Caches for travelers

chewinprickles · Post by **chewinprickles** » 24 September 07 3:07 pm

I reckon we could do with more caches along major highways simply to break up trips. I've got a few up the Hume and I know they are pretty uninteresting in the main but they make you stop at least once.
Just drove down from Sydney recently and there are not a lot along the highway in NSW. Could do with more I think.
BTW I worked out with the 161 metres rule there is potential for over 4000 caches between Melb and Sydney. It would take a while to do the trip if it was like that.

Papa Bear_Left · Post by **Papa Bear_Left** » 24 September 07 5:16 pm

I remember our first drive from Christchurch down to Dunedin (in NZ, of course)
There were several caches at rest stops along the way and we started off finding them as we came to them.
After half a dozen completely lame caches in places with suspicious paper piles nearby, we stopped wasting our time. (Drive-by caches get hidden in places that are convenient and quick to get to but out of sight of the parking area. Now, what sort of place do incontinent people look for, hmm?)

Some rest stops are in interesting places and deserve the attention brought by a cache. Others are just places to park and they don't. If there's a cache in all of them, how do you tell the difference?

Mr Router · Post by **Mr Router** » 24 September 07 5:35 pm

Papa Bear_Left wrote:
Some rest stops are in interesting places and deserve the attention brought by a cache. Others are just places to park and they don't. If there's a cache in all of them, how do you tell the difference?

Some rest spot can be way more than just drive by's, it all depends who hides it

but do agree there must be a view or something to learn or just a number

I did not say that

If · Post by If » 24 September 07 7:33 pm

I like the highway drivebys. The stretching of the legs, the chance for a bit of relief and a cache

But it's always better if the cache is located outside the POO ZONE

Richary · Post by **Richary** » 24 September 07 8:13 pm

That's one reason I put a few out on the long drive west to Broken Hill. The first is close enough to Nevertire that would be the logical toilet stop, the 2nd on a hill near the road. The third is just at a roadside rest area (which has a toilet supplied so should solve that problem).

Just somewhere to break the drive every hour or two - it's a long way with not much to see!

luckdogscrew · Post by **luckdogscrew** » 24 September 07 9:52 pm

We just returned from doing the melbourne to adelaide trip, and found the caches along the way really helped the trip. Our conclusions of this trip, while they are fresh

Biggles Bear's Melbourne to Adelaide and the Adelaide to Melbourne multi's are great (Thanks Biggles Bear) Maybe one's linking other cities would be good.

Its good to have a cache at the rest stops, It means you do more than just stop, However we liked the ones with a 100-200m walk, so you really stretched the legs.

The caches at interesting places along the road, Like the 90 Mile Desert monument are great to stop at.

Long Multi's in Towns, More than 30mins are a pain, and we had to leave these. Just too long. But 30min ones at lunch stops are great.

We commented on the way back how many of those Historic Markers that we pass along the route, and never stop, but always wonder what they are for, but none of them had Caches, (So we didn't stop). I think these could all do with a cache.

We have to thank all the cacher's who have placed caches along this route. It made the journey much more enjoyable, We would especially like to thank Biggles Bear for his multi's that must have taken some work. And Team Piggy for a great one at bordertown.

Luck Dogs Crew

Eynowd · Post by **Eynowd** » 26 September 07 2:13 pm

Papa Bear_Left wrote:Some rest stops are in interesting places and deserve the attention brought by a cache. Others are just places to park and they don't. If there's a cache in all of them, how do you tell the difference?

Well, all of the rest stops on the Hume Highway between Canberra and Sydney are named after a winner of the Victoria Cross. Each one (as far as I know) has a sign up explaining what the recipient was awarded the medal for. They make some interesting reading.

I was thinking I wouldn't mind seeing a cache in each one. There's a few that already have them, but there are plenty more that don't.

Damo. · Post by **Damo.** » 26 September 07 9:52 pm

Eynowd wrote: Well, all of the rest stops on the Hume Highway between Canberra and Sydney are named after a winner of the Victoria Cross. Each one (as far as I know) has a sign up explaining what the recipient was awarded the medal for. They make some interesting reading.

