MESCo #11 DEPOT Geelong, Victoria, Australia
By vp4 on 22-Dec-07. Waypoint GC1823V

This series is causing me more grief than many of my other caches, I no longer have time to maintain suburban micros. Thanks for all the logs

Series disabled while I contemplate its future

This gets a fav for the effort put into the series ad a whole. Great final hide

Thanks for replacing this container, vp4 - I finally managed to complete the series which I started in 2012!

Hmmm !! had a poke around in this location last week without success. Returned today and there it was. Signed a brand new log book. Had a lot of fun and nostalgia in finding the series and eventually this one. Thanks for the history refresher and getting me out and about vp4.

New cache placed tonight

After starting this series in 2012, I eventually got to the final one today. I got to GZ and soon found the likely hiding place - unfortunately, no cache could be found. Seeing the older log from ssmc4, I figured the same thing may have happened to the cache as I could not get to "the bottom of it" ... Unless it is perhaps somewhere else.
Thanks for the series, vp4 - some good research has gone into these tram lines.

Nice hide.
Some skill was needed in retrieving the cache during the middle of Geelong city traffic.
But we got it and signed it within minutes. Nice hide and a good series

Easy find in the end. Thanks for all the mesco points. Enjoyed them.

Easy find once we had right spot

TFTC!

Thanks for this series vp4. We have really enjoyed doing it and we were really glad that we could find them all and finish it in one day. Rarely do we have a day without a DNF, so for that we are thankful

At GZ we were lucky enough to be free of muggles, finally, after a day where they have been almost everywhere, hindering our attempts. We made a quick find and made sure we were very careful when replacing the cache.

We came away from this series wishing there were still trams operating in Geelong. Whether or not it would be at good financial or logistical decision, it would certainly be a fun journey through a bit of Geelong's history. Thanks again vp4

Although we were running late after waiting out muggles at mesco #10, we drove by and our 9yo daughter was sure she could see a good spot for it. It only took a few minutes to park and have this one sorted as she was exactly right. Thanks to VP4 for arranging this series. We've enjoyed visiting all the sites and the nice little history lesson that came along with it.

I couldn't believe my luck with this one. A great place to hide a cache.
Thanks very much.
Cheers
Dog-gone 24/03/13 22:13 Find #592

It's taken a while but we finally got there! Should have written the tram numbers down in a safe place as we ended up visiting a lot of sites a 2nd time to be able to complete this final. A great series which has helped us learn a lot more about Geelong geography and history! TFTC

A replacement was placed tonight.

Up and running again

Awaiting some new magnets in the mail back on line soon hopefully.

Ooops, will replace soon

Ooooooooops [B)] [B)] [B)] [B)] [B)]

I'd found the previous MESCo caches and calculated the GZ ages ago but today had the chance to search for the final cache. I DID find it but due to my fumble fingers it is no longer available for others to find [xx(] (I'll contact the cache owner directly with more details so as not to give the GZ clue away). I'm really sorry and I hope this one can be up and running again as it's a great historic series.

with ogrebeast went to all the caches and had all the clues in hand worked out the co-ords and set off.
i have lived in geelong my whole live and have never noticed this depot
Thanks vp4 for a great series of caches

after retieving all our caches for the series we crunched all the numbers with teamranger and come with all the cordes we needed and headed for GZ have driven past this building that many times and never knew this was a depot thanks vp4 for a great put together series it gets a favorite from ogrebeast TFTC

This was a really good set of caches. really enjoyed it. MESCo #2 was missing and we really wanted to complete the cache so worked it out without finiding it and still found this one so was a good find. will go back and first #2 when it is back online. TFTC

T4tc!

Tftc

TFTC

Well after not finding mesco 2 I had help from roverman88 as he worked the GZ out without mesco 2 really good adventure to this cache I liked it immensely tftc

40# found with my mate Tshering great hide

Finally completed this cache series. It took well over a year1 Had a deep discussion with geo hubby who was with me today. He didn't realise that trams ran around Geelong way back then.
This one took a little of a search. By now the day had become very hot and I was tired and wanting home, even though the air con back home was not working.

Thanks for the effort put into this series and for the replacements where necessary. I was just hoping that I could complete it before it became archived due to the muggle activity.

