Welcome to the West Australian Geocaching
Magazine
'Down Under West Oz'
If you can help out with submissions, suggestions
visit the mailbox and drop us a line.
Geocaching Australia,
geocache, geocache, Geocaching, GPS, 4WD, 4X4, cache, treasure hunt, hiking, camping,
outdoors, Geocaching Australia, geocache, geocache, Geocaching, GPS, 4WD, 4X4, cache,
treasure hunt, hiking, camping, outdoors, Geocaching Australia, geocache, geocache,
Geocaching, GPS, 4WD, 4X4, cache, treasure hunt, hiking, camping, outdoors, Geocaching
Australia, geocache, geocache, Geocaching, GPS, 4WD, 4X4, cache, treasure hunt, hiking,
camping, outdoors. |
If you're tired of visiting the same areas and are
looking for a new sport/hobby where all the family can join in, then Geocaching may be
exactly what you're looking for. Geocaching, pronounced gee-o-cayshing, is the high tech
version of a treasure hunt. Armed with nothing more than a handheld GPS unit and a thirst
for adventure, you're off for new adventures and the likelihood of finding a hidden cache.
Most caches will lead you to a great area for views, history, camping spots, picnic spots
... the list is endless.
Here's how it works. Geocachers seek out hidden treasures utilising GPS coordinates posted
on the Internet by those hiding the cache. So to geocache, you'll need a handheld GPS
receiver. GPS, which stands for Global Positioning System, this system shows you your
exact position on the Earth anytime, in any weather.
Once you've purchased a GPS unit, you'll need to know where the caches are hidden. When a
cache is hidden, the cache's coordinates are submitted to many websites for all to see and
log. Enter the coordinates into your GPS and you're off. Currently there are more than
100,000 caches in over 200 countries.
Sounds easy armed with a GPS and the coordinates, how tough can it be? Well that's where
the fun starts there are so many different ideas out there now you'll never be out of
entertainment. Some are relatively easy so new users can get up to speed quickly. Just
look at the terrain and difficulty ratings and start off with some easy 1/1 rated caches
before you head off on a 5/5 or you may be disappointed. A 5/5 rated cache is 'supposed'
to be difficult, you may decide to never even visit a 5/5 cache the choice is yours
another great aspect of the sport. Read the descriptions well and decide if this cache is
for you ... there are many types of caches some require a simple park the car and step out
the door to find it, others may require a full days hike in the bush to locate the hidden
treasure, others may require a boat or 4WD there are a lot of different types to suit
every family/team.
Once you find the cache, there are a couple of simple 'global' rules.
1. Sign the logbook
2. If you do take something from the cache be sure to leave something of similar or higher
value.
3. When you get home log onto the internet and log your visit to the cache on the
appropriate website you found the cache on, this is important as no one website covers all
the caches you can visit.
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