X - marks the spot South Mackay, Queensland, Australia
By dandent on 25-Jun-15. Waypoint GC5X1YT

Not for us today. Casing with Team JBL Liz and Bruce,snakepitters and DiMorgan

Sad to say DNF here today

After 8 years of working on this cache on and off, I can finally say "FOUND IT".
Getting hints from others and pushes in the right direction from the CO, it is now off my to do list.
This was really doing my head in and I am so happy to have finally finished all the published X series.

Thanks dandent for a great cerebral workout. I may not be fast but I get there in the end.

SL TNLN TFTC

Cool find and the trinkets inside were so cool

finished solving puzzle yesterday, puzzles like this one are always solvable ,process of elimination and patience then with the info at hand it becomes quite easy ,found the cache at 10.33 am cleaned rust out of container, log a bit tatty ,quite okay though placed log in new zip lock bag ,found old cache container also and was empty and brittle put back in place,enjoyed the puzzle most and i like the walk as well,nice cache would have been impressive ,tftc

After Solving this puzzle over six months ago this morning I was finally able to make the find. Finding the cache proved hard like the puzzle it was hard to locate. My GPS was jumping around a little but after 10 mins or so of searching I hit the Jackpot. I wish I got to see the original version of this cache as I have heard a lot about it. LI stamped the log in the first open spot . Thanks for placing and maintaining this cache for us all to enjoy.

It’s about time I began to head home after the Townsville mega, so here I am in Mackay. The weather was certainly not put on for me though! Thanks for the puzzles, the caches, the different to the usual finds dandent.

The last full day of caching for us today as we collect some last caches in Townsville and then head South to Mackay for our flight home to Tassie in the early morning. we grabbed what we could but there is never enough time.

This was my first Mega trip in a while now, I had planned to go to the last one in Wangaratta but concerns about COVID made me pull out at the last minute. For this one it was a trip with BudgieTas and GooseandEgg landing in Cairns on the Sunday where we collected a few caches in the dark before driving down to Townsville on the Monday collecting a select few caches along our very indirect route.
While in the Townsville we made the best of our time collecting a few series of caches and searching for some of the older caches on offer, some with lots of favourite points or something we thought maybe a bit different, along with all that we got to go to all the Mega events and meet up with cachers old and new, spending Thursday with Greg going round Magnetic Island and a bit of time with the Davinells who went out of their way to welcome the Tasmanians to Queensland.
All to soon it came to an end and we drove down to Mackay on the Monday again collecting caches along the way before flying home on the Tuesday Morning.
Thanks for the warm (sometimes too hot) welcome Queensland until next time!

Thanks for the cache.

Found on 18/04/2022 at 19:17:00 thanks to dandent for placing this cache for me to find.

The best caches I have found so far are:-

Sentimental [Moorgreen P3:1, Penny Pincher](http://coord.info/GC32Z5B) By [Sven&Cup](http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?A=6596795)
Traditional [Hanging Around in Toorak](http://coord.info/GC62KAP) By [bobthebuilder_123](http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?A=586681)
Multi [Gawler Fort Knox](https://coord.info/GC5T0W1) By [**JEM**](http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?A=11449141)
Unknown [Men In Black Holes](http://coord.info/GC1DVB0) By [SG-3](http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?A=918045)
Letterbox [Rolf's Letterbox](http://coord.info/GC5NCYM) By [membsec](http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?A=5318842)
Earthcache [Totem Pole](https://coord.info/GC862H8) By [The Hancock Clan](http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?A=263428)

Visit the [Geocaching Tasmania Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/318455407771/)

The last cache before heading to our accommodation in the dark. We decided on away in from the beach and made good progress. Finding the cache took ages, even with a PAF. We persevered and SSR eventually found it.
On the way out we veered off our original path and I ran into a cactus which really hurt, here we are a week later and it still hurts!
Thanks for the cache dandent

A ten day mega trip was arranged with Stainless steel rat and Budgietas. We flew into Cairns and out of Mackay, with the majority of the time in and around Townsville. We found a huge variety of caches and although our find count was a little lower than we would have liked, some of the high D/T caches more than made up for that. I really appreciate the effort of the local COs and all the people involved in hosting the mega and associated activities. I enjoyed catching up with many of our caching buddies, and make some new ones too!
Thanks for a great mega trip!

Finally we made it to Mackay, and it was well and truely night. We went around a few of the caches we wanted to find in Mackay before proceeding to our accomodation.
Had a great Burger in town while out and about

This cache took a lot of time to find especially as it was night among the bushes.