I was thinking I wouldn't mind seeing a cache in each one. There's a few that already have them, but there are plenty more that don't.

Wouldn't that get pretty tedious that they were all the same though?

Eynowd · Post by **Eynowd** » 26 September 07 10:24 pm

Damo. wrote: Wouldn't that get pretty tedious that they were all the same though?

Why would they all have to be the same? Different containers, different hiding methods, different views at each GZ. I can see plenty of scope for creative differences.

Cached · Post by **Cached** » 27 September 07 12:00 am

Why would they all be the same? Every VC winner is different.

For a great series of highway caches, bluedog & emmmnl (sp?) on the newell and sturt highways are fantastic.

Personally, I like a highway cache to be a less than 5 minute cache, right beside the highway. A quick interesting spot, hopefully with a toilet, enough time for a really quick leg stretch, but not taking enough time that it starts adding time to my journey. On a 1000km trip, a dozen five minute caches is an hour of unplanned stops, and has added another hour to the trip. Make them 20 minute caches, and I'll never get to the other end - or never get hubby to stop for caches.

At Dubbo one year, BlueDog and I discussed having a convention for naming highway caches. Caches that met what I put above would be "on" caches, caches a few minutes detour or walk would be "off" caches. For example, a 200m walk cache might be called "Stumper off Sturt" (Hwy). The same cache thats a real quicky would be "Stumper on Sturt". Lets you make an educated decision from the title, without having to carry paperwork across the countryside. Makes them easy to search for too.

So how about a series of caches "on" and "off" the hume?

Also, with lunch time multi's - if they're in a highway town, they need to clearly say how long they are going to take, or i'm not even stepping out of the car to look at them.

My 10c

Cached

Postman Pat · Post by **Postman Pat** » 27 September 07 9:31 pm

then again a lot of people refer to the caches near or on a Road as Drive by's which would also allow for them to be classed as such on roads that are not major roads.

Richary · Post by **Richary** » 28 September 07 2:50 pm

I think rather than place on them the major highways, make a trail parallel to the main road that is more scenic. Then people would be encouraged not to just travel like a bat out of hell from a to b, and see the scenery on the way.

Team Rubik · Post by **Team Rubik** » 28 September 07 11:36 pm

I'm afraid I don't agree with the general concensus. I find caches at rest stops are often inappropriately placed and completely unjustifiable as a choice of location. By that I mean perhaps too close to a toilet block or simply another micro chucked under a bush. 
 
Unfortunately the general belief is that if a cache is next to the road, we had better go and log it. Why? It makes sense, it's an easy find, another stat. I know because I did exactly that today. 
 
I was greeted with a cache placed beyond a barbed wire fence with few redeeming qualities (hmmm, well the cache was big enough to hold swaps at least). The reason for this cache? There's a new roadhouse here - it's a good place to stop. I agree, it's a terrific place to stop, get some food, etc. What it isn't though is a good place for a cache. Roadhouses aren't interesting, they are there to provide a service. I don't need to have a cache placed at a roadhouse to tell me where I can stop for food on a trip, I'm taking the freeway! There are signs telling you how far away the next food stop is. 
 
Too often people attempt to justify placing caches when the simple truth is don't. If it's a crappy roadside stop, don't bother. If there is a good reason to go out and explore the area, then go for it. 
 
I would love to welcome people's feedback to my views. I would ask however that you don't respond to this post with a list of great roadside stops that have caches, I have found some and I liked them. Please don't respond to this cache if you have put out a crappy cache at a roadside stop and are offended by this post. I have put out crappy caches too, but I have archived them. 
 
What you can do is go out and put some quality caches at places you would like me to see. If it is at a roadside stop then terrific, I love an excuse to stop and stretch the legs and discover something of interest. 
 
Rob

Geocaching Australia

Caches for travelers

Caches for travelers

The sixth innings stretch