CITY of Whittlesea residents can expect to see treasure hunters out and about this weekend, as Geocaching Victoria’s Whittlesea Mega kicks off after a two-year delay.
Geocaching is an international treasure hunting activity where participants use GPS on their phones to navigate to different locations and find treasure geocaches hidden in difficult-to-find places.
Geocaching Victoria vice-president Andrew Howard said geocaching was a good way for people to get out and explore towns, parks and the natural environment.
“We’ve got people coming from all across Australia and overseas to take part and we’re expecting hundreds of people to join in across the weekend,” he said.
“We’ve hidden about 300 geocaches across the City of Whittlesea and anyone can do geocaching, you don’t necessarily have to come to the event.”
Geocaches can range in size, from as small as a fingernail to a large cardboard box. Inside each geocache is a surprise and a logbook, where anyone who finds it can sign to record they have found it before continuing.
People taking part can download an app to help navigate to geocaches nearby and log their experiences online when they find something. To download the app, people can visit www.geocaching.com/play.
“Some people go out there and try to find every single cache, while others try to find the ones in the most remote places or the ones that are the hardest to find, so it’s up to you to choose what you want to go for,” Mr Howard said.
“Some of the caches can be found just by using a GPS, but others will need you to solve a puzzle to get a clue as to where it might be.”
The Whittlesea Showgrounds will serve as a central hub for the weekend, with a range of activities including puzzles and a program organised by Whittlesea Landcare and Scouts Victoria on offer.
Camping is available at the showgrounds for those who wish to stay for both days, while other visitors are expected to stay in accommodation in the City of Whittlesea.
“We’ve got some local businesses helping out for catering, the footy club is helping with breakfast, so we’re grateful for the support and to give back to the community and encourage people to visit local businesses over the weekend,” Mr Howard said.
“We welcome anyone interested in geocaching to come along and give it a go.
The official beginning of the geocaching event will be at 8.30am on Saturday. City of Whittlesea residents can spot people taking part, as they will be wearing purple and decorating their cars in line with this year’s theme.
