MAD Bayswater, Victoria, Australia
By Washawa on 07-Jun-22. Waypoint GC9VRW4

We were heading out to Bayswater for a bit of adventuring, and I saw this puzzle. I read a ton of MAD magazines when I was a kid, so I was intrigued, but a little flummoxed by the puzzle. Then I saw a small clhint and "of course - so obvious!" Now how to solve it on my phone in a moving car. A low tech dolution was at hand and a bit of squinting, and Ta Da. Coordinates! And the checker agreed. The cache was well themed, and no one was around on a Saturday, so it was smooth sailing. TFTC

I was popping into Bayswater this afternoon, so naturally I had a look about for local treasures to find. Being a child of the 80s, I was very pleased to discover this puzzle. Had it solved in no time, with the subsequent search for the container just on the right side of tricky/fun. A favourite from me.Thanks for the cache!

I remember looking at this puzzle when it was published and being completely bewildered. With some time to work on puzzles during my fire season job, I looked again, and with a little clue from previous logs, a old, old memory resurfaced. I never got into these magazines, but several of my school mates did, so I was familiar with a particular feature. Having converted to the physical, the coordinates were quickly acquired. I did stop at GZ briefly a couple of weeks ago, but plentiful muggles and a dose of cache blindness resulted in a case of empty handedness. Tonight I had to drop my son to a party nearby, so headed back to a very much quieter GZ. Head torch deployed, I spotted the container within seconds. Upon opening it, a bazillion tiny black ants went everywhere. With the log sheet de-anted, I signed and reset the nicely disguised container. TFTC and the cool puzzle Washawa

Such a clever puzzle. Lucky for me I was a teenager in the 90s and very familiar with this kind of image, knowing what to do straight away to get the coordinates.It's been on the solved list for a long time, so after completing the nearby Basin Series we made a stop here on the way home.We noticed the cache was covered in ants, so I tried to brush them off as best as I could, and opened the container to find that it was in fact the container that was the ants nest. We sent a photo to the CO, who has now added a 'mortein required' attribute!TFTPAC Washawa.

We decided to visit a few of our previously solved puzzle caches.Most puzzles unfold into a nice set of coordinates. This one was different.Thanks Washawa for the MAD puzzle and the sneaky hide at GZ.Chiefton!!!

I really enjoyed the puzzle for this one, and spent hours reading these as a kid. The hiding spot made complete sense when I'd parked and it was an easy find. Thanks for the puzzle and the cache, Washawa!

17:05After the magic of the Lights, Camera, Action, GIFF! Event this is one of the "mad" caches we able to find before heading homeward. Thanks to Washawa for hiding caches in interesting locations. 36033

I was over this side of town to attend the GIFF event and as there was another event later on today I was staying over this side of town for the rest of the day.With the GFF finished I had a few hours to kill before the next event.Someone came up with the brilliant idea of why dont we find some local caches, why didnt I think of that.A small group was formed comprising of The Tritonz, Kristysadventures, Roaming Howie and me.This is one of the caches we found.I grew up reading MAD comics and remember the laughs I had reading them.This one was solved awhile ago and it was great to be able to pick it upThanks Washawa TFTC.

After the GIFF event, The_Tritonz, posums, Kristysadventures and I went in search of a few caches for the afternoon.This was a cool puzzle and led us right to the cache, although posums and kristysadventures nabbed the cache while Chris and I kept searching not realising it was already being signed.Thanks Washawa for adding this cache to the worldwide collection for us all to enjoy. It was a great day out!----------------------------------------------------------Have you found all of the 12 Days of Cachemas series? Check out the list of caches and work your way through the series. Full details available at [Cachemas in July](https://geocachingvictoria.com.au/events/cachemas-in-July) Find one of the amazing caches nominated in the 2022 Victorian Cache of the Year Awards. The shortlist is available [here](https://coord.info/BMC8QYR)

