Horses Update

We are loving reading all the Found It logs on the New Dayboro horse geoart! This week however we had to do an update. Please note that due to some safety concerns from nearby land-owners, as they rent their property out for hunting, we have moved Horse 57 & 58.  The puzzles have been updated and an offset is available on the page if you have solved it prior to 22nd March. Please ensure you have the new coordinates before heading out.

COVID19 – Check-in

As you will be aware the global pandemic has placed certain restriction and limitations on events.  We have been very lucky to get this mega up and running.  To make sure we adhere with the current guidelines, we ask that you have some patience with entering the Showground.  Every person will need to check in using the Showground’s QR code – even if you are just popping in for 5 minutes.  Showground QR entry registration needs to be completed each day, and to help with the quick management of this we will have daily colour coded passes. 

You will be required to check in at the front gate each day (yes even if you camped the night before, you need to head back to the gate each day), complete the QR code, show the gate guardians Waz & Vik and receive your day pass.  Keep this on you! Should you go out of the showground, you can flash your day pass to gain quick access.  We may ask you to show your day pass to gain entry to seminars and the trivia event.

Remember we must adhere to QLD Government guidelines, and we need your help to make this happen.

Camping – Pre & Post event

We have been receiving lots of questions regarding pre-event camping.  As we have mentioned, any camping outside of the four days of the Mega Camping; Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday night, is handled by the onsite caretaker.  Again, we do ask that if you are arriving early you try to set up, if possible, in the Area you purchased.  If this is not possible, we will ask that you move to your designated area once the Mega begins.  We have areas that have sold out, so you will have to move if not in your spot. People have purchased specific areas for various reasons that we must honor. We appreciate your understanding.

Last weekend some areas of the Showground were closed for camping due to flooding.  However, with the new dry weather we should be good for Easter with the forecast looking like more dry days ahead.  The caretaker suggested that people throw in their long power leads just in case there are still some damp areas that need to be avoided. 

Just as a heads up for the super early arrivers, there is an event at the Showground this weekend, a VW Show and Shine, with three days of camping included as part of their event. 

In the meantime, take another look at our showground map and reorientate yourself.

Millicent Mega Catch-up

The committee of the GeoVenture2020 are excited to bring you some information about their Mega Event (GC82DAN) happening in Millicent from 1st – 4th October. Join them for a pre-event lunch at S27 16.299 E152 56.204 from 12:00pm to 1:00pm on Friday 2nd April to catch up with committee members and learn about all the fun things that the South Australian Crew will have in store for geocaching later in the year.

Caching Supplies

On Saturday and Sunday, you will be able to shop for all your geocaching related items as Brisbane’s own Caching Supplies will have set up their shop in the Main Hall.  Be sure to stop past and support a local business.

Black Cat Creations

Kelly will be onsite over the weekend and ready to take any last minute CacheQLD merchandise orders and talk to you about creating some of your own signature items. If your after our official merchandise you can still order from our online webstore.

Merchandise!

Speaking of merchandise, how can you collect yours?
We are having two sessions per day for collection.  The morning session is from 7:00 – 9:00am and the evening session is from 4:00 – 6:00pm from inside the Main Hall.  This should give everyone plenty of time to collect their purchased items. We thank you once again for supporting our event.  If for some reason you are not able to collect your items, and to avoid having to pay postage, we suggest that you try to organise someone to collect your items for you, in this case please email admin@cacheqld.com to let us know who to release your items to.

Golden Pineapple Award!

We all have a story or two that we can laugh about, after the fact. The embarrassing moments when you felt like a goose. The moments where your shoes were sucked off by mud and you stood on a crab, or perhaps you went to complete a Wherigo and realised you left your phone at home! Maybe you fell off your kayak at an event in a most undignified way?! Whatever it is, we want to hear it! We will publish your story anonymously (to protect the innocent) and have them on display in the main hall for attendees to vote on their favourite story. The winner with the most votes before the closing ceremony on Monday will win the coveted Golden Pineapple trophy!

Remember – it does not have to be your golden story, you just had to be there! Please email your stories to admin@cacheqld.com before midnight Thursday 1st April to be in the running.

Adventure Labs

Are you ready for 50 Adventure Labs!  We sure are!  We are releasing our Brisbane Tourist Adventure Lab in the next few days. Event Labs are time limited & this series will be only available for three weeks. Another 40 Adventure labs will be released at 9am on Friday 2nd April.  There will be several gadget labs dotted around the Showgrounds and in the Main Hall and we ask that you treat them carefully so everyone can have a turn.  Please remember that these 40 Adventure labs will be turned off at 9pm on Monday 5th April.  The QR codes for the 40 onsite Adventure labs will be available in the Main Hall. Below is the QR code for the tourist lab for when it becomes live.

Breakfast Update

If you ordered a Country Women’s Association (CWA) breakfast option through the CacheQLD shop you have received an email, and refund from us this week. Unfortunately, they are no longer able to offer their services. But do not fear, you will not have to cache on an empty stomach! By a wonderful coincidence, brand new geocachers, and food truck owners, Luke & Madelaine are staying onsite all weekend and bringing their van along! It will be positioned near the main hall and offering meals throughout the day! Stop in, welcome them to the game, and order yourself a Bacon & Egg roll, or some smashed avo and bruschetta on sourdough! Yum!! They will also be set up for lunch, and an extensive dinner menu for the evening’s entertainment. More info below!

