Military Madness Heathcote, Victoria, Australia
By Derringer on 17-Oct-03. Waypoint GCH3K4

Find number 12906 at 9:37:08am on Tuesday the 6 February 2024I'm off on a mini camping trip, well, for a week anyway, free camping on Majors Creek not far from Nagambie. Generally veging but doing some geocaching as well in my spare time Today I am off for a drive through Heathcote to Bendigo and then back through Tooleen and Whroo.I DNF'd this one several years back and only now have I had time to get back here. I went through the questions again and recalculated my GZ (as I didn't have my original calcs recorded) and it matched to GZ I had from last time so it was a good start. Off I go to the GZ and search and searched and searched and finally...... I found it **Thanks for placing this cache Derringer**---Don't miss finishing the Ballarat GeoTour before it ends on 4th March 2024. A list of the geocaches can be found [here](https://coord.info/BM9GWJ5). The final GeoTour Event is the [Farewell Ballarat GeoTour](https://coord.info/GCAFQ8B) on the 18th February 2024!You can also get prepared for the 2023 Victorian Cache of the Year Awards by checking out our preliminary lists [here](https://geocachingvictoria.com.au/information/great-caching-lists/).

September 24, 2023 12:11 PMI first worked out the coords to this multi way back in Jan 2020, on our way home from a holiday in Nagambie. I didn't think it would take this long to get back to actually find the cache but hey, we had that horrible pandemic putting our lives on hold for a while didn't we!So today was fantastic to be out caching again and I had this one on my to-do list as the rest of the family don't handle these challenging terrain caches very well so I have to find time to do them on my own. As I pulled up I immediately recognised some people that attended the event earlier today and Mr and Mrs Harrowang were very gracious in allowing me to join them in the hunt. After a sure and steady trek, and trying more than one approach in the final meters to get to GZ, we began our search in earnest. Lots of rocks were upturned and crevices checked and re-checked before Mr Harrowang came up with the goodies, very fitting as he had told me it wasn't the first time he had searched for this one. Thx to derringer for hiding this cache and keeping it in play all this time, and thx to Harrowang for the great company, you were a pleasure to cache with today! FP for this one!

Came back today after a DNF in May 2019 to see if we could turn the frown into a smile. We had attended an Event on the shore of Lake Eppalock along with a group of cachers from all over the State of Victoria. As we prepared to set off walking from our vehicle, PerpetuallyLost arrived to join the hunt with us. A beautiful spring day to be in the Heathcote area, and although the way was rocky, we soon reached the place to begin our search. Not many minutes elapsed before Mr Harrowang found the well hidden container. SL at 12.10pm Left: gold eagle pathtag. Thanks for your company Ray. #10,352 As always it is a pleasure to find a Derringer cache and this one was placed in 2003!

I returned here today to try to turn blue into yellow. It was with a mix of excitement & trepidation that I intentionally parked away from the tree that assaulted me in December 22........
Following that failed trip, I triple checked my numbers & asked a friend to look at my resulting coords. He confirmed they were correct so it was my searching/poor GPS that had let me down!!
Noone in the watchtower today - it was cold & wet As with my previous finds today, there was nobody around........
I had a rough idea where I needed to be, so opted for a much easier approach than previously....... With 4m showing on my dodgy phone, I put it away.
I spotted the perfect place directly above my head!! The rocks & grass were very slippery but I managed to scramble up about 6'. This was when I realised I couldn't go any further......... Geolabradog was having an anxiety attack & crying continuously. I was sweating profusely which was steaming up my glasses but I managed to downclimb & tried again around the outcrop a wee bit. With Geolabradog still whining constantly, I scrambled up again to find.......... nothing but rocks!!!! Not game to downclimb at that spot, I found an alternative back to Geolabradog........ A few more fruitless scrambles but then success!!! I couldn't believe it!! It made my day Many thanks for the multi & the knowledge gained. It's important that we don't forget about the sacrifices made for us.

I had worked out these coordinates quite a while ago and today I was back in the vicinity, a lot fitter and with time to attempt this cache. I made it up to the towers without too much effort and pushed on towards GZ. It was a lovely walk in perfect weather and wasn’t too steep. I got as close as I could to GZ, but I wasn’t going over the cliff! It would mean retracing my steps and trying a different approach. After PAF I decided that I shouldn’t be doing this alone, so gave up. Hopefully I can come again with someone to support me, but not today, sadly.

It would've been a miracle if I'd actually found this today. I'm not entirely convinced that I calculated the correct coords to start with. Trying to work with my phone GPS being out again by 10 - 18m in caches found earlier today, terrain like this becomes virtually impossible. Not to mention, it was 36⁰c & I'd tried to pierce my head on a broken branch before I'd even let geopup out of the car!!! Back to square 1 to recalculate coords - when I find the notebook I wrote my answers in............ Many thanks. I'll be back

Third times the charm for me on this one.
My first visit was to a set of coords a fair hike away and it was a bit of an epic getting to them, searching then trudging back to the vehicle.
On my second visit i had a much more likely set of coords which lead me to a very similar site to the final gz but which, after a thorough search i decided contained no cache.
After checking my calculations with a friend i found i had made yet another silly mistake. After finding and correcting that i have waited some time to return. Today, after a walk and a search and a scramble and a search.... etc etc i finally spotted the cache. It feels great to have my name in that log. Thank you for the terrific cache here, i loved it.