After the GIFF event, the Tritonz, Posums, Roaming Howie and I set about for some afternoon caching. I have not read the comics before - does one read comics or should I write viewed?Either way the artwork and creativity in this puzzle is commendable.thanks washawa for the puzzle

After the brilliant GIFF Event was over we headed off with RoamingHowie, Posums and Kristysadventures to collect a few presolved puzzles and a multi while killing time before OzHockeyChick's Milestone Event.I solved this puzzle the night before having noticed it was close to the first event. I was never into MAD comics but my bestie from primary school, brother was, so I was able to flick through them at her place. Knowing what was needed I was able to find the numbers needed , even though I could actually see half of them beforehand.A nice puzzle that led us to the MAD house where I let the other half locate the cache.Thanks Washawa for the fun puzzle placement.

What, me worry? No way.I used to buy MAD comics for my kids when they were young which is probably why my son dalerious uses a MAD avatar.And also why I realised straight away how to solve this puzzle, and printed it out for TanSaf to solve on a previous visit.However we didnt get around to finding the cache back then.Today though I needed a mystery cache, and we were in the vicinity after attending the nearby GIFF event.Thanks Washawa for the beaut puzzle and cache.

We had this puzzle solved a few weeks back. In the Bayswater area today clearing out some caches and while on the way home remembered this was nearby so pulled into the parking area. I was concentrating on the vegetation while my 5-year old looked elsewhere. Within a few moments he yelled out, "Found it'. Good job!

As a bonus there is a neat brewery, Killer Sprocket, that has popped up right near the cache in the last few weeks so did a quick tasting and grabbed some lovely Amber Ale to enjoy tonight.

Thanks Washawa for the cool puzzle and cache. Cheers!

This is my third puzzle cache after doing a couple in Geelong on the weekend. Remembered what to do with the hint as I used to read my older brother's MAD comics when I was little. Went out late today and found the cache easily. Thanks.

Turned out being in the obvious spot, searching in the dark after giving up on a night cache.

What? Me worry? Never.
Today I joined with Redcb, to pick up a few caches that we had solved. It was a magnificent day to be out hunting, and we had a 100% success rate.
Solving this one brought back a few memories.
Thanks Washawa.

What me worry? I'm MAD about MAD.

Of all the puzzling puzzles I have puzzled over, this was the simplest simply because I am a mad MAD fan.
.... and I would be MAD not share the whole experience with my partner catnap777 who puts up with my MAD obsessions. [:X]

MAD puzzle, MAD location and MAD use of a cache container I recognised immediately.

TFT(MAD)C Washawa. Fav added.

Puzzle solved and cache found with dalerious .

My partner dalerious has had this mystery on his go and find list as soon as the cache was published .
You see, his avatar is Alfred E Newman so you might say the cache was made specifically for him.

Thank you Washawa for this clever puzzle that only a Mad fan would instantly figure out.


We had two things on our mind for this weekend, Gold and Cachemas caches.

Firstly, we were off to Warrandyte searching for Au, and I am so excited to say that we walked the entire park, and we signed all but one of the series. We even added a couple of other caches that were positioned around the area that we were hiking.

My knee has issues but I am built of sturdy stuff and made the entire walk from begging to end in the one day .

That was the Saturday. On the Sunday we concentrated on the Cachemas caches, picking off the ones that were in the vicinity of where we were staying. One ahomburg challenge cache was situated in an area that required quite a steep ascent.

We enjoyed a very successful weekend of caching, and thank all the CO's that have been busy placing out so many caches for us to find. There were some truly remarkable caches placed out .

Found with icw. I read MAD magazine as part of a misspent youth, but didn't remember this type of puzzle. icw asked a previous finder for a clue then he quickly solved the puzzle. Tftc.

