Ex Calibre Morpeth, New South Wales, Australia
By darth trader on 19-Jan-11. Waypoint GC2EKVW

So I received call from PPrass yesterday, he mentioned that he couldn't find Ex-Calibre. I thought that maybe it had been replaced incorrectly and planned to check on it today.

This cache has been safely hidden for over 2 years with 120 finds and 19 favourites and is away from anywhere unfavourable. It has my caching name and my email address on the stash note of which the reverse side is the log sheet.

HOWEVER, this morning I received an email to my geocaching address and one through geocaching.com from constable McNamara from Maitland Police.

"Hi,

We are sorry to wreck your game, but we have had to destroy your ammunition note holder due to its appearance. It was brought in yesterday afternoon by a young boy and his grandfather. I give you credit, it was extremely well hidden and someone has gone to alot of effort. If you can provide something with a safer appearance so as to not put fear into the community we would be glad to assist in the continuation of your game. I will attempt to go online and update the items location. For your record the item is recorded with exhibits to be destroyed as X000108..."

and the other:

"Hi again,

I went on the site, but do not wish to add my details to register. We will disguise the note and leave it at the Maitland Police Station, GPS coordinates are
32'43'38"S, 151'32'57"E"

I decided that it would be prudent to call her immediately.

If you haven't found the cache, it WAS a stick of timber about the size of your forearm, hollowed out with a berroca tube inserted into one end that held a rather large, USED, 50 calibre bullet that I obtained from a second hand dealer. I had it set up so that when you pulled out the projectile (held in magnetically) the log sheet would emerge from the casing.

Now, IN HINDSIGHT, using a bullet was probably not a good idea, although i don't find it far removed from using an ammo tin.

It turns out that a Grandfather was walking with his grandson and the young lad found the bullet.
He was playing with it and the log sheet fell out and as the email suggests, he turned it in to the police.

I talked to the constable on the phone and then visited the station to take return of my geocache.

It turns out that the police had a good laugh over the construction of the cache and the amount of people who had signed the sheet.

Although they were not aware of geocaching, they visited the website and were surprised to discover that there are over 2 million hidden around the world.

My 50 calibre casing will not be returned. It has been disposed of. but my log Sheet was returned to me in a custom built police geocache. A canister much like a spice tube, wraped in 'New South Wales Police Evidence' tape with 'official geocache' written on it. It seems they thought it may have a new life at the new co-ordinates of our local police station.

Although I am sorry to be archiving this cache, it would seem that it has already lived an interesting life.

This entry was edited by darth trader on Thursday, 10 October 2013 at 04:51:42 UTC.

Well by now everyone in the HAVOC facebook group knows what happened, so this "needs maintenance" note is irrelevant, however we just want to register that we were there and add a few words.

We liked the "misleading" information about "excalibur " and it's spelling, the reason for which became abundantly clear when darth trader explained to us what the log sheet was hiding in

Still can't understand how it was discovered - possibly a newish cacher didn't replace it properly and also why on earth would you go to the police with a spent bullet [B)]

The other odd thing is after 106 finds - why is it us that finds it missing [B)]

A little tricky, nice spot.

We decided to all into Morpeth for lunch on our caching trip home from Brookfield and this was the first on our list to do in town. The GPs pointed us past the cache and then decided to cooperate and tell us the correct location. We picked up the container the moment we arrived at the correct location.
The log was extracted from the interesting container, signed ad returned.
The outer container has been pushed into the holder and the lid was not closed properly. We managed to slide it out and close the container properly, but it probably needs to be looked at further.
Thanks for another great container darth trader.

Very interesting cache. We thought the truck parked on top of it.

found it on the 5-8-13 , great cache

nice hide.
came out this way to grab a cache for the 31 day challenge and decided that this sounded like a cool one to grab. i was thinking about the hint and was a little shocked at first but then once i went a little further i got what i was expecting. very nice cache in a nice location. looks like it may need to be moved soon as the retirement village seems to be moving slowly in its direction TFTC

Day 9 of the August caching.
I love all the puns involved. I originally thought it was in the water tower.
I thought the rock and metal were there for a reason, I thought I had to poke to rock with the metal or something, I don't know...

Chuk found it.

TFTC!