Well i havnt found it yet but this is an epic cache. I collected the information on my last trip and was fairly confident i had the correct coords for gz worked out. Today Google directed me on crazy 4x4 trails to get to the site, my poor battered old awd only just made it after some tracks i just should not have attemped. Then an adventurous walking trail and extremely steep bush bash as the last of the daylight faded to black. Not sure if it was the wrong coords, my failing torch batteries or my tired body but the cache eluded me today. I will be back again!

What a fantastic multi. I was here once before and started collating the information needed to gain the numbers, but for some reason I did not end up signing the log on that day. I see now that there was a hidden reason for that, and that reason was because I was supposed to be here with dalerious. The scenery was magnificent, the company was better. Oh what joy to visit beautiful places with a beautiful man. It is an honour to undertake a Derringer cache. Many thanks for continuing to provide us with such adventures. Favourite given.

Military Madness
After much working out and getting over the rocks it was so good to sign the log. A great bird eye view of Heathcote and surrounds. Thought we may have seen Lake Eppalock but no we could not.
Thanks for the placement and care of Deringer great job since 2003.

I really enjoyed trying to solve this multi .... I still have one number I don't think is right so for that reason and also because of the terrain and being an aged "solo" I might just hang off until I know I do indeed have the correct co-ords and have someone with me. thanks though

Up this way with Sean.75 and kenare to convert dots and puzzle pieces to smileys. After finding a safer way in the garmin had us 1m from the cache, hmmm way more accurate than phones. tftc

What a long drawn out affair this one has been. We started it 4 years ago when we stayed at the caravan park. But we didn't get very far with it. Next time we came through here we were heading up further north for a funeral and realised we had to travel on a different road. The last time we were here was on way home from Shepp. We were tired and hungry and so we just stopped in at the bakery and kept going. Earlier this week we decided we would head here today with this one being our main aim for the day. Well, this cache and the bakery, lol. After a bit of a walk and a reasonably quick search we soon had the cache found, signed and returned. The view is amazing from here. tftc
edited because I put the wrong date lol

What a climb and sneaky hiding spot. With a gate with a No Entry sign on it we had to come in from the opposite side of the Mount. Lots of rocks to walk around and plenty of spots to hide a cache, but luckily we had the ever faithful Garmin to find the cache for us. Cigc. Tftc

This was an adventure in several parts. Clues were gathered after eating pies and a delicious thick custard tart from the bakery with Roaming Howie. Reading the previous logs, I got a little nervous and set Roaming Howie off in the wrong direction. He was a mountain goat up and down the side whilst I climbed up and got stuck part way and then retreated to a rock to read more. In my nervousness, I missed the hints about there is an easier way to approach and ended up just ditching my phone, the GPS and did a process of elimination around. In the end it was much easier than I thought! Thanks for the view at sunset.

Whilst in heathcote and enjoying a gaffneys pie we gathered the necessary info to produce coords for this find. Excellent a spot we wanted to explore. We returned the next day as the day was ending and set off for GZ. After reading the logs we were anticipating a tough adventure. I climbed up and down multiple times hanging off all sorts of ledges and finding some amazing hidey holes for a cache. As it turns out that level of climbing was not really required and it would appear we had a perception that this was much more complicated and extreme than is actually needed. Kristysadventures made the find while I was climbing everywhere. Not nearly as difficult as we expected in the end however we got a beautiful sunset. A kangaroo took a swipe at us on the drive down but only touched the side and doesn’t look like any damage to either it or the georanger. Thanks for the hide

There is something about a Deringer cache that you know is going to be good.

When logging this, I went onto Derringer's profile and looked at all his caches. Active and archived. How much of a lifetime mission would it be to visit the GZ of them all?

Where would they take me? To amazing lookouts like here? Lots of driving? Fire regrowth? Adrenaline? Adventure? Classic untouched spots? Risk and reward?

Some of these elements were here today, as myself, Pacman and Anikano scrambled down to GZ. Sensational finish point. A FP from me.

And lots more Derringer to come I hope.

Highlight of the day for me. Love a bit of bouldering. When got to GZ i wondered how long it would take to find this cache. So many levels and so many options. Jacko83 The Pacman and I set to work. I was overly a ledge and stumbled across the cache far sooner than expected.

It took us quite the drive to get here and a bit of an adventure pushing the Pacmans car to its limits before needing to find a more sensible route.

Great view. Bit of adventure. Loved this. FP from me

I had scanned the map a few days ago and saw the town of Heathcote. I haven't done any exploring around this area before but travelled through the town before. The family were looking for an adventure with no sport on today so we decided to go for a drive. DAB was interested to and met us there. I had done work on the numbers part of this one before with pictures taken to work it out at home. I was unsure of one number and with no checker, I put in a question to a previous finder. Indeed I was slightly out but in the general area. After meeting with DAB at the carpark, we all walked to the location and loved the views. The geo kids are a bit small for the climb here so DAB and I went searching. We had to take our time climbing down the rocks. With so many places this could be, we were glad the co-ords were good and a likely spot was spotted quickly and the cache was found.