Once I got the idea, AEN did the rest . Found in the presence of , TFTC

The venue that connects to this namesake is no longer there, maybe making this puzzle harder to solve if you're not from the area. Had this sitting on my radar for ages; pinnacle3 solved it in two minutes today. Nicely camoed hide. TFTC Washawa

A quick find between a busy day working from home and the gym with the clog. Cache in great nick with a pencil in there for those who forget. tftc

I've had this one solved for some time so on a quick this morning I finally got to log it. Lol, this puzzle was a very quick solve for me and instantly brought back memories of teenage years and saved pocket money.....loved this mag! TFTC and the memories

My goal for 2023 had been to try and get close to qualifying for [The Non-Traditional Calendar Challenge (GC7RCQ3)](https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC7RCQ3), however as someone who is a newbie puzzle cacher I have been having to mainly resort to finding multi caches in order to fill in my calendar dates.

However, every once in a blue moon I finally figure out how to solve a puzzle or two. I remember seeing this one go live back in June, but any puzzles over a Difficulty 2.0 are usually beyond my skills and I tend to ignore them.

But with this one being fairly close to home I finally gave it another go. I must admit that I was familiar with MAD, but was unfamiliar with their puzzles. However, after a bit of googling I was able to finally figure out the trick with this one.

I was actually a bit shocked, when I typed in my calculated coordinates and the solution checker actually gave me the green light. Woohoo!

Now I just needed a day where I needed to find a non-traditional cache, well today was that day!

I ended up driving past GZ earlier in the day, but there were to many muggles in the area, so I ended coming back under the cover of night. Which actually turned out to be a double edged sword. On one hand there were less muggles, but the dark made it much harder to search, and if I did use my phone torch to search, I drew alot of attention to myself.

My phone originally had me hone into some of the nearby vegetation, but after seeing some of the earlier logs saying it was an easy find, I eventually honed into another more obvious beacon and with a bit of a search the cache was in hand.

Big thanks to [Washawa](https://www.geocaching.com/p/?guid=8599c364-1db8-4e82-a3ce-f0f2afa3f8f1&wid=9246f579-d42c-439a-ac60-7636a092f604&ds=2) for the fun today and TFTC.

**Cache Maintenance Status**

The cache container was in good shape, the attachment mechanism still seemed strong, and the logbook was clean and dry with plenty of room for future cache finders to sign.

Hurrah gotcha!

Solved the puzzle soon after it was issued, read a few of these magazines back in the day… but it was only today that I headed toward the GZ.

Took a little while and eventually needed the hint, but cache was ultimately found and signed. TFTC.

I solved the puzzle eons ago. Having found most of the caches in my area, I am venturing further afield and decided to finally claim this prize. I found the Mad House and signed the log.

A friend with better knowledge of MAD then me helped with puzzle. Easy find at location. TFTC

Out for an arvo of caching, GMelb remembers the MAD magazines from his youth and so the puzzle was pretty straightforward. Arriving at GZ we could see the relevance to the area. Cache was found fairly quickly.
TFTC Washawa- GJMMelb

Mr Riddell remembers the MAD Magazine so he had the right idea already.
Mr Riddell enjoyed doing the paperwork and Mrs Riddell was onto the find area but Mr Riddell spotted it first.
TFTC

I had a peek at what GT37 was working on and was surprised that she hadn't seen one of these before. I am not big on doing puzzles but this is one that I knew what to do so gave her a hand. Long time since I have seen one of these and always enjoyed them. Thanks for the nostalgic fun and the cache.

I have to admit that I have never owned nor read one of these so wasn't sure what to do but as soon as Papi4506 looked at it, he worked it out straight away. The things I've missed out on. Thanks for the cache and the puzzle.

Having read lots of these mags when I was growing up, I knew exactly what needed to be done. Spy v Spy was my favourite section.
A quick find at gz on the way home from work.

