IT IS an activity that has been described as a little like a treasure hunt – except there are treasures to be found all over the world and millions of people are participating.
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It is called geocaching, an outdoor activity in which participants use a GPS device or a smartphone app to find containers hidden in public places.
According to the website Geocaching.com, which celebrated 16 years of operation this month, there are more than 2.8 million caches to be discovered in 180 countries, nearly 800 of which are within about 50 kilometres of the centre of Bendigo.
Geocaches can contain a logbook (at a minimum - geocachers are asked to record their discoveries by writing down their geocaching nickname) and various trinkets for the purpose of trading, while some might have trackable objects, linked to a code that allows them to be traced as they are moved from cache to cache.
Some geocaches are simple to find, hidden in easy-to-access places, while others can be cleverly concealed, difficult to reach or require that intricate puzzles be solved before the geocache can be found – the maps suggest there is even a geocache located on an island off Antarctica.
A geocache seen by the Bendigo Advertiser last week was hidden in a tube in the ground, the cap carefully concealed with a pine cone.
There is a small but passionate community of geocachers within the Bendigo area, the members of which say it is easy to get hooked on the thrill of the hunt.
Local woman Karen Butler is one of them, having started geocaching almost a year and a half ago.
She is now an administrator for the Bendigo Region Geocachers page on Facebook, a growing group of nearly 260 people of a range of ages and backgrounds who make up what she describes as “a really welcoming and friendly community”.
“I first heard about geocaching from a friend who’d been doing it for a number of years,” Ms Butler said.
“He had sent me some information on geocaching but I didn’t get involved until my eldest son came home and was talking enthusiastically about some night caches he’d found.
“He put the app on my phone and I found my first cache that weekend, and I was hooked.”
Ms Butler is not the only person to have found themselves captivated by geocaching.
Elise and Chris Barter began geocaching just a few weeks ago, but already they and their young family have fallen in love with the somewhat obscure activity.
“I just think it’s a fantastic thing for families to get out and do,” Ms Barter said.
“It’s getting us out of the house, keeping us fit, out enjoying nature and enjoying the weather.
“It’s like orienteering, but with a physical reward,” Mr Barter added.
They have four boys, the oldest of whom is homeschooled, and as a result their fun hobby is now also used as an educational tool to teach Fenn, 9, about using maps and compasses, geography, and the natural environment.
But for Fenn and his brothers Seth and Coen, finding treasure remains the most fun aspect of geocaching.
While they had only been doing it for a short time, Mr Barter said they tried to go geocaching as often as they could.
“Even if we’re out shopping, if we see one we’ll stop and have a look,” Ms Barter added.
Kalianna School has also seen the educational benefits geocaching can provide.
Each Thursday, the students dedicate some of their afternoon to the activity, looking for new geocaches or maintaining their own.
Teachers Karina Smith and Seamus Curtain-Magee said they began geocaching last term, linking the activity back to what the students were learning in the classroom.
Ms Smith said geocaching was an activity that could be integrated with just about all areas of learning, including literacy, numeracy and history.
“We’re seeing an improvement in engagement, especially with the kids we can’t engage in normal, sit-down classroom activities,” Ms Smith said.
The school has its own nickname – kaliannakachers – but a lot of the kids have enjoyed it so much they have created their own.
“The kids love tracking what’s been found, whose has been found the most, that sort of thing,” Mr Curtain-Magee said.
Senior student Ashlea Hunter said she most enjoyed finding the tiny “nano” caches, because of the challenge involved.
For Ms Butler, geocaching began as a way to get some exercise after being unwell for a couple of years.
But she too has found the activity enriches her life, and that of her family, in other ways.
“There are different levels of difficulty so I set myself little challenges and it’s a great sense of achievement when I complete them,” she said.
“Also, it is really good for getting my nine-year-old son off the computer and getting out into the fresh air.
“He gets very excited when he finds a cache by himself.
“It’s also good bonding time – we chat whilst we’re walking through the bush, I love it.”
There were other things she also loved about geocaching, she said.
“It takes you to so many places that you wouldn’t normally visit if it weren’t for geocaching,” Ms Butler said.
“I’ve also met some amazing people who have become good friends.”