Melba wetlands / Evatt ponds Melba, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
By
Sui_001 on 24-Mar-21. Waypoint GC981Z3
Cache Details
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By visiting the external cache listing you are leaving the Geocaching Australia website.
Geocaching Australia is not affiliated with the original listing site for this cache.
Please click here to view the caches listing.
If you wish to log this cache, you will need to log it on the external site.
This will require a separate user account on that site. (More Details)
Logs
The cache is either really well hidden or my gps location is off. This makes 2 nil found in a row. Bahh!Maybe next time?
Look out for wasps. 
No luck at either end today. 
Looks like we are heading all the way out to Lee's Loo for this elusive D/T combo. 
No luck at either end today. Looks like we are heading all the way out to Lee's Loo for this elusive D/T combo. Found with fitzy_1965 before heading to KK's 10 year event tonight.
Took a little bit of finding but soon had our eyes on the prize.
Took a little bit of finding but soon had our eyes on the prize.
29,172. Found with minniek before the event this evening.
After a days caching/dodging rain/watching Netflix with albida33, I caught up with minniek before the event to try to find a few more caches. This one had been bugging us for a while (actually both caches here - but we just tried this one today), and headed on down for a look. Searching for about 5 minutes until our luck came through and we unearthed the cache - Phew ! That could have been a lot worse. Signed the log, returned the cache as found, then headed off to the next one.
Thanks Sui_001 !!
After a days caching/dodging rain/watching Netflix with albida33, I caught up with minniek before the event to try to find a few more caches. This one had been bugging us for a while (actually both caches here - but we just tried this one today), and headed on down for a look. Searching for about 5 minutes until our luck came through and we unearthed the cache - Phew ! That could have been a lot worse. Signed the log, returned the cache as found, then headed off to the next one.
Thanks Sui_001 !!
At the end of the week I headed down south to visit caches around Lanyon Homestead. Whilst I managed to locate the information for one multi, I failed to reach GZ for another, and it seems I was on the wrong side of the river. I left those for another day and headed south along the River from Tharwa bridge. Lets just say overgrown does not quite describe how difficult the walking was. Blackberries, washed out gullies and tree climbs made the whole effort quite extreme. And I was little disappointed to find out I had missed two caches from my offline list. I made it back to the car scratched but happy.
Later in the afternoon, I was enticed out again by dty73 to help me find these two Melba sone caches. With pictures in hand is was still difficult and we only found this one. The other seems to have been inundated as some time and the flood debris seems to have moved some quite big rocks.
Thanks for the cache Sui_001
39320.6 TNLN
Visited: World Traveling Gold GC A#6 & May 2019 Dead Men Tell No Tales A#400
**Albida**
Later in the afternoon, I was enticed out again by dty73 to help me find these two Melba sone caches. With pictures in hand is was still difficult and we only found this one. The other seems to have been inundated as some time and the flood debris seems to have moved some quite big rocks.
Thanks for the cache Sui_001
39320.6 TNLN
Visited: World Traveling Gold GC A#6 & May 2019 Dead Men Tell No Tales A#400
**Albida**
#692 I have only just realised I have never logged this cache. After finally finding backwater bmx bandits I realised this cache was still sitting on my map as unfound. I previously found this one with Turtle284 a while back and decided to log it today with the other find. I remember finding this one after a couple of trips here and it took a fair chunk of our time to find it. After covering a large area and even trying to see if we’d be able to sniff it out with a metal detector (which ended up being no use) we finally made the find. Thanks Sui for putting these two out, and sorry for the very late log on this one
3rd Attempt ... Bloody hell but good hide very hard see heaps rocks , killed my neck and legs... Finally Found after 2 half hours... i wont go back anyone.... Next cache again ... Fav for you .. wink ... tks
Third time lucky for me here today - this is the nth hour I have spent looking for this tricky, tricky hide. I'd heard from recent finders that the container was a quite close to where my phone thought GZ was, so IamCoust and I at least had a vague strategy to guide our search.
Whilst I had an idea as to how this would be hidden, when we eventually found it I was still very impressed by the camouflage. Very well concealed - thanks (I think) Sui_001!
