Geocaching

Tuesday , 12 April 2016 We were making the most of a good weather forecast and  going to spend a few days bushwalking near Lake StClair and collected a few caches on the journey there and back. Shadow Lake and Mount Rufus Rufus Mt ST650 Did the circuit walk from Shadow Lake; a fabulous walk in lovely weather. Tassies Belly Button Trig Point (ISA Monument Bronte) ST715 With GC cache close by it seemed a good idea to do this monumnet. Bellevue Tier MWT ST711MWT As there was a GC cache here we decided that we might as well get this trig as well. Bronte Lagoon Area ST543 Collected on way from Bronte village. Lawrenny We found this cache on our way to Lake St Clair area for a couple of days. Although we have driven this road many times we have never noticed this grand old house, Lawrenny. TFTC ausandaus2 'Knock knock' - 'Ouse there' On our way to Lake St Clair for a couple of days, unfortunately had no luck finding this cache. Checked out a f...

We have walked along some of the streets in the area but mostly on the southern side of Forest Road or north of Goulburn, so it was nice to wander the ones near this cache. We had never even noticed the lane. Our approach was i down the wrong street and the GPS pointed through a back yard. Clearly that didn’t seem correct and it wasn’t long before the precise way there was found. The cache was open and Sue took up the offer of a free lemon; thanks. A TB was left and this cache was a favourite favourite. Afterwards we continued to walk around the streets and observed some very diverse abodes.

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...

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...

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 ...

Friday , 27 December 2013 This year our family all stopped at a holiday house not far out of Swansea for Christmas. This gave us the opportunity do look for a few caches in the region. Bagot Point Lots of holidaying muggles, vehicles and boats. Could see signs of previous gecoachers entering site. Look at the Sea We were a little surprised when the GPS told us to pull up here. The grass was quite long but we got through to the cache. The log was very wet and the pages stuck together; the previous visitor had left behind a sheet of paper in a plastic bag so we signed that one. Once was a Dump We came down a side street and realised going any further that way would be a bit tricky so walked along a south heading track before getting to the shore. A few ups and downs brought us to GZ and return was north along the coast which proved easier walking. Left Orb Weaver Geocoin. Sneaky Sneak 2 Found by Sue after consulting the hint. As we were signing the logs two friends came past and we...

4- 7 December 2013 We went on a mini holiday, staying at a shack at Binalong Bay then drove through the northeast to Launceston, collecting a few caches on the way. Our final day was at the Tamar Wetlands where the extensive mudflats were a new experience for us. Geocachers Garden The grass was quite high so we opted to circuit to GZ on the rocks. Royal Garden The grass was wet after the rain and our shoes absorbed some, but the cache was not hard to locate. Left Princess TB and took two geocoins Fisherman's Memorial We had a look here although the bushes were very wet, but could not find the cache. Sloopy's Spa Bath Even from Jeanerette Beach we could see a distinct feature that we reckoned would be what had to be described to claim the cache. On reaching the actual cache site our assumption proved correct. It was high tide and anyone in the pool today would easily get swept out; we kept a big distance away. Dragon of Information The eyesight read the word "rear...

Friday , 22 November 2013 It was predicted to be quite raining today and were rugged up in anticipation. However it proved to be a sunny and warm day and it seemed a good time to finish off the remaining caches in the Kalang area. Peter had been there earlier in the month whilst doing some Bushcare work, but forgot to take the calculations needed to locate the caches. Kalang Kaleidoscope - Final (KK 07) Finally finished this hard to solve series. Took the Music TB The ants had taken a liking to the inside of this container cover at KK7 Not Ancient Ruins Well this was really tough to work out and Barad was pestered several times for help and still more help, which thankfully was readily given. Eventually Peter worked out to make use of the information provided and spent some time using visual basic to help get the answer. On arrival at the cache site it was apparent that nature had played a part in altering the hiding place. The container was visible and somewhat muddied by what h...

Sunday , 10 November 2013 A morning walk turned into a finish after 2:30 and we hadn't had lunch. A bad start ended with a bad finish but in between we managed to get a decent score along the Tranmere tracks. We are residents of the western shore and whilst standing in sunshine we could look back to our home front near the mountain to see showers falling. Wise Men 2 We had two tries at this, the first search for the day but without success and lots of dog owning muggles about. On the return walk we looked from near the path, then read a few logs to discover it was a bit further away than an arms length. Bus Stop Nano Found as described, but could not extract log, even with tweezers. Concreate Took a bit of searching made harder by all the activity about, including a swimming race. A great container. Left a TB. Post Cap Saw a spot that matched the hint and also read the August 2013 log entry mentioning that a tool was needed to get at the cache. We couldn't budge anything so...

Friday, 27 September 2013 With an afternoon that had nothing specifically that had to be done, we opted to finally have a go at a couple of the Barad Bunch puzzle caches on Knocklofty. Plenty of people about, especially with dogs, but we managed to avoid coinciding too much with them once at the cache sites. However it wasn't all easy sailing. Powerful Chemical Conundrum 04 Upon getting to the calculated pole we proceeded to head in the direction that we thought would be the most likely. This seemed to pay off when a container was duly found. However it proved to have a most unwelcome message indicating that it was not the cache at all. We read the brief instruction and immediately began looking for the real one in the direction indicated. It was puzzling because there was no mention of how far away it would be, but we assumed it would have to be close. After over 30 minutes of fruitless searching with Barad's name becoming mud in our thoughts we were about to throw in the to...

