which way from there, mostly because of a sign nearby, which seemed to suggest that it was private property where we needed to go. The answer was to walk aro...

Wednesday, 15 May 2013 A couple of years ago we went for a walk in the hills above Risdon Brook and returned past the cache "School Of Rock" in which we found the first waypoint. It was on our agenda for today on what was quite an enjoyable walk, with lots of wallaby scooting about and stacks of little holes dug in the sandy soil; probably from bandicoots. On that initial occasion we didn't know realise the GPS had an "enter next stage" function so left it for another day; it was just as well because we now know it would have directed us back the way we had just walked down from. School Of Rock: Cheat Sheet After re-finding the first waypoint we were a little confused by the two very faint instructions in the container, although the coords were clear to see. We put one of Peter's GPS and the other in Sue's so that covered all bases. Anyway we soon passed waypoint 2 and proceeded to waypoint 3 although by a higher track than we should have. On top of so...

Saturday 27 July 2013 A lot of steps had to be negotiated from the university up the hill to Mount Nelson. Our aim was to pick up the caches we didn't get around to on the last visit to the area, but one had to dropped from the schedule because Peter forgot to bring his sheet of paper with calculations that were needed. The return walk was down through Lambert Gully. Stairway to Heaven We left the car at the University and walked up the steps on what was quite a warm day. On getting level with the cache site it was over the fence where a convenient log had been left (although we subsequently noticed a opening allowing easy access a little way further up. Left Badminton Racquet TB Walking the Dog After climbing up the hill we emerged at the primary school and noticed the pad through into this little bit of bush surrounded by houses. Sue spotted the hiding spot, but dropped the container quick smart when she noticed a cockroach on it. TFTC Kooka's Playground Although the GPS p...

Monday 11 March 2013  An afternoon circling the Domain, starting with what we thought was a pretty smart start with the unusual "Batteries Not Included" cache. However although we thought we had things correct, it seems that was not the case as it ended in taking lots of time and frustration. The remainder of the day was successful with a mixed bag of caches. Batteries Not Included We thought all was really going well after discovering the initial container and having an item to make things work. However the GZ didn't seem right and certainly didn't fit the spot that other logs mentioned. After more searching we went on to other geocaches and as our car was parked nearby, decided to go back to the start. This time we found more combinations that seemed to give a response, but still didn't get the confirmation expected. Nevertheless we went back to what was now several potential GZs, but failed to find anything at any. We must have missed a vital clue somewhere i...

Saturday 26 January 2013 We were going to the Salamanca Market and decoded to look for a few caches in the area. After parking in battery point our path took us through Princess Park and we made a diversion to St Davids Park and also around the waterfront. This route brought us to close to several caches.   Nelson's signal Worked out stage one for this on way. Remainder will have to wait another day when we are in the second stage area. Antarctica TB Transit Lounge This was reached with very few people nearby, despite it being market day. Sue had the container spotted as a little bit was visible. Although lots of travel bugs were listed they had all gone. We left a car trackable and covered the container well.   Hobart City - Scratchie exchange On reaching the top end of the market we branched off to look for this and the GPS took us to what looked the likely spot going on the hint. However as we got close the seats were all being used and no one appeared to be likely to ...

Thursday 24 January 2013 Powerful Chemical Conundrum 12 After reading that this area has an endangered plant (Velleia paradoxa) we decided it might be a good spot to place a cache.  The first thing to do though was locate where the Barad Bunch cache lay so we could be the requisite distance away.   On reading the description we realised that unless a map was taken and a compass we probably wouldn't be able to work out the first position needed. Our first excursion involved finding the poles and the numbers on them.  Peter didn't think to get a GPS reading of the position of the poles, so had to make the best estimate using Google Erath and some map software. Today we went over to the reserve again hopefully with location of the first container in the GPS.  As we arrived Peter discovered his paper with the information and for writing any further clues had been left behind. The GPS  brought us reasonably close and after circling round a bit, Sue called out ...

Wednesday 24 October 2012 A geocaching day along the old Huon Highway from Fern Tree to Longley then back down the main highway to Sandfly to grab a a few along the road to Margate before collecting our granddaughter from school at Kingston.   Winter Falls This was the first stop for the day and the clue made it quick to find, especially as we have seen similar.   The Japs are coming Part 2 What made this easy was the cache container being clearly visible on peeping down behind the structure; we hid it away out of such easy sight. CD Cache A family were picnicking at a table and probably wondered what two people with GPS pen and paper were doing heading off towards the river. A great mob of chooks also raced towards us as soon as we got out of the car; assuming we guess that we had something nice to through their way. The GPS was a bit erratic under the trees but Peter spotted a location that seemed a likely spot and so it turned out to be.   Old and Older A most i...

Sunday 23 September We had put in a cache  on the domain only to be advised that it was too close to another, so we had to retrieve it and work out a new spot.  The first task though was to find the problem geocache so that we knew how far to move ours. The multi-cache in  question was "Domain Secrets" and while in the area we managed to include another multi.   We managed to short cut things for both these caches by doing a bit of preliminary research. During the search Sue found a lot of cards including a drivers licence, presumably stolen from a car parked somewhere nearby. Skyhooks We came at this from the top and walked down the track to the GZ and found the cache with the help of the hint.  Left Buzz the travel bug to start his journey. On the way back we passed  a fellow who looked to be either checking directions, but maybe he was only looking down at his phone  whilst walking. If there is another log entry today we will know our suspic...

Wednesday  5 September 2012 We decided to do a few caches on the eastern shore between Bellerive and Howrah. The pleasant sun and temperatures were predicted to deteriorate about midday, so a morning start was made with the finish to be a fish meal at the café at Bellerive Beach.   Victoria Esplanade The first on the list and when we got the hint in our minds correctly, it did not take Sue long to grab it.   The Russians are Coming! Up the steps and along the bank soon brought us to the cache, where it was spotted by Sue. Quite a bit of water in the moat.   The Bluff A woman busy in the garden fronting the street caused us to be a bit cautious. Sue followed the hint and a small laugh meant she had the cache. We liked the hiding method.   Lets Get Physical 2 We walked past this thinking that we may well check it on the way back. On the return trip, someone was at the GZ and left quickly and hopped in a car, so we walked on to the café. After lunch went bac...

Wednesday 13 June 2012 We had an early lunch then drove to Lambert Avenue to commence the walk up through the gully to the summit of Mount Nelson. Eight caches would be passed on the way and the day was pleasantly sunny and it was quite warm walking up from close to sea level to the summit at 340 metres. At the top there is an historic signal station, but having seen it many times before, we were more interested in coffee and cake from the nearby café. As well as caches we also discovered a few weeds that the local Bushcare group have now been told about. There were a few muggles about but they all failed to see us when we were off the track with a cache. Just before the top of Mount Nelson we heard a person say “what was the clue again Dad”, so when Peter passed them he enquired if they were seeking a little plastic box. “May be “came the reply. From a perusal of the logs our guess is that it was the “fennwal”. Our score for the day was seven out of eight, plus a 200 metre diversion ...