Well, it took me just shy of a year to collect all the clues (7/10 on the 8/1/11, on in December 2011 and the last 3, including this one today). At the last minute, we decided to have a quick trip to Geelong this morning, for the other half to visit the vintage machinery rally on in town. This is perhaps not so co-incidentally, exactly one year since I found the first caches in this series (he was at the rally last you too, I guess we all have to have our hobbies!).
After working out the final co-ords, I was a little worried I had made a mistake as I wasn’t sure there would be able to be a cache hidden where the map seemed to be indicating. With a lack of another options, I made my way to the location to have a look around. The very impressive facade clearly indicated I was in the correct place, so all I had to do was find the cache. There weren’t many people around so I was able to find the cache quickly and added my name to the log. Just as I was getting up from retuning the cache to its hiding place, I nearly walked into a family coming the other way. The cache was safely away, but I’m sure they wondered what I was doing!
Thanks for the cache and the series vp4, I really enjoyed it and the information you have included on each cache page.

At long last (mainly due to slackness and winter) we finally made it. Great hide! TFTC, SL, TNLN.

15:30
Yeah, our sums were correct. A very neatly hidden cache. Today we completed the journey! What an amazing history lesson, made even more significant as we have travelled on the trams in Bendigo and Ballarat.

TNLN . . SL . . Thanks for the hunt and great history lesson vp4.

16:55 WooHoo! Victory is ours! We found it at the end of our 2 days in Geelong. Thanks a lot to vp4 for this cache. We had a ball finding it and really appreciated there being an actual cache every step of the way, keeping us interested and determined, rather than multi's where you're just going to locations and gathering data (though they are still fun too).

We also noted that during our Geelong stint, Gaga66 was seemingly also doing the same set of caches. We're pleased to see we beat Him/Her/Them to the end!

Thanks again vp4 for a most enjoyable adventure. Geelong once had Trams, who knew

Loved this series! Now to watch the video about Geelong's trams! TFTCs!

Thanks vp4 for a very interesting series on Geelong's tram routes and terminuses. I found Mesco #2 & #10 the most tricky to get at due to both being very busy places most of the time. Completed the series at 1505, SL. cloudglider

We are up and running again. If you are working on old cache notes please note there are new calculations for D, E, I and J

The builders were renovating the facade and have obscured the hiding spot. The cache has been entombed behind a vent grill!!!. I am looking for an alternative spot and hopefully this will be up and running soon. Thanks for your patience.

Not available due to builders scaffolding limiting access. Will re-evaluate the series shortly

found this with newbie Bellbolski right on midnight
although we never did find MESCo#10 (either too many muggles or a muggle bum sleeping there)
we still worked out where this was,
thanks for a fun and educational cache,
cheers Garry & Vanessa

09 January 2011 16:55:00

What agreat series that's had me running all over Geelong for months.

I was glad to put this too rest today.

At first I thought it may have been muggled, but I soon had the sneaky little hide in my hand.

TFTC vp4 and the history lesson.

Wander what it would be like with trams in Geelong today!!

Did the puzzle and found GZ. A few decoys or possible hides slowed us down a bit but within 5 minutes we had it. GREAT series, GREAT FUN, thanks vp4. FYI we did the lot whole series today in 2hrs and 15 minutes. TFTC.

We cheated a little as the Station cache appears to be missing, however some clever work reduced the possibilities and a night search, the only muggle free time, we came up trumps. GPSr had a hissy fit around the buildings but standing in the misddle of the road gave us a good direction.
Thanks for a very entertaining series and history lesson.

Glad that we did finish off with all Mesco.. It's really fun for us.. Luck it's not many muggles around there tonight. Found it. TFTC

Accompanied with Crank1 and Laker63, Finally make it all - it was good fun. Thanks for show us around the Geelong town. SL. Thanks vp4

i go with everlasting and crank1.... so crank1 and i look around... but i found it....both are share which one found it... so great....everlasting too cold sit in car ....lol....lovely brown building but i dunno what is building ...

Found on the way to work this morning. The tricky part about a lot of these inner city caches is not finding them but it is not to be seen finding them. I think I did OK as I used my bike as a prop, so that it would look like I was sorting out my bike and backpack while I was actually retrieving the cache. Thanks for a good series and for bringing to my attention the history of Trams in Geelong.

Suscoe have visited this GZ a number of times,
It is funny how sometimes you are taken to one spot that seems to be it, but it isnt.
Thanks to vp4 for some guidance.
Took middle sized son tonight to do the retrieve and sign. and it was a quick find.
We were able to complete 1 - 10 quickly, this one took a little longer than we thought.
What a great series of caches.
There is a great video of the history of the trams, I think you can get it at the historical records centre.
TFTC vp4, and the guidance, it was lots of fun.

Found at 23:45.