[^] **Thanks for placing this cache for us to find and enjoy Derringer** [^]

I met up with the Na'wal clan to tackle this old multi. Gathered some info at wp1 and we soon had a set of numbers. It turns out one of our numbers wasn't quite right, but we soon corrected that. After leaving the kids for the last little walk to gz, the prize was found after a short search. Some great views here, today we were " living the dream " ...... This type of caching is so much better than a power trail or a guard rail !! TFTC Derringer

Most disappointed we didn’t find this one on this Mother’s Day morning. Gathered the info for it yesterday and somehow managed to transcribe the numbers incorrectly, which sent us off on a wild goose chase yesterday. Checked our numbers with a previous finder last night and found our mistake. Set off on a fine, if cloudy, morning and enjoyed the short walk to the area of GZ. So we looked, and clambered and looked some more and clambered, but all to no avail. In between scrambling we admired the views and the rock formations. We did make an interesting find when we got back to the lookout of a brightly coloured mouse spider, just going about its business in the bush. Oh well, looks like another trip to the Heathcote area in the future to try again. Thanks for the fun and frustration Derringer.

**Find #2393**

This was my target cache for the day. I had solved the puzzle awhile ago and today I made the journey on the Geo-motorcycle. I needed this cache to fill in another "Found By Month". GZ is a fantastic place to visit. This is one of the best Multi's I have done. A must do Heathcote cache. I spent about 15mins at GZ Searching without any luck, and like a previous finder had written, I put the GPS away and thought, If I was hiding a cache here, where would I put it? This had the cache in hand. A Favorite Point given, this is what caching is all about.

Thanks **Derringer**

TFTC.

Our bushwalking club stayed in Heathcote for the weekend. Yesterday we walked up to the top of Mt Ida where I had limited time to search for the cache.
That night I read the logs and decided to try again using the lower access to the cache. The GPS was all over the place. PAF was used to ascertain whether we were in the correct place.
Thankfully Tag along was with me and he could see where I couldn't. I had already searched there. Now both our names are in the log book.
Thanks for the fun and games here today.

14:44
We collected the information at the listed co'ords. The venture toward GZ will be made when we are a little more prepared.

Bit of a hike but throughly enjoyed finding this cache, and the views from the top of the mountain. TFTC Derringer

This was easily the most fun I have had finding a cache! Thank you so much for bringing us to this amazing location!

Sadly not today, did not find at 11:08 am
Holidaying near Nagambie on the Goulburn River for the Easter weekend plus a week and been spreading my circle of caches; today was time for Heathcote.
Solved the clues to reveal an unlikely location for a Derringer cache so I rechecked my math to find an error in the big number and the resultant location was a very likely location for a Derringer cache so off I choofed to the parking area for a reasonably short walk. Not one I would recommend for nor will I repeat it in my thongs but they ended up serving me pretty well on the day.
Well I searched and I scrambled and I searched and I scrambled but ended up disappointed when I completely ran out of time and had to leave to make an lunch appointment. I will be back another day.
Absolutely glorious views...
**Thanks for placing this cache Derringer**

---
Big things are continuing to happening in Victoria! *Are you joining in the fun?*
[**THE PARKVILLE EVENT 2018**](https://coord.info/GC75D90)
*17th & 18th November 2018 - GC75D90 - Parkville - Melbourne - Victoria*

Some caches blow your mind. This one is just such a cache.
Brilliant. Must do, whether it rains or shines.... Doesn't matter.... Just a Great Cache.

Thanks so much Derringer. I am the Mrs M heading up in brisal5's photograph....
Another favourite from me....

MEGA ROAD TRIP - Alexandra Mega 2017 that is. Day 2: We finally get there. [8)]
After spending the night at Heathcote we were up early for the drive to Alexandra. But first we had a few hours to spare before meeting up with some fellow cachers in Broadford. You know what that means - more caching

This one ticks all the boxes. A great little multi. Got the coordinates and looked at where they were. Lots and lots of close elevation lines. But a vehicle track goes closer. So we took that track and finished by a locked gate where we parked. The heavens opened and down came the rain. We were already in the clouds so it didn't matter. On with the jackets.
Off we went following a well worn track once past the towers. I am sure there must have been good views but all we could see were clouds. The rock formations were spectacular though. Where now. Okay down there. So much rock played havok with the GPSr accuracy. So after ten minutes of fruitlessly folloing it I put in the pocket and thought were would I put it. [B)]
I found it in the second place I looked after a little slippery rock stepping. It was nice and dry...until I brought it out to sign the log. I am sure it will dry quickly. Took nothing but lots of photos and left a FP. Great cache. [:X]

Thanks Derringer for this cache.

I loved everything about this cache and can't believe it has taken me this long to log it.
locus cache sorted the numbers, Cybbergran V was in charge of motivation (if she can make it up that bloody hill then so can we) and I made the find.
Go Team!
My gratitude to derringer for devising and placing this cache bringing us to this magnificent location, added thanks to whoever is maintaining it and keeping it alive but most of all, honor and respect to those for whom this cache is dedicated.[^]
Lest We Forget.
Sorry for the late log, I guess I forgot.
A definite favourite point from me.

Cybergran V invited me along on a day out with dalerious in his 4WD
There wasn't much 4WDing but there was much hilarity , 12 caches found by me and a great pie from my favourite bakery in Heathcote, Gaffney's [^]
We also had to find an Earthcache for EC Day and while doing so, met a couple of very friendly and lovely geocachers who weren't aware of the possible souvenir so we set them straight and talked them into walking back up the track so that they could do so [^]

This is a ripper of a multi!
Having been to Heathcote before, I'd gathered the information but never got to finish the cache
Today that was remedied and oh what fun it was! [^]
OK, admittedly this multi starts off like many another multi but that's where the smiliarity ends!
GZ was amazing [^]
Sadly there was a brand spanking new chain on the gate so the last 500m odd was shank's pony [)][xx(]
Arriving near GZ though the rewards were tripled!
Awesome views [^], rock formations and a cache to boot!
With the added bonus that I actually managed to scare dalerious when I went 'BOO!'