Thanks for bringing me here today by placing this cache, Washawa

----------------------------------------------------------
Big things are continuing to happen! *Are you joining the fun again in 2022?*
[**THE**](https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC8EW40)
[**WHITTLESEA**](https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC8EW40)
[**EVENT 2022**](https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC8EW40)
19th / 20th November 2022 – GC8EW40 – Whittlesea – Victoria
----------------------------------------------------------

Found it! Keeping my mystery cache a day rolling along, we visited here last evening and found the cache. I had to wait for the coast to be clear from Muggles including a dog walker. A very friendly dog who enjoyed being patted. I remember my brother liked these magazines and had quite a collection, so I knew how to solve the puzzle!! TFTC SL

*Found on the 1 Sep 2022 @ 4:46 pm.*
*Cache find # 13217.*

I was needing a couple of finds for today and as I was over this way picking up something for work, it worked well to grab this one.
I remember this magazines from a long time ago, are they still around.
I was able to solve this one quickly once it was published but hadn’t been over this way until now, once at GZ it was a quick find and I was on my way.

**Thanks to Washawa for placing this cache.**

Out on my own today sun’s out great time to clear out some of those puzzles that have been sold this was one with a difference great one night sissy fine thanks for the case

I just loved this puzzle! I didn't read the mag so had no idea what I was looking for. I was absolutely delighted with the solution - even though it took me about 30 mins to figure out. When I showed it to my husband, Zeus, he said he would've known immediately what to do! Oh well, it was satisfying to do it myself. We had friends over for dinner and the kids were all intrigued as well. GZ was deserted on a Sunday afternoon - perfect timing.

A late afternoon caching with Spiffy- as we both needed caches today.

This cache was a quick find after a puzzle that was familiar from my childhood days.

Thanks to Washawa for the fun and the adventure.

Found at 6:42 pm.
Headed out with Fleabag- today because we both needed to fill a calendar day today. It was absolutely freezing up here but the walk up and down the hills soon fixed that issue.
My cousin used to subscribe to this magazine so I knew what to do. Tonight in the dark was a good time to look because no one was in the nearby premises.
Thanks Washawa for the cache, the adventure, the hunt and the fun.

>What, me worry?

Not likely.

A very clever puzzle that brought back fond memories of long ago.

21:19
Surprise! The Pi Approximation event went into overtime. But we eventually got on the road for more shenanigans.

And when riding shotgun with n0w0rries, you never know where you'll cache next.

Well, Washawa, there's a puzzle that harks back to a misspent youth...

My grandmother worked at a bookshop in the city, and one of the perks was remaindered comics. One of my favourites was definitely the one featuring Alfred E. Neuman.

That one got enjoyed cover to cover.

Which meant a puzzle I could actually solve.

So when we parked by the coordinates, we knew we were in the right place. And then the fun began.

Yet another of those that you should trust the arrow, and stand back and think. Which again, fits into the ethos of the lamented magazine, really.

As does that "Aha!" moment.

What, me worry? Not when travelling with n0w0rries.

#6144

I really enjoyed solving this one .. it brought me back to this MAD old days .. lots of fun.. thanks Washawa .. the cache is safe and sound in its hide

Found by Rebel Acts

The girls had dog training at Knox so this gave me a couple of hours to find some caches before I had to pick them up again.

This is one of the caches found today. Always loved Mad and the page the puzzle is based on was always the first page I would go to.

Thanks Washawa for the memories and the cache.

Mad is a great word, with many **synonyms**, and a great magazine! I always liked spy vs spy, and I remember a special on madvertising that was hilarious and pretty accurate.

I’m on a bit **loony** quest this year to fill my found calendar grid. It means extended periods of caching abstinence, followed by blips of **frenzied** logging as each new date presents itself.

June 19 was one of my **wacko** dates, and with the next not due for another 3 weeks I wanted to find something worthwhile. Nice to have a Washawa cache at hand - I’m always **eager** to find caches by this CO, his take on things is always my kind of **zany**!

Nice puzzle! Some **crazy** clever design work there.

On the drive to GZ with the geohounds I remembered having visited this area before. I must have been **away with the fairies** because it was only when I arrived that the penny finally dropped. I see what you did there - it put a **stupid** grin on my face!

My first thought was that I was in for an **insane** hunt amongst many rocks, but before I started to **rant and rave** I rechecked the coords and realised there was a less **impractical** option.