Finally!!! I gathered all the clues 4 months ago, but then found that I didn't have MESCo #11's details loaded so that I could complete the series... aaarrggghhhh...

I was better prepared for this visit to Geelong. I located GZ easy enough, but the nearby balcony dwellers meant that I had to come back later to grab the cache.

I was a bit concerned that it hadn't been logged since September 2009, but the cache is still there. The logbook shows that it was actually last found in December 2009.

Thanks for the long-term adventure, vp4

My obsession can now end with this log.
It was a very interesting history lesson, some I knew of, but quite a lot I did not know any of.

Russell an Emelia

Today, all the numbers we had collected over the last few month led us to the final MESCo cache. Not many muggles around on this late Saturday afternoon.Must have just hit a low in activities between the shoppers and the clubbers.
Thanks vp4 for this fantastic series - it was a great tram-ride through Geelong's history.

Found by Bevfre 2.30pm Thankyou Mark & Judy For all the work you put in series Bev & fred

We found our 26th vp4 cache at 5:30pm as the 19th of 20 on our Geelong North by Northwest Rainy Day Caching Tour with Pprass. We finally got to finish off this great cache series. It took four trips to Geelong after finding 3, 5 and 2 of the caches respectively on our last three visits but unfortunately the last was down on our last trip. This is a most fun and excellent series. We would have loved to have seen the last one in it's original format as described by Pprass. Great work all round. Thanks for the cache from D & H B-A.

found at 1:30AM but forgot it was skandia week and people where still out but got a brake in the traffic and went in for the kill.The owner very determined to keep this one on line thanks for the chance to finish this series.
TFTC

Finally finished the MESCo series, as I have been here before but the cache had been muggled Thanks vp4 for the replacement cache as this now completes the series for me.
Signed the log
Thanks vp4 for the cache

Replacement micro has been put in original location please bring own pen. We'll see if this lasts!

muggled again we will try to replace it somewhere close, in the near future so the muggler can't find it so easily. Cheers vp4

Found at 21.30 on a nice quiet night. Thanks for a great and informative series!

Thanks very much VP4!
What an awesome series!
Massive sigh of relief after double checking, triple checking all the maths and numbers (had to revisit a couple) I finally broke through! Indiana08 and i were looking all over the building, seems that quite a few bricks are loose!
Once again thank you for a very enjoyable series!

Great hide, a few muggles were about but nothing that "serious actors" couldn't handle.
Mesco 1 has gone. But thanks PacketStorm4 for the Tram No.
Loved the series
TFTC
TNLN

Found at 8:40pm, Nice easy find, have really enjoyed the series, thanks for the history lesson on the trams, was very interesting.
TNLN SL TFTC.

With all the clues finally in hand (including a second visit to number 7) I was glad to tick this one off the list. Saw the hiding spot as I drove past, but had to wait for a couple of guys to get off the balcony across the road before grabbing the cache. Thanks for a great series!

Found this one at 14:25 with an increasingly educated D along for the ride. We were able to grab a couple of parking spots nearby and the cache location was in a nice obvious spot for a quick nab.

This has been a great series that has taken me exactly 6 months to the day to complete . I have lived a reasonable portion of my life in Geelong and had only heard about the trams so this series provided a great history lesson of my old home town.

And, I got an FTF (in the new log book) as well .

TNLNSL. Thanks for a great series vp4 and good luck with the long term future of this final part.

A replacement cache has been placed. It is a little smaller than the original. Please be discreet as this is a high muggle area.

Replaced

Muggled again! I'll rest it for a fortnight or so and try again with maybe a different approach at hiding. Stay tuned.

On my way to work this morning i came across the damaged lid for this cache, unfortunately it looks as if someone has thrown it on the road, and it has then been run over and destroyed.

FlyingPigSquadron has landed!
We started our caching 1st anniversary day with mesco #9, worked back to 1 and finished the day with mesco #10 & 11. A wonderful and interesting experience.
No 11 cache doesn't look too safe at the moment - you have obviously put a lot of wonderful work into it, we see people referring to a wingnut in earlier comments - there is no wing nut there now
TNLN thanks for a great day of caching FPS

[This entry was edited by FlyingPigSquadron on Tuesday, July 15, 2008 at 5:21:25 PM.]

Finally finished the MESCo series. Lot of mugglers around, was exposed slightly so made sure was a little more hidden.Took McDonalds bionicle, left something, can't remember as it was about 20 caches ago and I forgot to write on my sheet what I left.

At last we can cross this one off our to do list. This has been a great series pity it had muggle troubles

Great series, its taken a little to do with this one's muggle problems. Easy find in the end.
Vp4 thanks for the history lesson.