Food Trucks

Each morning, local Dayboro girls, Sarah & Beth, from Thousand Hills will be onsite serving up hot, delicious coffee from 6.30 to 9.30am to get you prepared for the days adventure.

Also available for breakfast, dinner, and a small lunch range are Dogstop360! They may be new to geocaching, but they are not new to serving delicious gourmet meals! They are available Saturday & Sunday onsite for breakfast and dinner, and a limited lunch menu. Accepting both cash and card for payment.

BREAKFAST MENU
Bacon and Egg Roll – $7
Bacon and Egg Roll with Hash Brown – $8
Bacon, Sausage and Egg Roll with Hash Brown – $10
Smashed Avocado on Sourdough with Bruschetta, shaved Parmesan and Balsamic Glaze – $10

DINNER MENU
Bangers and Mash- Two Beef Sausages or Vegan Sausages, Mashed Potato, a handmade croquette, Peas and Carrot, rich beef gravy with a macadamia crumble garnish and a handmade garlic flatbread – $20 (vegetarian/vegan option)
Rissoles and Mash – Two handmade Beef Rissoles, Mashed Potato, a handmade croquette, Peas and Carrot, rich beef gravy with a macadamia crumble garnish and a handmade garlic flatbread – $20
Cheese Kransky Dog – Footlong Deli cheese kransky with sauerkraut and caramelised onion – $13

SNACKS
Fries – $6
Loaded Fries – Bacon, Cheese, Spring Onion and House Sauce – $12

Also available onsite in the evening, and situated right near the event bar is Mama Mac’s! Serving similar cuisine both nights, so you don’t miss out! Accepting both cash and card for payment.

Saturday Night (Trivia Night)
Roast pork or chicken gravy rolls
Loaded fries
Hot chips
Nachos
Hot box items

Sunday Night (Tropi-Cal Party Night)
Chicken schnitzel
Chips & gravy
Chicken curry & rice
Fried rice
Carbonara fettuccine
Beef & Gravy rolls

Plus…!

DESSERT
Brioche Roll with banana, strawberry, strawberry coulis and cream lightly dusted with icing sugar! Yum!!!

Seminars

 We are bringing you all your favourite type of seminars:

Cachetur.no Hosted by KittyKatch

Friday 4-5pm
Cachetur.no is a trip planning tool for geocachers. As an ambassador for the app, Kath will share her knowledge of how to utilize all the apps best features. Cachetur.no lets you plan geocaching trips of all sizes, near or far, alone or together with others. You can quickly and easily see what caches you have planned and what caches you or any of the trip’s participants own or have found. The script even allows you to see your route directly on the geocaching.com and Project-GC maps and to quickly add new caches to your trip directly from those maps (and cache pages)!

Photography Hosted by The Coffee’s

Friday 5:00 – 6:00pm
Ian from Coffee Table Images was first involved in photography in the late 70s and early 80s although left his passion behind to pursue other endeavors. In 2014, after the removal of a benign brain tumor his neurosurgeon suggested a creative hobby to help with recovery and it was then that he decided to pick up his camera again. Since that time he has had great successes in photography competitions, and is now a judge with the Australian Photographic Judges Association (APJA). In this seminar Ian will cover some photography basics leaving you to walk away with knowledge of many elements of photography.

You can see some of Ian’s work on Facebook under ‘coffeetableimages’.

Reviewer Panel

Saturday 8:30 – 9:30am
Meet and chat with a panel of reviewers! Here you can ask questions about rules and guidelines and get the latest information on what’s happening at HQ!
Submit your questions to admin@cacheqld.com early to increase your chances on getting answered!

Drones – hosted by The Coffee’s

Sunday 4:00 – 5:00pm
Australians are flying drones in record numbers. If you’re flying as a hobby, you don’t need any special training or certification before taking a drone into the air. But that doesn’t mean you should take your new drone out of the box and start flying it immediately. Instead, learn how to use it safely and effectively to get the best images and video, without sacrificing the safety of yourself and others. Ian has completed a Remote Pilot License for Drone photography (RePL). With his background of workplace training and assessing Ian loves helping and teaching others and is looking forward to passing on knowledge of what he has learnt so far!

Puzzles – hosted by Ardom

Sunday 5:00 -6:00 pm
Geocaching novices and pros alike are often daunted by puzzle and mystery caches. Ciphers, enigmatic photos, nonsensical text, or just a blank page — it often isn’t clear what the CO wants or expects you to do, and even less clear how any of it will lead you to a cache. In this seminar, Ardom will cover the basics of puzzle caching!

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Volunteers

Ask any one of us on the Mega event committee and we will tell you that organising a big geocaching event is lots of fun, but we couldn’t do it without the help of our wonderful volunteers! From our QLD and interstate ambassadors, and guests that offer to help with set up, clean up, listing trackables, moving furniture, directing traffic, and even being on call for cache maintenance! We appreciate your support, and we thank you!

Cal’s Bar

Don’t forget Cal’s Bar will be open both Saturday and Sunday night for refreshments. With a variety of beer, wine, soft drinks and water there’s surely something to quench your thirst as you ponder those trivia questions or get your groove on at the Tropi-Cal party night. A selection of snacks will also be available from the bar. Please be aware the bar operates on a cash system only and it might be handy to have a few cold coins to help with the till.

Itinerary

This is what you have really been reading for, the all-important itinerary and here it is, in all its glory!  Enjoy and we will see you all very, very soon.