TNLN. SL. TFTC Derringer

What a hike up! what a view! It was a hard effort to drag this old bag of bones up, but worth it. Our rock hopping TOTT dalerious found this one, and we both agree it is definitely worth a favourite point.

Find # 4513

Found with sharkiefan.
Decided to have a days caching around Heathcote and area, thankfully the rain held off making for a great day out in the field.

Id had this one worked out some time again, but with the upgrade of devices i happen to lose a lot of information on caches. thankfully a good friend was on hand to help me out.
and travelling with a previous finder I was in good company to find the goods.
But with the sky being quite grey and a few drop of the windscreen I didn't know if we make it up here today, "bugger it, we will go for it"

an interesting drive up and managed to get right to the top as the gate was opened today.

Yep my 2wd handled the hill quite easily .

a bit of a walk over rocks and then I was instructed to take a lower (and much easier) path to GZ.
after quite a search, and the GPSr reading an accuracy of 17m, I soon discovered an odd pile of rocks, a bit of a clamber up. woo hoo, gotcha.

A truly interesting and well worth the effort cache. A must to do I'd say.

TFTC

17:40
Defeated by daylight... though this does mean we got to enjoy the sunset.

Until next time, Derringer...

12:36 pm #3100
Out with sharkiefan today on a day trip with various targets.
With a market nearby, we nearly drove right past without bothering. But a space appeared right where we needed to be.
Once the info was googled and gathered, we made our way to gz, excited that we were doing a Derringer cache, although we were feeling apprehensive about the DT, as I had recently done a T3 which challenged me, and this was a 3.5.
Once at gz it seemed it wasn't going to be that bad, until...
Oh I see. OK. Let's see. This will be a challenge. Feeling determined, I headed closer and closer, all the time getting directions from sharkiefan. After around half an hour of searching, sf suddenly appeared after finding a different path.
Within minutes, she had found the nicely hidden cache, and we took photos and celebrated our fave cache of the day.
Thanks for placing this cache, Derringer. A fav point heading your way

Found with OZHockeyChick while on our way to Kyabram.
We didn't initially have this cache on our "to-do" list but ended up picking a few on the spot. We were lucky enough to get a park right out front. No mean feat on market day!
The questions were made simpler thanks to the Internet.
We did a few other caches around before heading to our calculated GZ.
We got part of the way ok but not as far as the map suggested. OK, no problem. A few extra hundred metres. Cool.
Go off we went on foot.
Got a few metres away from the car and another car arrives. Odd but ok. The occupants (a young couple) passed us pretty quickly. Sweet. Also indirectly showing us a path to follow. Brilliant!
Is this really a Derringer cache? Hmm. Too easy. Where's the catch. Warily I continued. Fingers crossed.
Got to the end of said path. 18m to GZ. Just over there.
Penny drops. Panic and fear seep in. The 2 things I'm not good at, are directly ahead of me. Dang.
Now is the bit I can't really talk about without giving anything away. So I'll just be general vague.
So OHC made her way there and I was just standing there feeling guilty about being too scared to go too. Made a few suggestions and even PAFed. All sort of helpful but nothing came to hand.
Eventually I found the path of least resistance and got myself to GZ'S general vicinity to meet up with OHC.
Was not as bad as I expected but no picnic either.
The search resumed.
Then I did something I never do. Took myself off ground level.
Not that far, but I won't even stand on a chair so pretty pleased with myself.
I picked a bloody good spot too. Yep right where the cache was.
Stoked I found it.
Glad not to be standing on the sidelines.
Best cache of today.
Thanks for the cache.
P.S I didn't need to get off the ground, I just wanted a better look

Find #1259 for me. Well, this one has certainly taken me a long time to finally tick off! I'd gathered the clues with some other caching friends early last year but we didn't have time to get to the final location at that time. I did return to the area not long after but failed to find the cache. The reason for my failure was that I'd made a couple of errors in calculating GZ and so was searching in the wrong place, about 100m away. Having confirmed later with the CO both my error and the true GZ coordinates, I've been itching to get back but circumstances didn't allow it. I was reluctant to take my 2WD along the dirt road leading to GZ after the heavy spring rains so have been waiting for a drier period when I could get away from my family and finally that time came today. The weather was perfect too - cooler and overcast with rain threatening in the distance but dry while I was here. With the correct coordinates, it only took me a few minutes to find today. Whew! I was so happy to experience quick success here since it was a long way to come for failure, especially given that this was my only unfound cache within about 15km from Heathcote, so nothing else to find here. The location of GZ was fantastic too. A definite favorite point from me! This cache also contributed to the Multicache Monthly Challenge this month which I'm attempting, so an extra thanks placing this multicache in such a great location Derringer, and the fun had along the way!

Claybol and Kazba16 and myself had collected all the required information but hadn't attempted the find at the time. later teaming up with Leetalicious ,bogonghazy, and sorceysal, we made our way to GZ , (amazing views!! ) glad for the cool morning and fresh air on my face. replaced the cache container with a spare I had on board. but forgot to log at the time.. thanks Derringer for the history and the cache at a great location.

In Heathcote this afternoon enjoying the township and the variety of caches on hand. An interesting multi with an interesting finish. We collected all the clues , then made our way to GZ where we appreciated the scenery and views. The Cache took sometime to locate but something stood out to us which revealed the small container.
Thanks Derringer for highlighting those who lost their lives to serve others.