~Chuk40076

Good one darth trader. Another great cache

This one is *excellent* We headed out to Morpeth for lunch today - it's one of my favourite towns to wander around in, but I'd never been up this side before. We usually stick down near the river. I'm actually really pleased we stopped to get this, because that avenue of trees is gorgeous (I have such a fondness for them). The Kimble's keen eyes found Ex Calibre, and I solved its riddle. We signed the log, cleaned off a couple of slugs, and put it back for the next Questing Beast to find. Thanks, Darth Trader! A most enjoyable cache to hunt.

Cool Cache Darth.

TFTC. Very cool

Our very first geocache and what a great one to start with. Easily found.

Nice fun find and cache. Lived the hint though it doesn't help you find it... still very clever though and really added to the flavor of the find. Thanx.

Love the theme. Took great pleasure in extricating the cache and raising my find proudly above my head as Arthur would have done. This was for the kids benefit as I beat them to it for a change. Will need a new log soon. Thanks Darth Vader. Loved it.

This was awesome!!!!!! Didn't quite realise that this was actually the cache. Haha silly me!!
I loved the look of this one and the story you've put with it!

I've never seen a cache like this.
10/10

Signed log- it needs replacing!!!

Thanks for the cache

Awesome, a cache in a cache - very cool!

Another good find while in the area. SL TFTC

nice old school bullet

Continuing my DT (that's Darth Trader not "dirty") weekend I came across this one and got a bit of a shock. The nearby trees made the GPS skip all over the place but I recognised it as a hide as soon as I saw it.

Nice one Darth, perhaps a sign saying Handle With Care may be useful.

The log had gone and the container was wet so I added a zip lock and temporary log but it needs expert attention.

TNLN
TFTC

The ninth cache of 13 on our day to get to 1999 caches to find "Frying Pan" tomorrow for the 2000th cache milestone. We'd been muggled out at the Tiny Teapot and headed up this way. The GPS wanted us to go into the oldies village on the hill but there was no access that way so we went to the nearest street to the water tower. There were signs telling us 'please' not to go across there but it didn't say "Eintritt verboten" so we walked in. Geoteen was interested in the strange bubbler by the water tower while I circled to GZ finally getting in the right spot and doing my Arthur impersonation. I examined the calibre of the cache and it looked like a finder had not managed to penetrate its secret as there was a log on the outside! Got access and signed the log then replaced. One more down, a nice change from mint tins!

Thanks!

This entry was edited by Yurt on Monday, 10 June 2013 at 08:42:00 UTC.

I really liked this find. Very clever.

Awesome little find

Great container in good condition! Took a photo of the geokid with cache which may put me in stead for father of the year. We'll see. TFTC. Top work!

Clever but easy

Clever yet easy

The best one I've found yet

me and my brother went out for a mothers day cache spree with our mum and dad. we did 18

found It during the scouts geocaching comp

found It during the scouts geocaching comp

Found with Harvint13 whilst out on a morning outing through Morpeth Great hide. We even found a little frog guarding the cache.

Found with Harvint13 whilst out on a morning outing through Morpeth Great hide. We even found a little frog guarding the cache.

GeoWives&Tots (Harvint13 + NanoDS) went out for coffee and cache this morning. Found it! And a friendly little frog hiding in there too. We were nearly blown away up there today.

after a successful hunt at house of sticks it was off to the next nearest in our GPSr, which happened to be Ex calibre. on our drive to GZ we came across a famer burning off his paddock and marvled at all the birds of prey that were circling the paddock, I really wouldn't have wanted to be a mouse over there. Once at GZ we quickly had the cache to hand and Jnr did the honours of opening the log, a very clever hide in plain sight.

Found while visiting the Newcastle / Morpeth areas via Radiance of the Seas. Very clever hide!

We were enjoying the stroll under the shady trees when Scooby said
Mum , what does Excalibre mean?
I explained what it was all about and like magic it appeared.
We were right next to it.

Fantastic Cache.
Well made Darth.

I did say I'm a little tea pot was our favourite today.
But this one comes so close I will give it a favourite as well.

