Today we just have a quick post to alert you to some information sessions that are happening over the coming weeks and an update on the merchandise and camping.
Information Sessions
Cairns Info Session – GC9GCPE Saturday 24th October – 10:00 am to 11:00 am
Tasmania Info Session (Hobart) – GC9HD9D Saturday 30th October – 4:30 pm to 5:00 pm
Southside Info Session (Brisbane) – GC9HEBR Sunday 31st October – 11:30am to 12:00am
Gympie Info Session – GC9HH1A Sunday 7th November – 9:30am to 10:00am
Brisbane Info Session – GC9HH1G Sunday 14th November – 9:30am to 10:00am
Toowoomba Info Session – GC9HH1X Sunday 21st November – 9:30am to 10:00am
Northside Info Session (Brisbane) – GC9HH1Y Sunday 28th November – 4:00pm to 4:30pm
Gold Coast Info Session – GC9HH26 Sunday 5th December – 9:30am to 10:00am
We are hoping to get to more locations as the states open up, but this can be a tricky thing to navigate at the moment. If you can and would like to host an information event in your region, please send us an email at admin@cacheqld.com and we can organise something with you.
Townsville Event
Geocaching Townsville are hosting a special event, ‘Come and Try Geocaching’ on Saturday 18th December, at Sheriff Park from 10:00am to 10:30am looking to encourage new players to the game. This event will be featured in the Townsville ‘What’s On’ holiday guide and would be a great place to learn more about geocaching.
Merchandise
We expect the shop to be open for purchasing merchandise only from around mid-November. We will have available a set of four pathtags, two geo-coins (blueprints below), a polo shirt, t-shirts, car flag and a variety of other made to order products.
Camping
There will be camping available at the Mega location, we are finalising some details due to some unforeseen changes to our original plan. As we did with the Dayboro Mega we will have a special post on the website with all the information regarding camping with a predetermined date and time when camping will be available for purchase. This allows people to chat with their buddies and make plans. We anticipate that date will be in December with the shop closed on that day until the nominated time, when everything will become available.
If have any questions and are not able to attend an event please send us an email at admin@cacheqld.com.
The CacheQLD Toowoomba event was up for the briefest of moments, however COVID decide to come out and play in our environment and restrictions were handed down by the government and swiftly reinforced by our Reviewers to keep us safe. Hopefully soon the restrictions will be lifted, and we can get back out there and do a follow up event. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this selection of what the Toowoomba Region has to offer.
Geo-Art
The main reason we wanted to talk about Toowoomba in September is because on the 8th it is Star Trek day! We are just a little bit fond of Geo-Art here at Cache QLD, so it’s no surprise that the top of our Toowoomba list is Brother Colin’s offering of the Starship Enterprise (SSE).
The Starship Enterprise geoart is an eclectic mix of 104 space-themed puzzles. Once solved they take you on journey around the picturesque rural outskirts of Toowoomba.
Brother Colin credits this uniquely varied series to the help of many different puzzle makers. The variety keeps solving interesting, and means you’re bound to learn a trick or two that you can add to your puzzle solving toolbox.
While collecting these caches expect to see a mix of Aussie native plants and animals, and wandering local livestock. This well maintained series, with good coords is a must-do whether you are caching alone or enjoying the day with friends or family. Close proximity to town means you have the option to duck into town for breaks, or pack a lunch and enjoy the views. Check out this bookmark list.
Happy solving, or should we say. Cache Long and Prosper
“When this series was just a twinkle in the CO’s eyes, I was lucky enough to be asked to help create a few of the puzzles that would be part of something big. Unfortunately, I was very busy with work at the time, and was only able to help out with a few. Since publication, I have enjoyed some of the distress felt by those trying to solve them! Eventually it was my turn to feel that pain, as I worked through puzzles ranging from mostly easy to ridiculously impossible. To all the CO’s I take my hat to you as makers of something very special!” Swellerfungus
Challenge Caches
Another wealth of awesome things Toowoomba is it mix of Challenge Caches. There are challenges for getting a number of types (8 & 11), collecting souvenirs (25 & 50), collecting different size caches (micro, small, regular, large & virtual), completing scavenger hunts for Bronze, Silver & Gold levels and a tough little Nickel challenge. Have you got an Australian only JASMER? If you do, there’s a challenge for that! Toowoomba offers another for completing your 365 day calendar of finds, and your DT grid! All these are topped off with something to reward you for being a ‘well-travelled cacher’.
Adventure Labs
Toowoomba is home to Queensland’s very first Adventure Lab ‘Laurel Bank Park’. The 5-point Adventure will take you on a stroll around the Laurel Bank Park which is one of the premier parks featuring manicured gardens, mature trees, children’s play equipment, barbecue and picnic areas, and two croquet lawns! It is a must-see destination during the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers. The most recent Adventure Lab offering is a Walking Tour of Picnic Point which is one the premier tourist destinations in Toowoomba because of its stunning views over the Lockyer Valley.