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...

Saturday, 13 July 2013 It was a most pleasant day with lots of sun out Seven Mile way and we did a circuit from the south east corner to the end of the airport and back through pine plantations. Originally it was thought that the caches at Five Mile Beach might be included, but once back at the car we decided we had expended enough energy already for the day. 11.265 Kilometre View Went too far along the coast as it would have been a slippery ascend if we followed the GPS, so had to backtrack about 20 metres to pick up a pad. The cache was found at the spot the GPS indicated. On return we ascended a bit further and used the fairly newly gravelled walking track back to the beach. This was our 450th cache, excluding the Aust site ones. Pining For Mum Found the log on the ground beside a cut down pine, but no sign of the container. We didn’t have a spare one but put the log in a plastic bag and placed it under a quite large log chip beside the stump. See Smells By The Sea Shore A bit o...

Tuesday, 9 July 2013 It was a sunny day and the arrangements for the day had fallen through, so an afternoon stroll around Rose Bay to Lindisfarne Bay was done. JABs and Old Saint keep putting caches in the area which helps with the decision of where to walk. The Big Bang is Back Our Big Failure Well this is proving to be just too hard for us. First times the gun had just gone and now on a visit soon after being reinstated we just could not find it. Stoppage time had to be called a few times due to the arrival of muggles, but we reckoned the hint area was given a thorough search. Unless of course we misinterpreted a key word. In fact we were down on knees and hands until we got giddy. Rose Bay Foreshore Park The hint was taken literally and fortunately there was a ledge at the right height. From there it was only a few metres to a suspicious item. Photographic Point Quite quick because of the hint and we liked the camouflage enclosing it. Ford Parade We read some earlier logs and...

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...

Thursday 2 May 2013 It was a nice day for a walk and the decision was Risdon Brook possibly including the multis there. A brisk wind kept us jolly cool until gaining shelter from the treed areas. After a circuit of the dam was completed, Sue discovered she did not have her sunglasses and remembered taking them off at the cache at the furthest end of the dam. A second circuit did have success in finding them. Art Of Fencing About 10 minutes was spent looking and trying the nut this one out, then Peter spotted something. This was an ingenious hide; no wonder 50% of finders give it a favourite and it also earns one from us too. A couple of the log entries also now made more sense A Stream at Risdon Tried to find this once before (24/Jul/2011) and things were looking no better until a bit of prodding came up with the goods. Left ALL BLACK CAPTAIN ( David Kirk ) TB By the Brook Went too low but on second scan of the site a likely hide was noticed. However this seemed to be the signal...

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 February 2013 On this occasion it was the Pipeline from Neika to Ferntree. Our intention was go the reverse way but, with a bushfire meeting for locals, there was no parking left. However this turned out for the best because we stopped at the Wildside Café at Fern Tree for lunch before making the return walk.   PTPT The three "P's" This was our second attempt on this one, but this time some disturbed dirt looked suspicious, so it was quickly found on this visit.   PTPT Rocky Mountain Looked on the wrong side at first then Peter spotted a suspicious object.   PTPT - Fern Glade Lots and lots of muggles as we reached GZ but luckily all was quiet when the search started. After a couple of false attempts a reread of the description brought success.   Falling Silver Well we looked and searched where we reckoned it would be, but without success. Perusal of old logs at home suggest we may have looked in the correct spot but not closely enough.   PTP...

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 ...

Tuesday 22 January 2013 The option we chose to visit some caches along the ridges and peaks overlooking the North West Bay River was by riding our bikes along the Pipeline Track then walking circuit via Wellington Falls, Montagu Thumbs and Cathedral Rock. After parking the bikes the three of us, Barad Bunch, Dave a non geocacher and Peter set off on the well-built track to the falls, after that the rough track to the old Montagu fire trail was used. The last part of this is getting overgrown by Bauera as was parts of the old fire trail. There had been some overnight rain and the bushes were quite wet to push through. It was good going along the Thumbs cathedral ridge, although parts are starting to degrade from use, then down the zig zags to North West Bay River in the rain. After crossing we then struggled up the Siphon track, which is an almost unrelenting grunt for nearly 800 metres at a 1:3 gradient. No wonder we were tired by the time we got on our bikes for the return ride to Ne...

Wednesday 2 January 2013 We went for a walk along the shore area and nearby streets, which included Geilston Bay and Natone Hill.   A Dinkum Dunny Whata beauty this was and brought quite a laugh, just as well no muggles were about. Didn't spot the log at first and thought for a moment that there wasn't one. COTFTF #12 "Sog's Redemption" Didn't take long to spot the hide Flight of the Double Sunrise Collected but the GPS had us searching the wrong big tree. Has been moved a short distance on.   More Russians? At first was attracted to the wrong tree until the GPS told us otherwise. Dropped off Brisbane Storey Bridge TB Natone Hill Collected trig whilst searching for Russians cache