Took a geo-adventure with Bogonghazy, SorceySal and the geodogs for Father's Day. Fantastic adventure with lots of caching along the way. Big thanks to SS who drove. Had a wonderful adventure with friends. Thanks for adding to our adventure. Stopped at the event and met lots of new people. After the even jtnsilo joined us and we headed up the hill to find this one. The container was broken and the log wet but jtnsilo had a replacement handy. Fantastic walk and great view. Love this one

On the way to Echuca with bogonghazy, leetalicious and the 2 geo dogs, we stopped at the nearby event and were told what a great cache this was for the views. Got the required numbers and off we headed in the company of jtmsilo. Fabulous views from here. Thanks Derringer for highlighting this great area.

A generous offer from Sorceysal to put some more K's on her new Rav4, had Leetalicious, myself and the 2 geodogs heading to Heathcote for the event, and then onto some great caches.
We heard about this cache at the event, and after getting the numbers, it was a great drive up to this area. We were greeted by majestic views, and although the walk is a little tricky with all the rocks, it's more than worth it on a day like this. We'd grabbed a hitchhiker to do this one in JtmSilo, so the talk and company was even better.
On arrival, the container had a hole punched into the side of it, due to the weathering I'd assume, and Jtmsilo just happened to have a spare in her backpack. We emptied the wet contents, and only replaced the logbook and pen into the 200ml Sistema.
Thanks for highlighting this beautiful place Derrnger, sometimes one fave just isn't enough

With lots of help from my fellow cachers the McLookers and Glanville Girls we made our way to GZ , and before too long our Lookabout member soon had the cache in hand. The area is hard going but the vegetation is colouring up for Spring. Thanks Derringer.

Staying in the Heathcote area this Father's Day weekend with McLookers, Motndarg and The Lookabouts picking up a few caches in the area. We quickly made our calculations and made our way to GZ. After a short walk in we we lucky to have the cache in hand after a short search. Thanks for the hide.

After grabbing the information yesterday and some calculations last night, it was a target for this afternoon. We parked and walked to the area of GZ. As we approached The Lookabouts zoned in on an area and made the find very quickly. Yay! Thanks Derringer, nice adventure today and we really enjoyed the views. Found with Motndarg, The Lookabouts and Glanville Girls.

I visited the memorial a few weeks ago with jtnsilo and kazba16 to collect the necessary information for the final coordinates, but we didn't have time to look for the cache at that time. Today I returned to Heathcote alone and with plenty of time to spare for a good look. It was a fantastic location and I found an echidna sleeping in the hollow of a tree stump (luckily I looked down first before putting my hand under from below!) but no goats to be seen and I couldn't find the cache. I gave up after about 30 minutes. I'll definitely be back again. Thanks for bringing me here today Derringer and thanks for the hunt so far!

Hooray! At last this devious cache has revealed itself! The Swaggies and I combined to make a sure find and it worked. Thanks for the cache Derringer. It was great to finally find it. Thanks to The Swaggies too.

Well this cache has been on the radar for a long time. As usual we were always passing through Heathcote and after the obligatory pie and coffee in the bakery, we would do a few of the local caches before heading home. But a few weeks ago I was looking at the pocket query I had done and this cache popped up again. So we decided that on this visit through Heathcote this cache would be our primary target. We spent a few evenings at home getting most of the answers, before guessing a few and confirming these this morning. Not knowing what the terrain was like or how far we had to walk, we contacted o.kay to see if she wanted to join us. She did so we met at the car park.
Whilst waiting a waiting another car load of Japanese students arrived to take in the views. I joined them for a recce and headed up to the lookout to get a few pics.
After they left o.kay arrived and we headed down to GZ where after a bit of a search we found the cache. Wow it felt really good to get a Derringer cache as I am not likely to get too many more at this stage of my life. We had no dramas getting to or from the cache, but o.kay had a bit of a drama with her car on the way out.
TFTC Derringer

I didn't find this cache when I visited this area today. I got to within 3 m but could't get to GZ. Before I try for this one again, I will have to check on some of the answers - just to make sure. Then I think I will not cache for this one by myself. I was in some rather awkward places in my search. Thanks Derringer. It was a bit of a workout but the weather was cool - so not too bad.

Ruschie 12/6/15
TFTC

Wow I found it!
I was in Heathcote again today so I called past the memorial again and checked my answers and calcs. It is then I found that I had made a simple mistake that should have been obvious. With the revised coords in hand I decided on investing the time in another look.
Once at the indicated GZ I began to ponder the wisdom of the decision as the gps was jumping around and there were just so many possible hiding spots. With a bit of triangulating of the gps and a damn good search around the indicated location I finally triumphed and spotted the well hidden cache.
There has been water in the cache container and the log was still slightly damp but I made sure I sealed it up tight and covered it well after signing it of course.
With the job done I wandered away a happy cacher, but the difficulty rating is definitely deserved and it is not one for the time-poor.
Thanks for the challenge, the frustration and eventually the fun of finding this cache Derringer

found it.
TFTC

Arrived in Heathcote, dropped off the caravan, then tried our luck at the local caches.
Spent some time sorting out the information required, then did the calculations.
After a great drive, an awesome walk/scramble, we arrived at GZ.
With the co-ords being spot on, we found the cache quickly.
Many thanks for placing this cache, Derringer, for us and others to find.