Whilst I had an idea as to how this would be hidden, when we eventually found it I was still very impressed by the camouflage. Very well concealed - thanks (I think) Sui_001!
After my CITO this morning I went home just to be drawn back out again later for some more caching. Joined forces wirh TE Aquilus1 and dty73 at some point and we continued on for a bit.
By no means an easy cache the complete opposite. I understand why this was unfounded for the longest time. It is quite literally the needel in the haystack here. Very devious!
Thank you Sui_001 for putting the cache out and maintaining it.
By no means an easy cache the complete opposite. I understand why this was unfounded for the longest time. It is quite literally the needel in the haystack here. Very devious!
Thank you Sui_001 for putting the cache out and maintaining it.
#17686 @1210
After this morning's CITO, a few of us relocated to here to have another attempt at this one. Once at GZ, we each focused on a small area close to GZ. This was a few metres from where I had previously searched. Almost immediately DTY73 found it. Woohoo. Great to avenge a DNF that has consumed a few hours of my life over several visits. Definitely pays to come with a crowd. TFTC.
After this morning's CITO, a few of us relocated to here to have another attempt at this one. Once at GZ, we each focused on a small area close to GZ. This was a few metres from where I had previously searched. Almost immediately DTY73 found it. Woohoo. Great to avenge a DNF that has consumed a few hours of my life over several visits. Definitely pays to come with a crowd. TFTC.
Found with friends after an awesome CITO. LOL!
Gotta love teamwork! We divided up the area to search ?? centimetre by centimetre. Dty73 found both caches at either end. Think ?? she must have magnets ?? in her fingers or xRay vision ??. Whatever she has I want the same!
Great to finally avenge multiple DNFs, and the loss of a day in my life that I will never get back! To all those disturbed ?? spiders ?? , lizards ?? and random insects ?? including wasps ??- sorry ?? and I don’t plan to come back anytime soon. TFTC Sui_001.
Gotta love teamwork! We divided up the area to search ?? centimetre by centimetre. Dty73 found both caches at either end. Think ?? she must have magnets ?? in her fingers or xRay vision ??. Whatever she has I want the same!
Great to finally avenge multiple DNFs, and the loss of a day in my life that I will never get back! To all those disturbed ?? spiders ?? , lizards ?? and random insects ?? including wasps ??- sorry ?? and I don’t plan to come back anytime soon. TFTC Sui_001.
Found after attending the CITO today. Thanks for hiding and maintaining this cache Sui_001
Cache 8984 on 22 May 2022.
A mini mission this afternoon with team FATZ to collect a couple of tasty caches out near Murrumbateman and north Belconnen.
After a successful mission to Murrumbateman, we swung by this cache hoping to avenge our previous DNFs. We have spent way too much time collectively and individually on this cache with no result, so it was fantastic to lay a hand on it finally!
Thanks Sui_001 for the cache and the huge challenge!
A mini mission this afternoon with team FATZ to collect a couple of tasty caches out near Murrumbateman and north Belconnen.
After a successful mission to Murrumbateman, we swung by this cache hoping to avenge our previous DNFs. We have spent way too much time collectively and individually on this cache with no result, so it was fantastic to lay a hand on it finally!
Thanks Sui_001 for the cache and the huge challenge!
Again once you found out the trick you could look for the hide. Still well hidden. Lovely spot here. I do hope they will keep it open and put a park nearby for people to enjoy. Love the way they are refurbishing the waterways. They need some art here though.
Thanks for getting me out and about Sui_001
Thanks for getting me out and about Sui_001
Third attempt. Got it. I looked across at the rock where I had focused my previous efforts. It was two metres away. I had worked my way all around to to a radius of about 1.5 metres. In other words I was 50 cm away from this cache at one point.
That was then. This is now.
This time AngelG27 found the savage little sucker. Savage because it tends to ravage your time.
Part of a successful afternoon mission with friends to round out the weekend. I found three caches. All caches were by the same person. Who could that be?
TFTC Sui_001!
That was then. This is now.
This time AngelG27 found the savage little sucker. Savage because it tends to ravage your time.