RedPaw64 found this cache at 1650 while out for a day caching. Nice hide for this one.. Lots of muggler traffic but myself and Mrs RedPaw managed to sign the log and get it back safely.

SL NINO TFTC VP4

Thanks vp4 for great series. Collected the necessary information along the way. Calculated to the find the cache. I can see why its been muggled a couple of times already. Stealth is required big time. Signed and swaps as logged.

No one around in the dark so there was plenty of time for us to zero in and make the find at 8:40pm
Left dinosaur
Took Frog plant ties
thanks vp4 for a very enjoyable series

After two previous mugglings I gave this cache a rest but now that the nearby construction work has been completed I shall try again. The cache cover isn't as prominent as before and is recessed further back. Please replace carefully to ensure container is not in sight. Enjoy

Muggled again a little more seriously this time. I have the broken cover at home with me and have left a note for the muggler to contact me. I'll rest this for at least a fortnight and re-assess its replacement or relocation then.

A replacement cache has been placed in the original spot, lets hope the muggle doesn't return

On a driveby this morning I noticed the cover drooping at an angle and on further investigation found the cache missing. Damn muggles. I will replace shortly and re-activate once done. Cheers

Found at 10.50am GAFF1. We have been here before and when we started the series we guessed it would finish here. We searched in areas that had been previously been disturbed with no luck. Then suddenly a clever looking hiding location was spotted. Thanks vp4 for a great series. It was satisfying to have completed it.

[This entry was edited by pprass on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at 11:23:29 PM.]

Found 17:40, this hide was the highlight of the series, the best come last [^] all in all this was an enjoyable series of caches. We will be interested to see how it survives, given the rather precarious nature of some of the intermediate cache hides.

TNLN, CSI=4, thanks vp4.

Worked out gz and wondered where one would hide one of those in a place like this and then it was obvious! A really neat hide and the wingnut is doing well. I really enjoyed this series - good coordinates, good hides, and learning something worthwhile to boot! Very well put together VP4 - and thanks.

I was really impressed with the research and planning that went into this cache. Collecting the clues was not difficult although it was a relief when the maths worked out first go. Secondly, I really enjoyed the bold method of hiding, I hope it stays. It took me a number of years before I took my first trip on a tram as I grew up in the country, but my memories mainly consist of trying to sprint to the next stop before the tram arrived while I was at uni.

Thanks for an enjoyable series,

R - B

The Coffee Clan really enjoyed the drive around Geelong finding the caches leading up to this final. This hide was well done and the container nice and big.
Took Coin,
Thanks to Vp4 for the time and effort you put into the series,
Regards Mr.Coffee and the "M E Searching for Coffee shop that is Open" Clan

Calculated GZ and got it right then off to find it. An easy find and no muggles due to the hot weather I guess. Tightened the nut as requested.
Thanks indeed

Today, we were thinking of going to the original location, just to cool off. It was a bit steamy. That was good though as it kept the muggle count low.
A quick calculation and a bit of a detour around a closed road, and we were at GZ.
A quick find - nice idea.
Thanks for the great series, Robmc.

Another find for The Rebel Alliance. L.L.T.R.A

This was cache # 23 of 26 The cache was found at 15:00 in the company of dak's Emu Mob on our first caching assault for 2008. Excellent hide I really loved it, I found the history of the series very informative. My thanks to vp4 for the cache.

#23 of 26 finds in company with acts2youthgroup on our first fortnightly assault for 2008. We found this one at 1500. It was a fitting end to a really enjoyable series. I liked the location, and I loved the hide! I grabbed the TB, but otherwise made no exchange. Thanks to vp4 for the cache, Cheers, dak.

IN: Nothing
OUT: Canada 2007 Geocoin, Ring Me TB

I've always been keen on trams, since I saw my first one on a day trip to Ballarat when I was probably 7 or 8 years old (I didn't grow up in Melbourne). However, I didn't realise that Geelong had once enjoyed them, or that they'd had such an extensive network! Like many others, I was disappointed to see the demise of trams in Victoria's rural areas. It's hard to imagine what the planners (if you could call them that) were thinking in their unbridled rush to get rid of trams in Geelong, Ballarat, and Bendigo (and Adelaide, and Sydney, and . . .). I'd be willing to bet that there isn't a single place that wouldn't have them back, if they could.

I spent my first year of employment in Ballarat in 1969. Trams were still in full swing at that time, and I used them extensively. No doubt, I would have travelled on some of these Geelong trams. Also, as a youngster, my family had several holidays in Bendigo, so it's also possible that I travelled in a Geelong tram up there too.