21/02/2015 12:32:00 PM
We searched high we searched low we searched high again we searched low again we looked left we looked right we didn't find the cache

Part 1: "Missed it by that much".

We were caching our way home after a second trip to Eildon to finish off the Geotour, trying to pick up a cache in each town along the way. We had selected a quick trad in the main street of Heathcote, when Chook noted the start of a multi across the road. Oooooh its a Derringer cache. We glanced at each other with that deranged twinkle in the eye that we had when we decided to try Marturdom on our last Eildon trip. No need for words, the challenge was on. So instead of heading home, we sat in the middle of town for nearly an hour, researching all the history and examining the local clues, enthralled by the story of the battle. A set of co-ordinates were gathered, checked on the map revealing a likely destination, then programmed into the gps and off we went.

Unlike Riddell's experience, we didn't seem to have the friendly firespotter today. We waved but no response, he just stared down at us. We proceeded towards GZ, aware that he was watching our every move where he could. We were able to waypoint a likely location, and Chunk had a little climb around while Chook took photos of the spectacular views. Call us soft or weird or whatever else, but "the vibe" just wasn't right for us to continue. We didn't want to risk the future of this fantastic cache if this firespotter turned out to not be the supportive type. So we abandoned it for another day. It was a fabulous experience just getting this far today, and will get a favourite point when the time comes. Stay tuned for Part 2.....

Were returning from a bushwalk nearby when we grabbed this cache.
Had the information for sometime and finally had a chance to get it.
While we were there the Fire spotter invited us up to check out the views.
We had a good chat and confirmed all the surrounding peaks. Glad to say we have been up most of them. TFTC.
Found around 7 metres from where the GPS said.

I hope I had the coords slightly out on this one, because I searched for this one for around an hour before it got too dark. Wandered away very frustrated. I know I am in the right general area, but I will have to recheck my calculations and verify with the CO before I invest more time in it.

A bit of a trial run for us. We bought a new GPS three years ago and have been logging finds on the unit ever since, but not uploading them (long story far too complicated to explain). It will be interesting to see how we go remembering back three years. We do remember this one, though, and we remember having adult GeoKids with us. Some of our five kids, and their respective partners, are willing victims - but this pair are definitely not in this category. So a word of advice: don't do this one on a forty degree day with two grumpy people in attendance. This was a 3 part adventure to procure this cache.
Part 1: Visited the memorial with 2 said grumpy people. After getting totally confused and grumped at we decided we needed to go and do some research to answers the questions (didn't have internet access on our phone).
Part 2: Did some research at home and answered all questions. We headed along the Ngambie road for a while and didn't find any convenient left turning roads. Back to Heathcote and headed up the Elmore road. Thought we had got it wrong again as we headed away from GZ. A U turn in the road got us back on the right track. Ended up in the carpark just on dusk with 260m to GZ. with only a small torch to light the way we decided not to tackle the hazards of scrambling in the bush, "We'll be back.", and to leave it for another day.
Part 3: With the previous 2 grumpy people in tow we tackled the bush. Lovely view of the lake and surrounds. Doc and Geokid# 1 BF went exploring while ignoring Mrs who kept telling them where they should look. Finally after an hour Geokid#1BF gave up and Doc decided to listen. Lo and behold guess what was found.
Another Doc and Mrs geocaching saga. The campaign was won.

Four part adventure for this one. Found original clues 12 months ago - had to go home and do some research on the internet. Second visit in May took us to top (after trying to access from the Nagambie side - oops) but it was just on sunset so thought we'd come back another day. So almost 12 months to the day with Geokid#1 and BF who were with us on the 1st visit we found our inner mountain goats and went for a scramble. Mrs claims the find although she only gave directions to Doc - wouldn't have found it without her Clever hide. Took a sheep and left Travel coin #6523181 found in Tasmania. TFTC

B2 had a red hot go at this one and believe we have have solved the riddles in order to achieve the treasure but the directions needed to travel, at this time of day, says no.
It is now very much on our list of things to do the next time we are up this way.
The bananas love this area.

Tried this one and could not fathom the clues for the multi waypoints. I think the information we would need would have been inside the RSL building which was closed as the monument out the front did not give the information needed. Better luck next time.

This cache was found during a Monday night cache run with Blacklegend, Trailrunning and Rebel Acts (TDC) as well as Poynts95 who came down with BL. for the nights run. Plenty of kilometres travelled during the run, with us starting early afternoon around Rebels home turf and finishing in the wee hours of the morning in Heathcote. A great variety of caches found with some really nice hides. Many thanks to the cache owners for placing the caches we found.

Found on a caching run with the TDC..... I was lucky enough to be able to cache with my local caching mate, Blacklegend, and the rest of The Demolition Crew on this occasion. I had a great night, lots of good conversation and great to again catch up with the TDC. My thanks to all the cache owners for their hides on the night. I don't think I can say a lot more than the others already have about the finds on the night. There were some fantastic hides amongst the caches, and some fav points will be given.
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Had a blast, pardon the pun, with this one.... Awesome walk to GZ, it was wet and cold, but it didn't stop us. Had a bit of a scramble to GZ but a lot of fun. Fav point for sure. TFTC.

Found out and about on another TDC caching night. A fantastic run that took us far and wide, with the usual crew and with Poynts95 as well. Good conversation and laughs as always, and great to be out and about again finding....
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This is one that has been on the to do list for a long, long time. Finally got the chance to do it this time. The general vacinity of GZ is a place that has fond memories for me, from my other hobby, Astronomy. TFTC and bringing me back here. Fav point given.