Soon enough the hide was revealed. But I couldn’t seem to open it. Not putting anything past this **passionate** CO, I suspected a red herring set to **enrage** me. I think I was getting a little **delirious**, for with just a little perseverance the cache yielded its treasure, and the logbook was soon signed.

The geohounds had been very patient with me, so we headed off for a **boisterous** run along the nearby creek bike path.

As we headed past the back of a plumbing supply warehouse I began to cackle **hysterically**. I’d spotted an **insane** collection of cache hatches. All I now needed was to hire a Bobcat and hope that Bunjil was OK with a little bit of excavation work

Back home again I realised that this **crackers** morning was still not quite over. The tea bag I’d had in my car cup had broken and tea leaves were all over the place. Likewise, the rather full dog poo bag in my pocket had split…

Feeling a little **unbalanced, unhinged** and **unstable** - I decided it was time for a lie down.

TFT(crazy)C Washawa
___
We’re all going to Whittlesea to participate in Victoria’s next Mega!
Are you coming to join in the fun?
[The Whittlesea Event 2022
19th & 20th November 2022 - GC8EW40 - Whittlesea- Victoria](https://coord.info/GC8EW40)
___

I solved this one soon after it was published, having remembered these from my youth. This morning I noticed it was on my way back "home" so I stopped off to grab it. The house was and cache were quickly spotted (the house I had already suspected from a pre-visit street view check of GZ, the other I didn't notice but made GZ very appropriate!) A fun, novel and easy puzzle and a trip down memory lane - a favourite point from me

Found 7:55 am
Enjoyed this one very much, growing up Dad had a large collection of MAD magazines which for me was a joy to read, so much packed in with every edition. So seeing the puzzle knew straight away what was required here. Nice spot too for hide, a quick find on the way to the office this morning. [^]

Day 714 of ...
TFTC Washawa

Took me a few mins to work out the clue, but when so did I threw it into my GPS and saved it for the morning.

Great hide, great spot !

A nice easy puzzle to solve. This was a mid-afternoon run to help fill a date on our non-trad calendar. Parked nearby and a the container was found quickly in the first spot I checked. Thanks to Washawa for the puzzle and cache.

Find number 10542 at 10:44:27 am on Wednesday the 8 June 2022
Needed an unknown for the day and I was chasing one up the hill that I could not find , lucky this one popped up last night as a reserve.
The puzzle was quickly solved as I have done many of these in my youth many many years ago
The find was quick after a larger loop around the GZ I spotted the hide as I narrowed in. Bumped into Rabbito as I was about to depart...
**Thanks for placing this cache Washawa**

---
We’re all going to Whittlesea to participate in Victoria’s next Mega!
*Are you coming to join in the fun?*
[**The Whittlesea Event 2022**](https://coord.info/GC8EW40)
*19th & 20th November 2022 - GC8EW40 - Whittlesea- Victoria*

We found this cache today on our Croydon to Lilydale to Healesville Caches and Labs Lark. As soon as I saw this I knew exactly what to do having done a lot of these in my early teens. This was very impressive as to how you managed to get this all together though. Today we scooted out to find the cache and as we were pulling up, BernieH was just back in his car after making the 3TF. After a quick chat, he got to watch me poke about at all the wrong places until I eventually zeroed in on it. Our 224thTF. Thanks from D & HA B-A

Found by Omegaman1971
Find # 9649

FTF GONE
full log to follow

Date: June 7, 2022 Time: 10:10 PM
Find #12730

This one popped up last night while I was at the pub and with a little help from my friends, got a tick from the checker. A fun little puzzle.

Missed out on the FTF by that much!

Massive thanks go to Washawa for placing this one.

Big things are continuing to happen! *Are you joining the fun again in 2022?*
[**THE**](http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC8EW40)
[**WHITTLESEA**](http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC8EW40)
[**EVENT 2022**](http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC8EW40)
*19th / 20th November 2022 – GC8EW40 – Whittlesea – Victoria*

##Published - thanks for contributing to Geocaching with this Listing.##