Part of a successful afternoon mission with friends to round out the weekend. I found three caches. All caches were by the same person. Who could that be?
TFTC Sui_001!
Finally. Revenged the dnf. Really - this was just nasty. I am wondering if the container originally had a purpose built hidey hole. Anyway, a find is a find. Happy days. TFTC Sui
The hours we have spent here are unknown, but the joy at finally making the find is indescribable. We searched and searched and searched, but eventually a familiar glint was seen amongst the rocks and the cache was then in hand.
Thanks for a truly evil (but also wickedly delightful) series of caches Sui_001. We can finally stop planning our next venture back to these wetlands now .
Thanks for a truly evil (but also wickedly delightful) series of caches Sui_001. We can finally stop planning our next venture back to these wetlands now .
Had some daylight left after a fairly good cache haul today whilst on my solo novo geocaching trip to CBR and Yass so I decided to stop by here to give these two killer trads a go. I think I spent about 75 mins collectively on the hides here, both sending me stone cold crazy. I like these and yet I didn't find either ha. Have a FP oh sorry I can't do that either.
#1431
#1431
I got excited seeing that it's been confirmed to be there, but still no luck. Hot muggy weather and a limited lunch break for the better off me. Maybe next time.
###Cache Maintenance Visit Required please.###
This geocache has been brought to my attention as being in need of an Owner Maintenance visit, as the logs indicate that it is most likely missing, or else some other problem exists with the cache.
I agree that it certainly seems necessary to have it checked by the Cache Owner.
The cache owner needs to:
* Investigate the situation and either restore the cache, or address any other issues, such as correcting the D/T rating if necessary.
* Re-enable the cache by posting an Enable log
* Post an Owner Maintenance log to advise what has been done, and to clear any Needs Maintenance attribute which is present.
Otherwise :
* Post a Note Log to request more time if necessary, or provide other information..
**Do not use an Owner Maintenance log for this, that is for use only **when you actually do something to repair the cache**.
Alternatively:
* Archive the cache, and remove any remaining geo-litter from the site.
In the meantime, I've temporarily disabled the cache page to await owner action by Sui_001 and to take it off the playing board to prevent further geocaching community inconvenience.
[Please see the maintenance section of the Geocache Hiding Guidelines.](https://www.geocaching.com/play/guidelines?expand=1#cachemaintenance)
**I will check back in 30 days** to see that action has been by the CO.
If nothing has happened, I will assume that the cache has been abandoned and, unfortunately, I will need to Archive this cache.
*Caches archived because of lack of maintenance/abandonment will not be unarchived.*
The Geocaching Community needs to have a degree of certainty that a cache is there, and in good condition, waiting to be found, and the CO has a responsibility to maintain their caches.
Please see [my profile page](https://www.geocaching.com/p/default.aspx?u=Balayang) for additional information.
Thank you
Balayang
Community Reviewer -Australia
This geocache has been brought to my attention as being in need of an Owner Maintenance visit, as the logs indicate that it is most likely missing, or else some other problem exists with the cache.
I agree that it certainly seems necessary to have it checked by the Cache Owner.
The cache owner needs to:
* Investigate the situation and either restore the cache, or address any other issues, such as correcting the D/T rating if necessary.
* Re-enable the cache by posting an Enable log
* Post an Owner Maintenance log to advise what has been done, and to clear any Needs Maintenance attribute which is present.
Otherwise :
* Post a Note Log to request more time if necessary, or provide other information..
**Do not use an Owner Maintenance log for this, that is for use only **when you actually do something to repair the cache**.
Alternatively:
* Archive the cache, and remove any remaining geo-litter from the site.
In the meantime, I've temporarily disabled the cache page to await owner action by Sui_001 and to take it off the playing board to prevent further geocaching community inconvenience.
[Please see the maintenance section of the Geocache Hiding Guidelines.](https://www.geocaching.com/play/guidelines?expand=1#cachemaintenance)
**I will check back in 30 days** to see that action has been by the CO.
If nothing has happened, I will assume that the cache has been abandoned and, unfortunately, I will need to Archive this cache.