Top Favourited
Undertaking a quick search of the top favourited caches in the region it is a very interesting results with two letter boxes taking out the top two spots No Junk Mail (73) and Hampton Information (61) to round out the top three we have the Alphabetic Animal Challenge Cache (51) which requires you to find an animal for every letter of the alphabet.
Tabletop Mountain
What would a discussion be about Toowoomba without mentioning Tabletop. This is a real bucket list climb and something quite unique to experience from the unusual rocks to climb up, the scree, the gap of doom (or is that just me) and then finally making it to the very flat top, some might say it’s quite ‘table’ like!
This is a very popular climb for locals and visitors, so chances are you won’t be alone and if you need a break you will have plenty of chances to be polite and let other pass through – perhaps even a man and his cat.
With five caches waiting for your visit include one of Queensland 100 oldest caches “Nutters Knoll” and the previously mentioned highly favourited animal challenge cache it certainly is worth the trek and should only take a few hours depending on your fitness level.
Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers
It’s time to spring into Spring! Picture-perfect flora, plenty of family-friendly fun and local foodie adventures are all on offer over the course of the entertainment-filled festival from September 18–27. Okay, you have us, so this technically isn’t caching related, but it is a very good reason to visit Toowoomba. This year’s Carnival of Flowers offers over 170,000 blooms that have been planted across the city’s major parks and public spaces to create a spectacular canvas of colour for much needed celebrations in September. All events, experiences and areas will be managed with COVID-19 safe plans in place.
“Toowoomba is primed and ready to showcase it’s natural beauty. Nothing can stop the power of the flower and we are inviting people from all over to come and play in the petals this Spring,” Mayor Antonio said.
So, in March Brisbane is in the midst of a Cycling Festival with heaps of bike activities going on. What better time of the year to highlight some of the great cycling caches in the South East Queensland than now! We got a bunch of biking trails, kid friendly trails, Adventure Labs, and of course it would be remiss of us not to mention another one of Queensland’s fantastic Geo-Arts on, you guessed it, a bike friendly rail trail. So, go on keep reading for all the details.
The Biking / Walking (B/W) Trail is a geocaching trail located between Beerburrum and Glass House Mountains and is ideal for pushbikes or walking. The Cache locations are designed to be kid-friendly when accompanied by adults with a smooth trail with zero sharp rises or falls. Kids can even spot trains (safely behind a fence) whilst doing the series. Slow Puncture are well known for naming their caches after songs, for your enjoyment we have put together a Spotify Playlist of the cache titles on the trail for you.
“With a few hours free, it made sense to grab the bike and come follow this newly published trail while getting some sunshine and exercise. This trail is a gem for kids of all ages, with a well graded track, good size containers that are well stocked with goodies, and plenty of great views of Tibro.” Orange Crew 2 May 2019
Adventure Labs are a new way for geocachers to find and log Lab Caches. Lab aches are an experimental cache type and they are not required to have a container and can be located inside. Lab Caches count towards your total find count and are played on the free Adventure Lab app.
The Brisbane City area has been lucky enough to receive several Adventure labs and a number of these can be combined for one big Adventurous day out. Most could be done using a bike to get around the city or a Lime Scooter.
Some of the available City Adventure Labs are:
* Dark Brisbane by Fangsoki – 10 Locations * Snaps of Brisbane by JACS Team – 5 Locations * The River City Ferry Adventure by Captain Terror – 10 Locations * Brisbane, Is Statue? by 1MinnieMoo – 10 Locations * Brisbane City Churches by IolantheK – 5 Locations * A brief history of wartime in Brisbane by Zacgyver – 10 Locations
“In August last year, CaptainVimes and I enjoyed a fun ride around the river on our bikes completing these labs (Snaps of Brisbane) before loading the bikes in the car to head off to the final. Thanks for the labs” Beardman75
City Cycle Hire
If you are thinking about doing some biking in Brisbane City, the council has a bike hire system. The CityCycle bike hire scheme is a key part of the Brisbane City Council’s plan to encourage more people to ride bikes. The scheme helps to reduce traffic congestions and is a great way to get around the inner city and nearby suburbs. With up to 2000 bikes and 150 stations between the University of Queensland, St Lucia and Newstead it is a quick affordable and fun alternative to short car trips, public transport or walking! Check out the CityCycle website for further details and information. Website: http://www.citycycle.com.au/
Geo-Art – Coat of Arms
The Coat of Arms geo-art was established in January of 2016 by Brother Colin. The puzzles are designed to help cachers learn a little about different types of puzzles with a number of them being able to be solved working alongside the geocaching toolbox. The finds are set along the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail, which is a trail solely for walking, cycling and horse riding and offers plenty of opportunities for people to experience the history and landscape of the Brisbane Valley. Brother Colin has suggested that the trail will take approximately 4 hours if completing by mountain bike and a full day of walking. Please remember to pack some sun protection along with plenty of water as there is no water available on the trail outside of the township of Esk. So check out this list and get solving – Coat of Arms. Brother Colin has another geo-art on the same trail – Map of Australia, you may just want to check that out to before hitting the trail!