Awesome hiding spot. Time and thought has well been used making this cache. Well done!!!! TFTC

A bit of a meandering trip down to Gosford saw us staying over at Morpeth, but we found this cache before settling for the night.
A neat twist! Shame about the 'construction' near by.
TNLN
TFTC darth trader

2130 GAFF1 I had read a couple of logs mentioning the fencing, and so was able to find the easy way to the cache. Obviously someone didn't know how to extract 'Excalibur' when they left a piece of paper!
Don't know now if an overt clue as to how to obtain the log is necessary! Tho I was going to mention it.
Another cache to bookmark for the Night Caching Thesis.
Obviously TNLN, and only B 2 N ingot would have fitted, so am bringing it, and the trackable shirt through for mileage.
TFTC Darth trader, (it had been a while, but will get a few of yours on these days off)

Cache soaking wet did manage to sign tftc

Followed on from my little teapot after coffee. Initially I thought the cache was not accessable as there was construction fencing all around the area, but access is still available. Was a little shocked by the included item in cache, then the name clicked. 50 Cal I would say. Nice cache container and did not offer too much difficulty, however I was looking everywhere (and turning over) all the stones firstly. TFTC

Mrs B and I out walking around this fascinating little town when I checked if there was a cache nearby. Sure enough, this curiously named one was only a hundred metres away. Didn't pick it straight away because the rain had made the outer container blend in very well. Nice work! It was a little damp inside but manged to SL. Crazy water tower. TFTC

Quick find just came to see mum for Ozzie day.

9th for the day, no thanks to the mozzies,TFTC.

Quickly found amongst the millions of bugs everywhere, tftc

We found this one , but didn't bother to open it, millions of bugs everywhere.

Easy find very wet log

Great hiding spot.

Found the cache but couldn't find the log sheet so wrote on a bit of paper and left.
Maybe it got "blown away".
TFTC

Love the cache it is so different tftc

We were able to meet up with friends DiMorgan and got together to do some caching around the Newcastle area. It was a fun day out and this was one of the caches we were able to find which was near where they were staying. This one gets a fav point.
Thanks to darth trader.

Tftc

Cache check. Fresh log sheet added.

Living in the local area, with WEGOE visiting from WA and a picture perfect day it was time to locate few caches. Wonderful area and a fantastic cache. Signed log although very full we did find room.

Thanks again

cheers

Tamykian

Found with Toriaz and bikerbuddy on way home from weekend caching on the midnorth coast.

nice container, thanks darth trader.

#1329

A quick find by bikerbuddy.

This one is so in the open, it's surprising that it survives. But I guess there's not much passing traffic & no nearby play equipment to attract curious children.

Very well constructed cache, we took a few photos (for private viewing, not for sharing on the cache page of course).

Thanks .

We stopped here on the way home from the Mid North Coast Campout Event since there seemed to be a few caches in the town. There was no parking in the main part of town since it was a Sunday of the long weekend. So we parked near this park and had a go at this cache first. I guessed what the cache would be from the title, although there was a nice play on the Arthurian connection, too. Nicely done. I wondered whether it might disappear though? Who knows. Thanks

This one has been under my radar for a while. After being nearby, we headed out towards the cache. We parked 114m out near a wedding and headed along under the trees for a quaint walk. My Nan reminsced about my parents' wedding and that the photos were taken right under these trees. Upon approach to GZ, i spotted a likely container. First time lucky! We popped the lid to find the second container and unscrewed it to sign the log. Thank You for an excellent Geocaching adventure!!!

Cool cache, excellent hiding spot to let the little bro loose

The perfect cache for what is turning into a hot spring morning. Interesting hide TFTC.

Ha Ha very clever, Nice Cache, TFTC

Loved this cache, the area is very nice.

A caching day with TheMonks.
Unfortunately, this wasn't the experience I expected as the littlest TheMonks ran ahead and showed me where it was hidden. Spoiled by a William! He couldn't help himself showing off his caching prowess!!! But its all fun!!!
But, it is still a clever hide.
TNLNSL TFTC

This entry was edited by spikeymikey on Wednesday, 01 August 2012 at 00:20:42 UTC.

Tftc very clever!!!

this was a very creative hide, it didnt take long but spent time looking around. thanks for another great hide darth trader.

Braved the rain to spend an afternoon caching in Morpeth. As it turned out the rain stopped on finding our first and started again just as we signed off on our last of ten (at Graffiti Trail).
Took a while to track this down. Excalibur was pulled from a rock and there was a massive heap of rocks right next to GZ - surely not. Followed the GPS but it was all over the shop so looked in likely hidey holes and found it. Then the true meaning of Ex Calibre revealed itself. Bravo Darth Trader, that's another fav point from us.

What a clever cache. Found with the geo-kids frantically searching the area. There was a wedding across the road so there were some muggles in the park getting there photos taken. No worries to us though as they were too far away. Geo-kid #2 actually had retrieved the cache without even noticing, so I was surprised when I found it. Great little hide which fits its namesake completely. Signed log and replaced back in its spot.
TFTC.