*Caches archived because of lack of maintenance/abandonment will not be unarchived.*
The Geocaching Community needs to have a degree of certainty that a cache is there, and in good condition, waiting to be found, and the CO has a responsibility to maintain their caches.
Please see [my profile page](https://www.geocaching.com/p/default.aspx?u=Balayang) for additional information.
Thank you
Balayang
Community Reviewer -Australia
Despite looking high and low, this was unfortunately a DNF this time around. We moved a lot of rocks and ended up with sore hands. Maybe I will have better luck next time? Anyway, thanks for the cache listing and I will have another look next time I am motivated to clamber over these rocks again!
@0900
Another attempt at this one. This time I brought reinforcements: Fox in Jox, AngelG27 and ZQX. After nearly 40 minutes, we left without finding it.
Another attempt at this one. This time I brought reinforcements: Fox in Jox, AngelG27 and ZQX. After nearly 40 minutes, we left without finding it.
This is one of the hardest trads I've come across. Really hard. Four of us gave it 40 minutes, and came away empty. Might need to come back with another 20 people, a bobcat, and some X-ray machines.
After success at the other end of the ponds, AngelG27, ZQX, TikvaNZ and I decided to spend time at this - 45 minutes later, we had a lot of overturned rocks but no container. We might have to widen our search, get reinforcements or bring in industrial machinery!!! But, we'll be back. TFTC Sui_001
No luck today. Spent an hour or so disturbing spiders and displacing and replacing rocks, to no avail. Will be back for a third go, possibly with reinforcements. Stay tuned!
This was actually my 2nd visit to this cache. The 1st was more of a surveillance mission just to see what we were up against and I only looked for about 10 minutes. There were also a number of workers at the nearby compound making me feel a bit uncomfortable scrambling around in the rocks.
Came back today with DeadThief for a more comprehensive search. Had a crack with a metal detector in the hope of getting close enough to register a chirp. We did manage to find a short rusty piece of wire but no cache.
After well over an hour on the hunt the cache was finally uncovered to smiles and relief.
Thanks Sui for doing our heads in with this hide. We then headed over to BMX but didn’t have the same success. Cheers.
Came back today with DeadThief for a more comprehensive search. Had a crack with a metal detector in the hope of getting close enough to register a chirp. We did manage to find a short rusty piece of wire but no cache.
After well over an hour on the hunt the cache was finally uncovered to smiles and relief.
Thanks Sui for doing our heads in with this hide. We then headed over to BMX but didn’t have the same success. Cheers.
[FTF] with Loci612!
After seeing Farmers5 find the partner cache to this one, I felt the urge to have another go. I wondered if I would run into anyone whilst attempting, though I wasn't expecting anyone. Much to my surprise there was already 2 people there! Nice to meet you Sui, and always a pleasure Loci! So after about 15min (much faster than last time I was here), the cache was in hand, very well done.
A few minutes after packing it away Flintstone's approached GZ, nice to meet you too!
Thanks for the fun!! Glad to have avenged the DNF.
After seeing Farmers5 find the partner cache to this one, I felt the urge to have another go. I wondered if I would run into anyone whilst attempting, though I wasn't expecting anyone. Much to my surprise there was already 2 people there! Nice to meet you Sui, and always a pleasure Loci! So after about 15min (much faster than last time I was here), the cache was in hand, very well done.
A few minutes after packing it away Flintstone's approached GZ, nice to meet you too!
Thanks for the fun!! Glad to have avenged the DNF.
First to Find with KingPin4!
After Farmers5 shock log on the nearby hide the other day, I had a glimmer of hope on this cache. I had looked for the other one on previous occasions, including after a Community Celebration event with about 7 other cachers including the CO but still had no luck. That was the kicker to my efforts and I hadn’t been back since...
I had some spare time after work today, so headed to GZ and started the search. Sent Sui a message and about 20 minutes later he also showed up for moral support
I had been searching for an hour by this point, when another figure started walking towards us! It turned out to be KingPin4! He had a similar urge to search after seeing the other one get found recently. It was only about 15 minutes after KingPin4 arrived that a scream was heard throughout the whole wetlands, FOUND IT! Couldn’t believe our eyes!
