Geocaching Australia

caughtatwork wrote:The discussion is whether the parent should be a Mystery or a Multi.

This is close to a bikeshed discussion:

- If the beginning coordinates indicate the location of where to pick up the box, then it is a multi.

- If the beginning coordinates indicate the location of about where the end-point is, then it is a mystery.

Honestly, care-level of either is zero and I won't storm out and close the door behind me if you pick the wrong one.

Edwin

Again huh?

This is not a bikeshed discussion. This is about what cache type a Reverse cache will take when it hits your GPS and GSAK and apps. That, I think, is rather important in terms of how it may be handled by the various thousands of people who use the site. Why don't we just output it as a traditional cos' ... bikeshed.

I'd go Mystery (or should it be yretsyM) ... after all, it is a puzzle of sorts.

Mystery makes sense to me, as it can be a complete mystery as to where you can find some of these.

Some you can do some research on at first (like a street name), and others you can wander around for ages until you find (such as animal foot prints in concrete, which I thought would be easy in my neighbourhood... silly me).

Mystery/puzzle for mine.....

How many active reverse caches are there out there that are actually listed with a cache page?

I am only aware of two (mine in Adelaide and geo_jas's in Melbourne). And given that mine hasn't been found in over a year, I'm not sure 'active' is the best way to describe it...

Laighside Legends wrote:How many active reverse caches are there out there that are actually listed with a cache page?

I am only aware of two (mine in Adelaide and geo_jas's in Melbourne). And given that mine hasn't been found in over a year, I'm not sure 'active' is the best way to describe it...

Your reverse cache is awesome. Highly recommended. Can't they just be listed as there own type. That is a Reverse cache!

Newby here, so tell me if I am completely off track or missing prior info, but would like to know if this is a possibility.
I work with a number of community groups which are involved in managing a range of public land sites for ongoing improvement - often dealing with weeds, planting, walking tracks etc. These vary from urban parks to reserves along a road or river somewhere long way from town. A couple I know recently discovered that there is a geocache located on their site without their knowledge (fun for all involved when reported as possible drug dealing location ).
This has got people thinking - is there any chance of a geocache type, similar to the new history type, where the sites are community environmental sites?
The community groups could provide the information about the site, work undertaken and aims, and what else is needed, but would need help with how to set up geocache info.
There might be options for setting up external web pages with info if needed, but plenty of sites are outside mobile coverage.
I know of at least 20-50 sites straight up - potentially more if it is not required to go on site (ie collect info from a roadside) - which are great to visit anyway. The groups would like to be able to promote the sites and the work that has been and is being done, and geocaching keeps getting mentioned - so could help to make it easier for people not local or involved to find them.
These types of groups are right around the country, so could become a large number of cache sites, and possible to link a number as a multisite type or event as well.

tmiftg wrote:Newby here, so tell me if I am completely off track or missing prior info, but would like to know if this is a possibility.
I work with a number of community groups which are involved in managing a range of public land sites for ongoing improvement - often dealing with weeds, planting, walking tracks etc. These vary from urban parks to reserves along a road or river somewhere long way from town. A couple I know recently discovered that there is a geocache located on their site without their knowledge (fun for all involved when reported as possible drug dealing location ).
This has got people thinking - is there any chance of a geocache type, similar to the new history type, where the sites are community environmental sites?
The community groups could provide the information about the site, work undertaken and aims, and what else is needed, but would need help with how to set up geocache info.
There might be options for setting up external web pages with info if needed, but plenty of sites are outside mobile coverage.
I know of at least 20-50 sites straight up - potentially more if it is not required to go on site (ie collect info from a roadside) - which are great to visit anyway. The groups would like to be able to promote the sites and the work that has been and is being done, and geocaching keeps getting mentioned - so could help to make it easier for people not local or involved to find them.
These types of groups are right around the country, so could become a large number of cache sites, and possible to link a number as a multisite type or event as well.

Interesting idea! Thanks for putting it forward.

A geocache site is a lat / lon. If you don't mind folk walking up to your location, then this might work. How would this differ from a virtual cache? There is no Q&A involved. No gathering of information. It would seem to be a nice place to visit but you may not want a physical cache there. This seems like a virtual location type. Happy to continue the discussions and understand why this would be a new cache type.

Thanks - I was thinking of some other sites that are on private property, but adjoining or visible from roads or key locations - so can get or walk to see enough to identify landmarks or info for q & a, which would provide more potential sites again on top of the public land sites. There are lots of options.
As for Q&A, this is something the groups could provide - as this would make some sites more interesting where either no physical cache option - and give some options for users to find about the work of the groups and the local environment.
I am not totally clear on the potential or areas of interest by cachers, so would be keen to understand which options would be best to use. A preliminary review of the cache types shows me that a number of types could be used on these sites, but I don't really understand the challenges people want.
Some sites (like the works on private land) could be part of a multisite type - where users need to travel to a couple of locations, find facts to get to each to reach a final location (Q&A challenge).
Main ones would be fixed sites like the historic type - so people can find about an environmental site, why it is important, what has been done and the future - (educational) in the process of answering the questions - and this is the main type I am looking at initially. These have public access (but are often not known outside the local community), and some value to the community or environment.
Let me know any more questions you have.

Give us a real world example. That's always the best way. Locate something, provide the co-ordinates, what you would see there, what action you might take, what Q&A you might need to do then we as a community can see whether it's what we're interested in.

Great idea -Example.
Westgate Park in Melbourne - long term project in major metropolitan, significant works by volunteers over 30 years http://www.westgatepark.org/
One key location is the Salt water lake
https://www.google.com.au/maps/place/Sa ... 84423,17z/
This sometimes turns pink during particular times of year- Q& A could include (with more cryptic questions maybe)
- Who's the friends
- who owns it
- Whats special about the lake
- why pink?
.....
This park also has a series of relatively short walks, lots of signage, project sites etc, so could add multisite ones to the options,
Appears to be at least one cache in the park now.

An interesting proposal, an enviro-cache which is a virtual type. Not particularly different to a normal virtual cache where you are taking someone to an area for interest purposes.

I'm wondering what could be done differently to a Q&A to steer it away from the history cache requirements and more towards something environmental.

The idea of an environmental cache where some form of "cleanup" or "environmental activity" would need to take place. Not exacftly a CITO which is an event, but an everyday, geocache location which would require someone to do something environmental at the location. That's an idea I'm really interested in.

This park in particular has lots of information on specific native plant species, so users could get hints or an id key to then have to find particular species - then learn about that plant and the value and why it is there while chasing the location.
Many groups would just like to make more people aware of the environmental works, and why they are valuable (cultural, environmental values).
The Westgate group runs large numbers of volunteer days when people could turn up, help with cleanup, planting, etc, for specific events - so that is another option.
This site, and many others have regular problems with weeds and or rubbish - so some sites could include the test to identify and remove a weed plant or rubbish, or photograph and geolocate weeds for the group to target..
Other groups would just love to have new people see their site, take a photo or provide a condition report (simple ie needs maintenance, weeds growing) or feedback - particularly the more remote ones. A series of photos taken from a key location (a virtual cache?) over time would be a big help to groups (ie photo point monitoring) - and help promote sites - especially if linked to Facebook etc. Time series photos are incredibly powerful for monitoring.