“We have had a great time riddling and puzzling with this series and are now tackling the rail trail in stages. Hopefully making the most of the series and checking out the local area at the same time. Today the weather was perfect and not a magpie in sight. Loved the variety of structures we saw along the way. Thanks, Brother Colin we have really enjoyed this series and often talk about how much work must have gone into its creation and maintenance for us to enjoy TFTC.” Miss_Direction 9 September
Welcome Neil & Izzy to Kid’s Caching Corner this month. Do you have your own geocaching names? Neil: I do, I’m Squidy, but usually just mum logs on her account for all of us Izzy: I just use mum’s account.
This month we are focusing on bike caches. I have heard you have done a few bike trails? Neil: Yes we have done heaps. Maybe all of them. There was a good one on the Gold Coast where we saw heaps of kangaroos. But I like the ones where we do a bunch and then stop for a picnic, and the gaps between them aren’t like fifty kilometres uphill. Izzy: I have done them all too. The best part is getting an ice cream at the end!
Wow! All the bike trails? You have been busy. Have you done “Monster Lane”? Neil: Yeah. We did them over a few visits. Some we could get really quick, and others took time. Izzy: I remember those. I liked the fast ones on the track. We raced to each cache. The girls team beat the boys team. As usual. Neil: Doubt it.
How long ago did you do that? Neil: A while ago. I have no idea exactly. But we have been back a fair bit to do the ride even though we have all the caches. Izzy: It’s annoying because Neil and Mum always say “cache there” when we drive past them.
Who did you do the trail with? Neil: All of us did it together
What is your favourite part of the trail? Neil: I like the pier out there. No one else could find that cache. They were going to leave but I knew where it was the whole time. Izzy: I like the fast bits. The first time we went I had my old bike and it was slow. Now when we go I’m the fastest on the bits [of the trail] were there are no walkers.
Do any caches stand out in your mind as great? Neil: Yeah, the golden budda one I liked. That’s a bit off the trail though but along the way. There was one is a sign post that was clever – am I allowed to say that?
I think that is fine to say. What was the bike path like? Neil: It changed. Some was bike tracks, some was along the water, and some was bushy.
The theme of Monster Lane is monsters from Dr Who. Did you know all the monsters you were searching for? Neil: No. I don’t know who Dr Who is. Izzy: Me either
Would you recommend that families come and do this trail? Neil: Yeah I would but not all at one time. I have to tell mum and dad 10 caches only or they wouldn’t go home. Mum says “just one more” but then it’s another, and then seven on the way back to the car. So be careful. Make a plan.
That is good advice! Thank you for talking with me about the trail. Are there any final thoughts you want to add? Neil: Take swag I guess. Cause it’s the worst if you find something cool and then can’t take it because you don’t have swaps. Izzy: No thanks
Thanks for sharing Neil and Izzy! Neil: Thanks Izzy: Bye
“This was one of many geocaches we found along the oceanfront today. Thank you for placing and maintaining this one! These were all great, easy and straight forward finds.” nature0nut 11 November 2017
Adult Bit: Monster Lane is a series of caches published by bike riding cacher barbbowman. First published in April of 2012 it was one of the first trails established in Brisbane. This excellent trail is situated along a very established bike path that will see you ride along the foreshores Sandgate and Brighton before hitting the more bush / urban sections. Due to time and roadworks, sadly some of the original series has been lost but there are still 40 of the Dr Who monsters/villains/aliens left to be discovered. Each cache page will enlighten you to one of the many Dr Who characters. A public bookmark is available here: Monster Lane.
This month’s photo by Tim Williams of Capture the Dog Photography is a truly spectacular shot from Maleny overlooking the Glasshouse Mountains. Maleny is a true destination location and well worth a visit whilst in the area to explore all that is on offer such as the local milk producers Maleny Dairies – who run tours of their facility and especially great for kids, they can feed a calf or two and sample some of the locally produced products.
If you would like to discover this location Tim has identified a nearby traditional cache GC6Y0Y7 ‘McCarthys Lookout the 2nd’. In case you are wondering – yes there are caches at the top of some of those mountain peaks – Gorilla anyone! If you would like to check out Tim’s other photos you can find him at the following places:
On the 15th March we will be publishing our 3rd Event Newsletter, and letting you know where we are with planning for the Dayboro Easter 2021 event and a couple of already published info events!! Watch out South and West Australia we are coming your way. Don’t forget we are still running a pathtag design contest so check out the Contest tab above to find out more and get your submission in!
Cache QLD - Townsville GC9BVWD 