We signed the log, replaced it and started to pack up. It wasn’t long before we saw yet another person walking towards us! This time it was Flintstones! Just missed out by a few minutes after the excitement had died down.
Thanks for the cache Sui_001, and thanks to KingPin4 for giving me that extra help at the end. Your appearance was the lucky charm that was needed to finally locate it! Evil, evil!!
Still no luck on the other cache across the wetlands though.... had a quick look but it seems Farmers5 has returned all the rocks into their respective spots and we would have to start from scratch again, maybe another time!
After Farmers5 shock log on the nearby hide the other day, I had a glimmer of hope on this cache. I had looked for the other one on previous occasions, including after a Community Celebration event with about 7 other cachers including the CO but still had no luck. That was the kicker to my efforts and I hadn’t been back since...
I had some spare time after work today, so headed to GZ and started the search. Sent Sui a message and about 20 minutes later he also showed up for moral support
I had been searching for an hour by this point, when another figure started walking towards us! It turned out to be KingPin4! He had a similar urge to search after seeing the other one get found recently. It was only about 15 minutes after KingPin4 arrived that a scream was heard throughout the whole wetlands, FOUND IT! Couldn’t believe our eyes!
We signed the log, replaced it and started to pack up. It wasn’t long before we saw yet another person walking towards us! This time it was Flintstones! Just missed out by a few minutes after the excitement had died down.
Thanks for the cache Sui_001, and thanks to KingPin4 for giving me that extra help at the end. Your appearance was the lucky charm that was needed to finally locate it! Evil, evil!!
Still no luck on the other cache across the wetlands though.... had a quick look but it seems Farmers5 has returned all the rocks into their respective spots and we would have to start from scratch again, maybe another time!
Back in town and a this is still unfound so had to give it a try. Came at sunset and had a half an hour look before dark.
Darn it long time search for it after lots of dnf people so ALL7 want team up with me after long time search for it and unfortunately failed to find it of thousand rock and it bloody good tricky hide
Well play SUI, you bloody B******
Well play SUI, you bloody B******
I looked for this a couple of days ago, spent about an hour at the other one, then walked over, as it got dark, and spent an hour looking for this one by torchlight ... I ran out of day, got hungry and tired, and eventually decided it might be a good idea to go home and cook (late) dinner ...
Not logging a DNF yet - I have not finished looking.
Not logging a DNF yet - I have not finished looking.
Rode over here with the geo family thinking that 4 sets of eyes might help. We had a lot of fun clambering over the rock walls but no joy finding the cache. Tftc.
I went to the wetlands with the CO to see this cache. It is there you just have to look very very hard.
No luck today either despite the CO coming on site confirming that the caches are still in place and kindly defining the search area for us. Too many rocks that are way too heavy needing to be moved to make the reveal. Maybe in some other life.
We now know of 8 cachers that have been out here already without success so it’s not an easy find. Not sure why they don’t want to place DNFs. A few of us a pretty confident that one of the mob currently up in QLD at the mega will make the find.
We now know of 8 cachers that have been out here already without success so it’s not an easy find. Not sure why they don’t want to place DNFs. A few of us a pretty confident that one of the mob currently up in QLD at the mega will make the find.
No luck here today, will try another time.You know that movie where the solo rock climber gets stuck between large boulders and has to cut his own arm off (127 Hours). That was in my mind every time one of those large rocks rolled around.
I looked for a loooong time but couldn’t spot the container.
I looked for a loooong time but couldn’t spot the container.
Far too clever for me. And the sight of a large wasp nest near GZ had me worried as they are large in size and numbers. Pleasure to meet The Farmers 5 for the first time. He was well organised and had been here a good hour while I had been at the other cache. I spent close to an hour here so soon gave up as it was getting too hot around lunchtime. Also, Greg had been here far longer than me and his GPS' were also bouncing like my GPS. Maybe some other time.
DNF as well . Huge active wasp nest at GZ so searched away from nest .
Will be back .
Will be back .