A great view from this location, just loved it.
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Every week I look forward to exploring new areas with The Demolition Crew, and this Monday nights run brought us from Eric's place in Kilsyth through to Gisborne, Macedon and finally Heathcote. A long night of caching these areas, with a few nice walks and a few drivebys as well. Many thanks to the CO's for their efforts in placing and maintaining their caches. Unfortunately we were only able to replace one of the two scheduled cache replacements as we ran out of time.

This one has been a long time in the completion! I solved it probably 4-5 years ago. I no longer have the paperwork but happily had the coordinates in GSAK.

And getting here today was also a coincidence, although if I had known that I could drive so close so easily I may well have done it long ago too. As it was I was helping a friend with a walk preview and not ony did we pass this point, we had lunch 50 metres away! After lunch, we wandered over for a search and soon had the container in a logical caching hide.

Thanks to Derringer for keeping it going so long!

I really miss Mrs Moneybox when I come across these multi caches but I think I worked it out after returning to check the clues a couple of times. Unfortunately the vehicle I'm driving was way too big to find a parking location that was within a kilometer or so. We'll be back.....

Oh, poor Mr Moneybox...but very clever as well I hear. This does look like a big challenge and I'm proud of you. That's the problem with one of us having to stay home and work...it gets in the way of play. Rats!! As you say, next time we'll get it together. Enjoy the rest of your travels and I'll see you home in a couple of weeks

thanks for the Geocaquehttp

I've had fun hunting for and finding this cache, It never ceases to amaze me how the CO in the first instance comes up with the idea for placing a cache at this location. After signing the log and then replacing the cache, another find becons me. Thanks Derringer for the cache.

This was a fun cache with both physical and research clues to get GZ coords. Great views and definitely good foot wear required. Found and took TB. Left mini coke bottle crate.
TFTC.

Found it .........after 4 goes , thanks Daisies of the galaxy for the the hint
lot of fun , quite involved .....thanks

We had a great day out exploring and found your cache TFTC and bringing us to this great spot cheers I found it with royds16 but forgot to log

well what a cache, i love these ones. great history and great location.
at first I had missed the engraved town but had every thing else then was told by a fellow cacher that i work with that its there and told me the answer. so with the co-ords in hand off I went expecting that this was going to be very challenging as a few friends had missed it the first time around and it seems to happen a lot by the looks of it.
once up top i treked the rugged terrain and then relised I went the wrong way and had to scale the rocks down below.
wasnt as hard as i was expecting but did have a great pearch and well cocealed with its surroundings.

well done and definently some madness. you will need decent shoes.

Enjoy......

With a clear sky and a setting sun I was determined to finally put this one to bed.
Armed with the knowledge I was definitely in the right area this one was a most satisfying discovery.
What a lovely view before the sun set and no rain today either.

Great History lesson and test of the powers of observation(Love it)

VC awarded.

A new TB released in the reassurance that only the hardy and persistent would discover.

TFTC Derringer will be looking for a few more of yours

Boy does it know how to rain when I come here.

Goats by the dozen and water by the gallon.
Left empty handed though.

VC not awarded yet.

"I'll be back"

Eventually found by D ot G. TFTC TNLN. Retrieved Snoopy's Kennel from way down the hill, couldn't find Snoopy.

Man this ones hard , have had three goes at it with no luck , i can only
sumise my calcs are wrong but i've checked and rechecked , might have to
leave it , unless i get a brainstorm

thanks for the view and the exercise

We headed out this morning to knock the rest of the Heathcote caches off before heading north. This one was first on our list, most of the answers were easy to find thanks to Google! Then we put in the GZ coordinates. Hmmmmm.... Double checked our numbers... Ok, seems plausible and off we went. Reading past logs on the way we realised we could be in for the long haul, and we were. It took the longest to actually get to the vicinity of gz, as the rocks and cloud cover were making it difficult for Karen (our GPS). When we finally got there, we started a search and 20-30 min later we came up trumps. Thanks for bringing us here, although we couldn't make much of the view as the cloud hadn't lifted. Thanks for the cache.

Frustrating, Had 2 goes today, As I live locally will attempt again. Just a point I would like to make is the seat that is one of the clues has been replaced/upgraded a little while ago with a different one. I can remember the old one because I use to have to fix it when it got broken and I reckon it had more slats on it.

We gathered required answers at WP1 in the falling rain last evening, and researched the rest of the required information while greg slept. Headed off to GZ early this morning, rocks were a bit slippery for me (as we initially headed off on the low road). Greg returned some time later empty handed, but decided the high road was better, and so was 4 eyes, so back along the track we both went.

Searched for some time before taking a phone a friend option. Relieved we were in the correct area and with Wazzas hints we continued the search. Again we came up empty handed, even though we gave consideration to the potentially changed landscape with new growth since the last find. Not even a goat in sight today.

At least we got the GCA trigpoint.

Thanks for bringing us to this lovely spot.

I had enjoyed my tour of Heathcote this morning and found three traditional caches and a '' [blue]virtual[/blue] " cache to boot
There was still one cache symbol showing up on the GPS screen that had to be defeated
At the monument things started well enough and a few of the answers just fell off the granite
But hold the phone !!
This monument didn't have the answers to half a dozen of the questions, unless it had a fifth side that I couldn't see [:o]
Grumble, grumble, grumble...... [:(!]