This was a great way to end this series, at the beginning. In the early evening the muggle traffic was very light and the well hidden cache was located very quickly. We liked the hide very much. We swapped Tb's, signed the log and went away feeling happy that we had found this cache even though Mesco 10 had eluded us today
Thanks vp4 for a very enjoyable, well thought out series

With a guesstimate for MESCo #10 maccamob and I made our way to GZ. Seemed a very strange location for a cache, so maccamum and I sat down to recheck our workings while maccadad insisted we should search the highest point. Just then I noticed something that could be a hiding spot. Maccadad went to check and came back with a decent sized cache! Putting the cache back was trickier, with plenty of muggles walking past and the risk of being observed from nearby residents. Realised the significance of the final hiding spot during our initial search. Thanks vp4 - you've certainly put a lot of work into this series!

Found by Mary & David, in company with GeoJo, at 1645. After two apparently muggled caches earlier in the series, we were missing the respective tram numbers. GeoJo was able to supply one, and we took an educated guess for the other. The resulting coordinates put us very close to GZ. What a great hiding place. On arrival, we looked around for possible places to hide a regular cache. While David checked out a couple of places, GeoJo spotted something. Once a few muggles had passed, David investigated and found the well-hidden cache. While we filled in our logs, we realised the significance of the general location. Most appropriate! TNLN, but dropped off 'Nell's Spirit of the Sea' TB. Our thanks to vp4 for a very entertaining series.

GAFF 1 1250 very quiet in this area tonight, could not find # 10 due to muggles but decided to have a go at finding this final cache without even doing the sums as I worked in this area back in the fifties and knew all of the businesses and clubs in the area and where the trams terminated so local knowledge proved helpful. Thanks for a well thought out series and a great hid to finish off. NI- NO. This log should be dated 29th but the system will not believe me!!

Found on the way home after afternoon shift today at 0040. Tried to work it earlier in the morning when it came out but the co-ords had us in the water.
An email to VP4 has now fixed the calculations.
What a clever hide, well done . I think this could be tricky on a busy shopping day.
A fitting end to a great series, well done VP4
TNLN
found on 24th but says can't log in future!!

[This entry was edited by VKC1SR on Tuesday, January 01, 2008 at 12:28:33 AM.]

Find # 2130 and 12th of the day at 4:25pm accompanied by feathertop on an afternoon out caching. We had just done the whole serries and had the coords. worked out but it put us in the bay so we knew something was wrong, a quick call to Bushfire who was the only Geelong cacher we had a phone number of got us on the right track and soon after made our find, clever hide. TNLN, Signed Log, Thanx Vp4 for the serries and a enjoyable afternoon caching....

Unfortunately I had to rejig the maths, apologies to all affected. Thanks to those who patiently assisted. Once again sorry and may you all have an enjoyable Christmas. Cheers VP4

Oenze and I did our maths and ended up needing a boat. We redid our sums and still got wet. What to do? Not being locals we took a few guesses what may have been wrong but no cigar. We rang Bushfire in Sydney in order to get Mr Emu's number as we had gone online and noted his FTF that morning. Bushfire was able with his knowledge tell us where we needed to be but as he had not found the cache that was as much help as he could give, apart from Mr Emu's number. Anyway we got out to have a scout about and to our delight the clever resting place was gained without resort to any help. Which was a fitting end to a great little series and a splendid couple of hours in sleepy hollow. Thanks vp4 for your research and efforts down here. Much appreciated. TNLN

Found today by Mr Emu & Demon Boy @ 10.50 a.m., GAFF1, and our first *FTF* in a long time! Even though we failed to find MESCo #10 yesterday it only affected a minor digit, so we thought we'd give this a go.

Our calculated coordinates had us swimming (have subsequently re-checked one of the clues and contacted cache owner about this). However there was enough information in the description that our local knowledge put us in the right area. The cleverly hidden cache was still about 30 m West of our re-calculated coords, but once again vp4 generously added enough information to help us get a bit closer. This is definitely a muggle-rich area, including permanent residents, so it will be important to conceal your activities in retrieving the cache as best you can.

Thanks for the great final cache - the whole series, in fact - and the generous FTF prize vp4. If anyone sees me driving a porsche in the New Year you'll know it was a winning lottery ticket!

Took: Nil; Left: Nil

[This entry was edited by Mr Emu on Sunday, December 23, 2007 at 1:41:21 PM.]

Published