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This cache was found as part of a trip with GoosenEgg and Stainless Steel Rat to Far North Queensland for the Townsville Mega. The trip started in Cairns and ended in Mackay, and allowed us to find some ripper caches inbetween.
We managed to complete some of the Breaking Bad cache series until we driven back to the car due to the heat, and the Saint and most of the book series. There were some good variety in both these series which kept them interesting.
One of the highlights (although a low light when removing the mud) was the walk on the salt flats outside Townsville to get the challenge caches
Another highlight was Magnetic island, where other than some great views, we managed to spot two koala's in the wild.
Thank you for placing and maintaining this cache that was part of our trip

Having arrived in Mackay today we ventured out with Wollaston and SeasonedBird to find a few caches. This was one we targeted and found. Good puzzle and hide fav point alloc. Thanks dandent

Apologies that we didn’t take a spare container or log on the trek as replacements are required. There is still room for a couple of signatures on the very tiny log. On the hunting trail with SeasonedBird, Liz & Bruce on route to Townsville via the the longer caching route of course. Another great day for caching. TFTC dandent
Find #9613

Travelling with Wollaston and Liz and Bruce and caching our way via the tourist routes to the 2022 Townsville Mega event.

Thanks to CO’s for taking time to set out and maintain hides and for showing us your very special part of the world

Log signed in first open spot with stamp

TFTC dandent

Find # 7220

Wish I could have seen this one in all its glory! Sounds like it was awesome! TFTC

We spent ages here searching and searching, little creepy with the abandoned camp over the back. At the event later we heard what the cache was originally like - fitting.

One of the targets of my trip. A CITO here to remove the abandoned shelter would be useful. TFTC.

Glad to have put this one to bed. Initially was in the two hard basket then i gave it a good go. Deciphered it all and then converted the format into a different version of that which put it out of range of the checker. So it went back in the too hard basket until I had a message back from the CO. Gave it another go with the original unconverted, go figure and git the green tick. Thanks dandent for another interesting puzzle. Was a bit concerned with the current nearby resident that when i couldn’t spot it was given a bit of assistance on his camo replacement and managed to locate it with the information granted. The struggle was real.

We are currently travelling along Queensland‘s coast on a short vacation. Of course some target caches were also on the list of must do’s along the way and this was one of them. Thank you very much for placing this geocache.

With all the superhero movies and shows in the last years, it's hard to pick a favorite. However, I must admit that I was never a fan of the X-men and that shockingly the only actual X-men labeled movie I have seen was 'X-men Origins Wolverine', the by far worst of them all according to fans and critics. Originally aimed to start an entire number of individual films, it killed this idea for years by how bad it was. But thankfully we now finally have Deadpool and Logan which show how DC hero movies in the X-men universe can/should be done.

Back to the cache. This was a very nice puzzle with plenty of hints guiding to the marked X. But the obvious was of course the heroic work that needed to be done first. Exactly that scarred me off for quite some time, but then one day I just pulled through. After going line after line I was able to see the Matrix, ...sorry couldn't resist..., and writing down the code was getting easier and easier. The next steps were also no too big hurdle and I liked the idea how numbers were implemented.

The trip to GZ was easy although I was attacked by a dog or was it wolverine?! Getting closer I spotted the cache from a far, was the camo had been removed. No surprise since someone appears to have created himself a new home in the general area, apparently scavenging for usable things. Fortunately the person left the cache where it is though.
Fav point form me for the effort and idea.

A simple, straight forward find, which is always a relief after solving a puzzle as convoluted as this was. As usual we found the easier path home!
Our last caching day of in Mackay this trip, so we decided to have another look at a number of hides that had defeated us earlier in the week, as well as clean up a few more that we just hadn’t got to. Temingi has left us, but our week in Mackay has seen both of us tick off milestones. Temingi reached 14,000 finds, and we have broken through 13,000 finds. Not too bad an effort. Our only problem that as fast as we were catching Temingi, he was continuing to move away from us!
Thanks go out to the local CO’s for putting out all these caches for us to find. A mighty effort, and one we really appreciate. Without your contribution we would have no game to play.
TFTC

Found as I meander my way from Adelaide to Cairns.

With no real travel plan and three weeks to get there before I meet up with friends, there has been plenty of opportunity for sightseeing and finding a few selected caches along the way.

The puzzle was one of many solved prior to leaving home in preparation for my trip. Although my itinerary when I travel is generally very fluid, I do like to have a menu of pre-solved puzzles that I can target along the way.

The green ant nest hanging at about face height above GZ is a bit of a trap for young players, particularly if your focus is on the cache. Fortunately I saw it before I grabbed the cache.

Thanks dandent for the puzzle and the cache.

