Fuel Prices

chewinprickles · Post by **chewinprickles** » 05 October 05 6:24 pm

How are the fuel prices inpacting eveybodies caching activities? We just got back from holidays a few weeks ago and my wife has decreed the belt must be pulled in a bit to recoup funds. My rate of finds is slowing a bit consequently, not to mention the fact that I have to keep going further, but I know that's not an isolated problem. Actually fuels not a real problem to me because I'm on LPG but I'd be interested in comments nontheless. I also have my bike but it's actually fairly heavy on fuel for a bike. Gets about 7 ltrs per 100km.

GIN51E · Post by **GIN51E** » 05 October 05 6:29 pm

It's costing me a lot more to run the Berlina but its not high enough yet to slow my caching down

ideology · Post by **ideology** » 05 October 05 6:33 pm

the geocopter burns about 30 litres per 100km. maybe we should get a bike!

Post by **caughtatwork** » 05 October 05 6:34 pm

ideology wrote:the geocopter burns about 30 litres per 100km. maybe we should get a bike!

Ummmmmmmmmmmm. If you can afford a 'copter you can afford the damn petrol

Each time I go caching it costs about $30-$40. Fortunately I'm employed at the moment so it's not too bad, but it does bite at the end of the week when you need to refill. I drive a Hyundai so it's not exactly a big engine either.

Team Piggy · Post by **Team Piggy** » 05 October 05 7:15 pm

chewinprickles wrote: I also have my bike but it's actually fairly heavy on fuel for a bike. Gets about 7 ltrs per 100km.

Not bad, The Piggy Cache-Racer (A big blocked Kawasaki ZXR Ex-drag bike) gets about 3 or 4 kilometres to a litre! Or if racing on the track about 1 litre per kilometre!

Needless to say its never been taken caching!

setsujoku · Post by **setsujoku** » 05 October 05 7:26 pm

So far i havent felt the burden, but having said that i did 65 caches last month, over 90% of which were done on work trips, in the work car.
So im sure that once i go back to using my car(geo-magna) to/from work, caching, etc ill prolly see a bit of a hike from what im used to paying each week.

chewinprickles · Post by **chewinprickles** » 05 October 05 7:35 pm

Thanks for all your comments. It's very interesting. I used to have a job that involved a bit of travelling but now I sit in an office all day. What a pity caching wasn't thought of when I had that previous job.
What an even bigger pity I wasn't the one who invented this game.

Post by **caughtatwork** » 05 October 05 7:40 pm

Office boy here too. Still an 80k round trip each day. What a pain driving through the traffic.

Team Piggy · Post by **Team Piggy** » 05 October 05 8:04 pm

Oh, are we talking work.

Ok lets see.. last week or so was a cracker..

Drove to Loxton on monday, couple hours work and straight back, no caching as I forgot the GPS in my early morning stupor.
550 kms / $87.00 LPG.

Tuesday/Wednesday, around Adelaide, out to Munno para once, and Mt barker once, Noarlunga once.
380 kms / $48.00 LPG.

Thursday, Kadina and Paskeville field days.
340 kms / $64.00 LPG

Friday, Adelaide to Port Augusta, out to Baxter detention centre and back.
760 Kms / $102.00 LPG

Tuesday: Adelaide to Roxby Downs, return, no caching

1292 Kms / $185.00 LPG

I guess the consumption of LPG shows why its called the Pig mobile!
I would have hated to see what it wopuld have cost me on Petrol!
Luckily we get time in vehicle in the range of $65+ an hour and 0.68 cents a kilometre or it really wouldnt be worthwhile anymore !

I just checked and my average fuel bills for the month (company cars which is: 2 x Mitsubishi vans, 1 x 4wd mitsubishi van, 1 x V8 Commmodore) are $ 650 per month.
This is without any country trips being done like the one above !

I guess I am a lucky one who can take a company car caching like some others, I think that i wouldnt if I was paying for the petrol.

Derringer · Post by **Derringer** » 05 October 05 9:01 pm

We just had a caching holiday to NSW and Qld,
4000 kms approx,

Fuel cost $1000 - caches - 45
Every time we filled up it was $100 - $120.00 in petrol.

However we took our own accomodation (camper trailer) and total cost for the 2 weeks was $130.00.

It won't slow our caching down as we don't spend alot on accomodation.
We camp bush wherever possible.

If fuel costs go alot higher, we can always start caching in the Melbourne Metro area to save on fuel - we still have 500 to find there and we don't need a 4wd for Melbourne.

What we will need is a good burgular alarm, We spent a day on the Warburton rail trail caching recently and Merediths car was broken into.
The bastards took $5.00 in coin and did $250.00 worth of damage to the door lock.
Kevin

chewinprickles · Post by **chewinprickles** » 05 October 05 10:48 pm

Hi Derringer
We operate the same way. Four wheel drive with a small camper trailer and off to the outback any chance we can get. We just came back from the Flinders Ranges Broken Hill and Cobar. Previous trips weve been to Innamincha, Birsdville Boulia Alice Springs and all points between. My wife and I love it. (By the way, and this might be the wrong place to say this, but I'm planning an assault on one of your caches not yet found.)
As to fuel costs I'd have to check Jens diary to see what our costs were but as I said earlier not too bad on gas and my vehicle gets pretty good mileage for a 4wd. Still need to knuckle down and recover the finances after such a holiday though.

acts2youthgroup · Post by **acts2youthgroup** » 06 October 05 12:05 am

Sorry to hear about the car Derringer, where were you parked when the car was broken into? Might have to warn others.
Eric

Bronze · Post by **Bronze** » 06 October 05 8:47 am

Hmm

I'd have to say two factors are impacting on my caching. Fuel being one and Locations being the second.

We have a Forester (2 Litre) and it's ok on fuel. 9.5l per 100 kilometers. So caching is fairly easy. Were working on Bluedogs Blizzardfield at the moment and have clocked up close to 300km's around Dubbo trying to work it out. It's not easy that's for sure. Some locations we have been to four times and they are all 9-10km apart surrounding the local airport. Anyhow fuel it only part of it. We can afford the fuel but were also saving for a home so we read a bit more than usual now because when the car is running it's making our home harder to get.

Secondly is the lack of cache locations. Dubbo has a lot to offer but we are starting to run out of good cache locations. As new cachers enter the fray they tend to hide a cache in locations that have caches already or we have been to umpteen times already. Of course I find the cache anyhow since I am there but I seem to enjoy more the thrill of the hunt. Caches which are hard and might, just might find somewhere I haven't been yet.

Events are the main reason I stay in caching. I love meeting the people. Cachers are like Volkswagen people. Genuinely friendly and are not to stuck up to sit down and have a chat about whatever.

The Bronze.

Mind Socket · Post by **Mind Socket** » 06 October 05 7:28 pm

ideology wrote:the geocopter burns about 30 litres per 100km. maybe we should get a bike!

I hear you can land them anywhere, but the aerodynamics are a bit iffy.

- R

Udderchaos · Post by **Udderchaos** » 06 October 05 8:34 pm

we havent been for a while as most of the caches are over 100ks away now. rather than drive a 100ks to do a cache for fun now we will do a heap in one hit.

I wouldn complain yet about fuel prices, the flow on effect of everything else rising in price is only just starting...

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