Celebrating 20 Years of Geocaching
in the Sutherland Shire.
Where: Kingfisher Pool, Heathcote National Park
S 34° 07.588 E 150° 58.656
About a 45 minute walk from Waterfall Railway Station.
When: Sunday 6th June, 2021
Time: 10:00am-Noon
Combining 20 Years of Geocaching in the Sutherland Shire with a visit to the oldest cache still active.
I am very pleased to be able to host this event. In your will attend log, please indicate the number of guests in your group. I need this information so that I can arrange something special for each cacher in attendance.
The first cache placed in the Sutherland Shire was "GCBAC - Burke & Wills" by Tangles on the 8th June 2001. It was in place for a bit over a year before being archived. It was followed by "GCD67 - A Saucerful of Secrets" by Team Chaos on the 23rd June 2001 and "GC12F5 - Kookaburra" by Geomonkeys on the 27th July 2001.
These have been followed by an amazing group of cachers who have come and gone and left their stories in the form of logs along the way.
This Event is as near as I could arrange to 20 years since the first Sutherland Shire cache was placed.
You are required to carry in and out all that you want to bring while celebrating. Please bring your party self along to share a fun morning.
There will also be a special giveaway and some prizes up for grabs.
It would be great if everyone could come with a story to share.
Mine would be:
GCPPBQ - Alte Lasten (Old Loads) Located 16,000Km’s from home was my first Geocache find. The structure is inconspicuous and small, so that one can easily overlook it, but actually a pretty and old gem. It is located on the right bank of the Danube near the Reichsbrücke and is illuminated from the inside at night.
I have done so many amazing things since I started including finishing a Jasmer Challenge "Bowral 'Jasmer' CHALLENGE - GC7CPQE" without going to the USA. I got all but 4 in Australia and for those I couldn't get here, I went to Europe and had a great time getting them in 8 days before going to Japan in 2018.
Some ideas are:
How did you start geocaching?
How has geocaching changed your life?
What is your most memorable geocaching experience?
What is your next geocaching goal?
Why are we celebrating
It all began On May 2, 2000, just after midnight, the U.S government discontinued its use of Selective Availability in order to make GPS more responsive to civil and commercial users worldwide. Twenty-four satellites around the globe processed their new orders, and instantly the accuracy of GPS technology improved tenfold. Tens of thousands of GPS receivers around the world had an instant upgrade. Prior to this date, only the military had the ability to receive accurate GPS readings. Now, the world and all its wonderful people could pinpoint their precise location. For reasons unknown, this is often referred to as the flipping of the “Big Blue Switch”.
The very next day, a computer consultant named Dave Ulmer hid a black bucket in the woods near Portland, Oregon at N 45° 17.460 W 122° 24.800. Along with a logbook and pencil, he left various prize items including videos, books, software, and a slingshot, then posted the coordinates online. Three days later, the container was located by Mike Teague.
In Australia, the first geocache was placed by Paul Edwards in Lane Cove National Park after reading about it on a Blog.
Lane Cove (GC3E) by Paul Edwards on 18 May 2000 was created. The geocache was removed by Rangers a year later however you can still visit the location and log a find as it was changed to a virtual.
In New South Wales this was followed by:
R&R (GC52) by Richard Ames (archived), placed in Garigal National Park, near St Ives on 2 September 2000
Australia's Highest (GCF7) by Roland Turner, Anand Kumria, James Davidson in Kosciuszko National Park 25 November 2000
Frying Pan (GCF1) by Dave Walmsley in Chichester State Forest near Dungog on 17 December 2000
East of Ulan (GC154) by Alex near Murragamba, Central Tablelands (archived) on 29 December 2000
2001 saw the appearance of Geocaches in the Sutherland Shire.
Some of the earliest caches that were placed are still active:
Kookaburra (GC12F5) placed by Geomonkies on 27 July 2001
Grounds for Pleasure (GC2009) placed by odlids on 02 October 2001
ILLA WRONG (GC2C57) placed by Blackbeards Pirates on 12 December 2001
Geocachers of Renown at that time include:
Tangles - Member since: 24 April 2001
P3sKy_Geomonkey - Member Since: 13 May 2001
RAPTOR - Member Since: 22 June 2001
Team Chaos - Member Since: 01 July 2001
odlids - Member Since: Friday, 27 July 2001
Blackbeards Pirates - Member Since: Saturday, 25 August 2001
Pipes_down_under - Member Since: Sunday, 24 February 2002
It is time to log your “Will Attend” and get ready for a great morning in the bush, I hope you will all be able to come along and join us. It doesn’t matter if you are new to the game, returning after a long spell or an active current cacher. All are equally welcome and everyone will be looking forward to meeting you.
Community Celebration Events - 2020
This Event is part of a limited release of Community Celebration Events to celebrate 20 years of geocaching. Geocachers hosted events were to be between May 2, 2020 and December 31, 2020. This was extended as a response to COVID19. Learn more about Community Celebration Events on the Geocaching Blog.