This one certainly took some effort and would be deserving of multiple fav points if they could be given. So many stages with twists. After solving puzzle and finding the X headed out to GZ. Favourite point for puzzle and cache theme. SL

Took a bit of work and had been overthinking the conversion. Was trying to update the old to current standards. Guessing i’ll be down in July, and with any luck a letterbox north of me stays there till i get to it, this month. Hurry up OzGeoker. Collect soon dandent

With overseas travel currently out of the question and state border closures still a lurking as possibilities, my family and some close friends decided that travelling from Brisbane to North Queensland was our best option for a Christmas/New Year escape.

Following a few nights each in Clifton Beach and Port Douglas we were now on the southwards run towards home with a stop planned at Cape Hillsborough for a couple of nights.

Unfortunately the weather here was not very accommodating with heavy rain falling most of time since arriving. I decided to head off to Mackay for a day of caching, where the weather was forecast to be a little less wet.

In my puzzle solving frenzy, prior to my trip, I was quite excited to come up with a solution to this puzzle. Today I had the opportunity to visit GZ, I just had to work out the best route to get there. A local stone curlew was not pleased with my route and scurried away head down as I passed. At GZ the cache was found quickly safe and sound and I was able to sign my name in the logbook. TFTC

Driving down to Emerald from Townsville for a weekend of GeoArt and wanting to pick up some high difficulty puzzles en route.
I’d collected a few in this series a couple of years ago but I’d not solved this on the last visit. Returning home I thought I’d solved it but running what I had through the checker proved otherwise.
After consultations with previous finders and all of us only having skeleton notes I set about resolving it. With a couple of years extra experience I had no issues this time and after about 2 hours of translation I had my X.
Tonight in the dark it took some finding but it seems I just needed to check my first instinct more thoroughly.
Happy to collect another D5.
Thanks dandent for placing this for us to enjoy.
Have a favourite point.

cache finally replaced - smaller than original, with a lot less themed loot
will update page accordingly

new cache finally in play, as per notes below

home this weekend now - so will sort out a replacement in the next couple of days

finally got out to check this one
yep the large cache and all the themed loot is gone
to be replaced with something smaller

as noted below

We gave this a good shot. On our way north to Atherton Tableland, we searched for it, with no luck. I suspect that there had been a fire through the area since the CO had inspected it, including GZ. On our way home, we searched again, this time thanks to the CO, with a clearer view of what to look for. But no luck. There were some burnt pieces of plastic near a likely spot. In my eagerness to excavate an area, some sand got into the shutter of my camera - unfortunately.

out doing some maintenance
decided to check on this one whilst out and about
still all good here
logging some TB's through too

20/06/2018 12:21:00 PM
After ticking this off as a DNF earlier and then locating another nearby cache that hadn't been found for similar time and listed as the same size I went back for another look. After having spent about 20 minutes searching earlier another 5 minutes of searching had me jumping from joy but it turned out to be a false alarm but under it YAHOO I finally located it after having been neglected for over 2 years.
It took me ages to get a start on the solve but once the penny dropped for the first stage the rest fell into place pretty quick.
Cache and contents are in exceptionally good condition.
Took: TB details and a couple of photos (wish I had a suitable trade for one of the key rings) and many bindys in my socks and shoes
Left: A favourite point, forgot to leave a pathtag as I was concentrating on photos and recording the beautiful TB

Thanks for challenging puzzle and the very challenging hide

Found after nice puzzle
Thanks for the cache and puzzle

Found with WihanH & Chillexin
Puzzle was a huge joy & pain to solve.
Thanks for all your effort.

TB safely returned to the cache.

Day 5 Mackay .
After spending many hours solving puzzles today we set out to find them. Picked up a few others along the way.
We started this long before comming here, were having lots of trouble so contacted the CO, no reply so I had to contact another cacher for help. Evebtually we got the green light.
At GZ we uncovered the cache & took the TB BUT the TB has to be left in the cache. We discovered when we returned home & read the information. Tomorrow we have to make the return journey to replace the TB.
Favourite point given
Thanks for placing this cache dandent

out for an afternoon walk
so decided to do some cache maintenance and checks
this one is still good

Well this was a very hard puzzle to solve, had help from a few local cachers with some tips and we were able to grab the cache and get another souvenir, thanks Dan for this puzzle

Gotcha !!! X - marks the spot and I was certainly getting very X a number of times whilst trying to solve it. I might even have said XXXX a few times. It was far easier to find the cache than to do the puzzle.
A 5 difficulty and a puzzle both of which I needed for the "ROAD TRIP " awards. Thanks heaps for your work in setting this up and TFTC. A Fav. Point from me today.