Cool avenue. Cool hide

Anzac Day Port Macquarie to Morpeth
At last reached our destination, relaxed had a drink & thought we should get the last couple before dark.
Across the road from where we were staying was this great cache. Geo hubby asked what was the story about Ex Calibre, after telling him he was soon onto this in a flash. Great cammo or do I mean ammo.
TFTC

Fun cache! Lovely location.

Very Clever Darth, I know nothing about weapons but if it was a 10mm bore, then it could only be improved by naming it X calibre. The whole King Arthur context works as well. Log is running out of room. Left a turkshead for the next visitor.

This was a nice drink and cache stop, driving from Maitland to Raymond Terrace. Loved the tunnel of trees and GZ location. We always like caches where some thought has gone into the construction, thanks for a really good hide.

My first find today. I enjoyed this one as I knew I was looking for something different. Like others I was actually holding it while poking around looking for it!. Only room for a couple more entries on the log.

Nice spot

Loved this cache. Think this is my favourite so far. And in a beautiful spot!

Initially I couldn't understand the impressed logs about this cache.
It looks so normal. Then the ah ha moment.
Nice, and appreciate the effort that went into it.
Cheers

A nice surprise in this one. A high calibre cache!
Did not find a log inside?

After a little outside help the log was found in the obvious place (sorry, complete lack of imagination on my part). Returned and signed log.

Thanks for the great cache!

This entry was edited by NGC5128 on Wednesday, 29 February 2012 at 09:45:06 UTC.

This entry was edited by NGC5128 on Wednesday, 29 February 2012 at 09:45:27 UTC.

Loved the cache - the clues worked on so many levels - great on darth trader. SL TFTC

Good team rellub21. This was n great one

Very clever hide the name makes sense after finding cache.

A great hide. Love the container. tftc

Excellent cache..! One of our favs.

Great disguise and then a very cool container - fascinated the young boy.

Five knights of the roundtable went searching for the Grail. Four stopped for refreshments, leaving just one to continue the search. On the way he noticed the avenue of trees standing tall, reminding the knight of the entrance to the faerie realm. Walking down along the trees, the knight happened upon something magical, is it of the faerie realm?? It was in good condition and had a surprise in stall for the trusty, brave knight.

#524
Missed this one on the way into Morpeth. Calypso62 & I started searching but the GPS gave me a GZ some distance from where I though it should be. This is when you need to use your eyes. With the cache name on my mind, I soon found what I was looking for. On opening the cache container, the name became clear. With log sighed & container returned as found, we were off to return another cache found earlier in the day that was now dry. TFTC

#704
Out with Geotooter today and he told me the name of this cache as we drove along with no other details. Consequently, as we walked toward GZ I tried to find anything that matched a sword or a stone. Found a wall but Geotooter continued walking past towards some trees and coppers log fencing. This is GZ he pronounces. OK... where's King Arthur?? Where's the stone??? More importantly, where's the sword??? The outer container was discovered. "What a poor excuse for a sword that represents the exhalted Excalibur", I thought!! Geotooter opened up the container and the reason for the cache name revealed itself! Brilliant!! I just sat there smiling and thought what a clever person you are darth trader. Took lots of happy snaps of this one before Geotooter returned the hide. Yep, it's a favourite from me!

TFTC.

A gorgeous area, and such a pleasant walk down to GZ. Was expecting Robin Hood to swing down.

found it with good old friends
TYFTC 67indi

I have waterproofed the inside of this cache now and replaced the log sheet. Ready to go again.

Drying out the log.

Nice place TFTC

Found on a trip with Blue_Mars, AH and all the Familys.

#15 of the Gribbly-AH-Bluemars expedition - love the hide and the container. Was very wet. Apparently this track was the first tollway in australia - go figure.

TFTC great cache. the bullet was cool but unfortunatly wen i went to check the log i was greeted by nothing but blue water as it was completly wrecked and soaked and coundnt be written on, needs replacing soon.

Found this awesome cache today after I had a bit of a rummage through the trading post in morpeth. Great description for the cache and I had to Do a few circles before finding it. Like the cache container, great to see creative thought going into the caches. Definitely one of my favorites. Cheers .

Took the stroll for a cache check today.
This is still one of my favorites, and still in good order.

My favourite find so far!

Quick find lovey place.

Ha Ha Ha geowife did exactly the same thing as daughter in previous log. Cracked me up. TFTC Loved it.