Geocaching Australia

hi guys, ive only been doing this for a few days, but have got right into it.

i am about to buy a years membership at geoccaching.com (not oz) so i can use the premium cache tracer,
eg ones if found/not found etc....
but want to know is there a similar service that this oz site provides?
i will never be travelling overseas, and would prefer to keep the money in oz if this site privides the same service.

Everything here is 100% free.

However, that said, you cannot access geocaching.com caches through this site. We only keep bare bones information for statistical purposes. 80-90% of geocaches (depending on your state) are listed on geocaching.com.

If you want to download full details of geocaching.com caches you'll have to give them the money.

If you are going to pay for a premium membership just to look at the maps then you can do that here as our maps show gc caches (including ones you have and haven't found), but when you want to do advanced things like Pocket Queries you most certainly need to give them the $$$

Our site has more features than that site, but for legal reasons we can only provide downloadable data for GCA caches only

All that said, I am not sure what you are talking about when you talk about a cache tracer

[EDIT: Apologies for the slightly rambling reply, I was in a hurry to get out of the house]

no need to apologise.
all your info was helpful, thankyou.
ive paid for premium now, and have put a few of the premium services to work.
i mainly just wanted to be able to turn off caches id found when looking at the map, but have found a few other useful things too.
thankyou again for your help.
jason.

Question....Are you able, no scrap that, are you allowed, nah......, is it ok to log your own caches as finds?

The only reason I ask is that I spotted a newbie had logged thier own cache for a find.........

DG Tas wrote:Question....Are you able, no scrap that, are you allowed, nah......, is it ok to log your own caches as finds?

The only reason I ask is that I spotted a newbie had logged thier own cache for a find.........

It's kind of weird to log your own caches as a find. I can't see a single reason in the world to do it except for artificially inflating your numbers, however, we've found that some people will always support a complete laissez-faire attitude to caching - i.e. anything goes. Each to their own... und so weiter.

What sometimes happens is that a newbies forgets to select "Write note" and then makes a comment on their cache which shows up as a 'Found' note.
It can't be that hard to prevent such a log on GC.com in the programming (says me as a complete ignoramus of programming) so they must either turn a blind eye, don't care or encourage it.


(Admission: I logged a find when retiring our gnome from the GeGnome Project )

Regarding a hider 'finding' their own cache - I believe it depends on the type.
If it's a physical cache then it doesn't make sense ... "Oh, I wonder where I hid it! Ah look, there it is!"
For virtuals, webcam, possibly earthcaches, ... where a person has gone to the effort to identify them, and create them, I would have no issues with them logging a find, if they've met the requirements eg for a vitual where you have to stand with one foot in Tasmania and one foot in Victoria and get a photo of yourself doing so, and the hider has done that I think they are entitled to log a find.
Just my opinion.

Apty wrote:Regarding a hider 'finding' their own cache - I believe it depends on the type.
If it's a physical cache then it doesn't make sense ... "Oh, I wonder where I hid it! Ah look, there it is!"
For virtuals, webcam, possibly earthcaches, ... where a person has gone to the effort to identify them, and create them, I would have no issues with them logging a find, if they've met the requirements eg for a vitual where you have to stand with one foot in Tasmania and one foot in Victoria and get a photo of yourself doing so, and the hider has done that I think they are entitled to log a find.
Just my opinion.

Agreed. I think logging locationlesses (is that the plural?) that you published is okay just don't claim the FTF!

Yurt wrote:Agreed. I think logging locationlesses (is that the plural?) that you published is okay just don't claim the FTF!

mmm... I'm not sure that logging a Locationless that I listed myself is something I'd do. It could be a bit like: "Oh here's a good thing, I reckon I ought to be allowed to log a find against this. I know, I'll create a Locationless and then I can"

But everyone plays the game differently. I just don't see the need to log a Find against a cache you get a Hide for. With the possible exception of your own Moveable becasue you really do have to "find" it once others have hidden it.

Bad Karma to Find your own cache I reckon.

blossom* wrote:

Yurt wrote:Agreed. I think logging locationlesses (is that the plural?) that you published is okay just don't claim the FTF!

mmm... I'm not sure that logging a Locationless that I listed myself is something I'd do. It could be a bit like: "Oh here's a good thing, I reckon I ought to be allowed to log a find against this. I know, I'll create a Locationless and then I can"

But everyone plays the game differently. I just don't see the need to log a Find against a cache you get a Hide for. With the possible exception of your own Moveable becasue you really do have to "find" it once others have hidden it.

Well I reckon locationless caches are more about highlighting something that interests you and hopefully others. If you have a favourite in that category then why not? Maybe not log 2-300 of them though although that's also been done!
You can also opt for the log once only for all locationless and then note them.

blossom* wrote:

Yurt wrote:Agreed. I think logging locationlesses (is that the plural?) that you published is okay just don't claim the FTF!

mmm... I'm not sure that logging a Locationless that I listed myself is something I'd do. It could be a bit like: "Oh here's a good thing, I reckon I ought to be allowed to log a find against this. I know, I'll create a Locationless and then I can"

But everyone plays the game differently. I just don't see the need to log a Find against a cache you get a Hide for. With the possible exception of your own Moveable becasue you really do have to "find" it once others have hidden it.

I dont log my own Locationless with one excpetion... GA3002 But after the first one I'll be posting notes rather then a find

Yurt wrote:Agreed. I think logging locationlesses (is that the plural?) that you published is okay -- just don't claim the FTF! But everyone plays the game differently. I just don't see the need to log a Find against a cache you get a Hide for. With the possible exception of your own moveable because you really do have to "find" it once others have hidden it.

Following on from earlier discussions on this topic, and assuming that it may be acceptable to log a 'find' for your own moveable cache -- then I'd love to encounter the opportunity to log a DNF for my own moveable.

I don't suppose anyone has ever done this . . . have they?

(I'm not sure if this is really a helpful hint for newcomers. It may well be a completely useless speculation for old and new alike.)

Newbie here needing some hints on how this site and the groundspeak site work with each other. Do Australians log their cache finds to one site or the other, or both? Also, is there a combined database for where Australian caches are hidden or should we check both sites?

The wiki knows all.
http://wiki.geocaching.com.au/wiki/Gc_vs_gca

Thanks caughtatwork