Spent a good amount of time to solve this one. Step by step I came closer to the true GZ.
Confirmed with CO that I was close but it was also too close
A few more tries over dinner and some other input and coordinates where in hand.
Knew where to park and form there it was a prickly walk to the cache itself.
Thanks for a solvable puzzle (even if hard) and a good cache, well worth a FP
R

Teamed up with karicka and family for a roadtrip from Townsville to Mackay over the weekend in order to get some of those caches that all have recently been published and to put a few more smiley faces on our map before our big move back home to WA. Were also looking forward to attend the International Caching Day Event down in Mackay which was organised by dandent and meeting some local cachers down there.
What a tricky puzzle, loved the theme though! Very well executed and grafted puzzle! Poor old R got picked on for the remainder of this trip as he originally thought he was close ("I'm only 12m off") when he received a confirmation from CO that his coords were close. So each mystery we set out to find, we teased him with the obligatory 12m
TFtc sl tnln

Very well hidden cache. I wish I could have found it sooner. The puzzle was really well done too.

Added: nothing
Removed: nothing

Another great puzzle. So happy when geochecker said "success"! We really appreciate the effort you put into all your puzzles we've done so far, dandent. We find them challenging and a lot of fun. This one definitely deserves a Fav Point from us. We had a pleasant afternoon searching for the cache in this nice area. Spent some time checking out the fascinating contents. Took nothing, left nothing.
Thanks heaps, dandent.

[Blue]# 12591[/Blue] Found on our 2015 Winter escape trip to Qld.
Another perfect winter day for another drive around before heading down to Rocky.
I have been working on this one for a while and after several adjustments and corrections I finally got the green tick.
Another definite D5 and good safe location at GZ. And the TB coin was very interesting too.
Cheers from Wagga Wagga in the Riverina, NSW.
Thanks for the brain strain and all your caches around here dandent,
[Red]Roostaman[/Red].

HAHA!!! GOTCHA!!! Urgent Trotter family gathering to complete mission: "X marks the spot"! Out in force a'lookin, four sets of eyes scanning the area surrounding. Started off 10 metres away and didn't know it so we went ambling off elsewhere, returned three quarters of an hour later [xx(] and geo-daughter was right on it! FINALLY!!!! TFTC! Enjoyed the contents!

I am at a complete loss

Yahooo!! We did it!! What a marathon! We cracked it tonight after dinner and just HAD to go out and find the cache. In the dark. In the rain. In the wind. Did I say in the dark?! We all thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the whole puzzle, thank you Dandent! Kid were super excited but I think I was more! The contents of the cache are terrific, we took nothing and left nothing as we don't have any themed stuff. Awesome. Can I give it two favourite points?

note: I have now also edited the geocheck
if you get within 10m of my solution - you will get my final coordinates for your search
so a few of you (who are close) might want to re test some of your solutions

Found the correct coordinates and had a look this afternoon. It's in a spot that I visited yesterday, although I still wasn't able to find it. After about 20 minutes it started raining pretty heavily. I might take another look later this afternoon if it clears up.

: - O Just seem to be going around in circles, pardon the pun.

Thyers isn't the only one. This is driving me crazy. I'm sure I'm getting close.

oops
with a few unsuccessful attempts made on the geocheck
thought I had better check through this again

did multiple calculations - all good - geocheck - good
then checked the puzzle - fine
then converted to the symbology and found - two numbers were wrong in the puzzle [?][?]
so much for my Quality Assurance
my apologies - especially to the Thyers KLJD and Nhgh
who I know have been spending quite some time on this
** I'll try and make it up to you guys somehow **
corrected and amended puzzle added
apologies

So far I haven't been able to get my final coordinates any closer than within 20-30m of the cache. It was getting late, so I thought I'd try my luck. Drove out to the area and had a good look around. There are lots of good hiding spots out there, but I wasn't able to find the cache.

I'll take another crack at the puzzle and see if I can get my coordinates any more accurate.

You're killing us Dandent! This puzzle is awesome! Have spent hours and hours on it and loving it. Have ended up with one set of co-ords but it's miles out.... sigh.... Back to the drawing board!

Thanks for bringing this cache to my attention, dandent. I've been working on it ever since I got back from the event this morning.

I decoded the text and found a solution to the puzzle which seemed to make sense, but the final co-ordinates took me to the entrance to private property. That didn't sound right, so time to double-check all my working.

you guys are good
now the Thyers found an omission in the puzzle
one symbol missing - corrected now

oops ... just discovered an omission in the last note
corrected and in place now

Published