I wandered over to the bakery (Award Winning !!) to see if I could find some solace in a chunky steak and pepper pie

This campaign wasn't over yet !!
I got in touch with the radio division at 3G Headquarters and asked them for the intel I lacked.
It was soon forthcoming and with a set of coordinates for my objective, I headed off in the light armoured geomobile

Enemy troops had blocked the trail, so I resorted to foot.
Almost immediately the mortar bombardment commenced [:o]
It was unnerving at first, the loud booms of the mortar cannons made me cringe with each percussive jolt [:o]
Now I know what it was like for the ANZACS, well sort of

Finally I reached GZ and scouted around for any sign of a drop point.
I quickly found one and was very careful not to fall off it [:o)]
I guessed the cache would be somewhere down there and scrambled downward.
As luck would have it I ended up in a precarious spot from which I could see a very likely hidey hole.
More scrambling and TA DA a cache

The mortars continued firing on my position as I retreated back down to the geomobile.
Those damn Orchardist troops were starting to get their aim right [:o]

TFTC and madness [^]

PS: The gas cannon randomly going "[red]BOOM[/red]" every minute or so as I scrambled up the hill was a nice touch [^]

I have been planning on finding this one for some time now. For the fourth time I printed out the details, researched the questions, and retrieved the details from Heathcote, then rather then putting it aside to be lost down the track as I had already done three times, I proceeded to the co-ords. Parked the bike within 500 mtrs of the goal and proceeded on foot from there.

Searched for 30 mins with the GPS pointing me all over the place. Was about to give up but placed the GPS on level ground one more time to see where it pointed me this time. It pointed in a different direction to every other time but pointed me in the right direction and the prize was finally located.

Great views from GZ, signed the log and took a few pics.

TNLN TFTC

Found at 1920. After collecting the info at WP1, I didn't expect GZ to be where it was, although once I got there, could understand completely why it was. Walking along the final trail to GZ, came across an echidna who turned out be awfully shy, so I only got to see the back of him. Went for a bit of an extended walk past GZ as one of my numbers was out, so once I had that reworked out, arrived at the right GZ and set about searching. After a solid 15-20 min search, the cache was finally found, and I could sit back and enjoy the surrounding area.

Thanks for a nice challenge Derringer.

Found with Hanseeka, Kaztrekka and Zarzeeky.
2nd attempt at this one, the first attempt was a little more interesting as we found a baby goat! its head was stuck in a tree so we helped it, it then started to follow us like a bad smell, snuggling our legs and making little noises, we left it though as we were sure that its mother would be close by judging by all the poo!
Found it after about a hours search today, cool hide, wouldent want to attempt this one in the dark!
TNLN SL TFTC
379Jonti379

Found this on our second attempt.
Attempt one- Wore thongs and found the terrain tough going, loved the view, but not the poo, found a baby goat, left him to find his mother.
Attempt two- Wore runners and found the terrain a lot easier to walk on, found cache now that felt good, no baby goat though, but still a lovely view.
Hanseeka husband and ZarZeeky daughter actually retrieved the cache and I signed log, 379Jonti379 went back with them to check out snoopy.
Thank you for showing us this wonderful little mountain, we will return as a couple of our friends want to visit it too now.
SL TNLN.
Kaztrekka.

Rated: for Overall Experience

Found Military Madness 2m 4.
Also found baby goat who adopted us for about 15mins.
Great scramble.
TFTC TNLN SL (F192)

Rated: for Overall Experience

Enjoyed scrambling around the rocks.
Also enjoyed the view for my 100th find.
TFTC Took Koala Left my favourite Aussie Coin at this cache coz so far it was my favourite..
ZarZeeky
)

With our monthly bushwalk in this area, I thought there might be a chance at knocking this one over. I had done the preliminary research a while ago but it's no good when it's sitting on the computer desk at home . Thankfully, DT from IT came to the rescue with some modern technology (Note to self: must get one of those ). LZZ(m) did the calcs, which I looked at and said were spot-on , and we were off.

Once at GZ though, a haystack area revealed no stash and after about 15 minutes of fruitless searching, Alsume came over to find out what the hold-up was. Noting our GZ, it was suggested that we do a recalc, which actually worked well this time , and we soon had the nicely hidden stash in hand at 13:20 from behind its guard .

What sensational views from GZ .

TNLNSL, although our Signal geocoin had a visit to mark a new National Park for us. Thanks Derringer.

This was one cache we thought we would have to do in stages, so got enough data at the initial coords, and putting it to one side, we went to meet the mob for the AWG trek. Under prodding from EuDes, DaveT produced some modern tech which allowed us fill in the holes. Did the calc (EuDes said it was ok - he trusted my math, Ho Ho) and it looked to be a local GZ which was duly approached - we thought - but it didn't look right for a Derringer cache. So the calc was checked and horrors two mistakes. Fortunately GZ (the real one) was not far away and the cache was found at1:20pm with a bit of encouragement from Alsume. TNLN Thanks a lot Derringer

Found it the second time... yay! Quite the trickiest cache yet. GiPSy was having a hell of a time settling, going haywire as soon as GZ came near. Had to project GZ by moving away from it and getting a bearing and distance. Left a rather rude note in the logbook, after a total of 3 hours climbing, poking, bending, lifting, sweating. But refused to go away empty handed.

Found Snoopy from the cache's earlier visitors (Hi Mzuzu!) lying lost and forlorn in the rubble. Replaced him as cache guard.

Took speckly marble, left Canada keyring and Team Gecko TB. TFTC (sort of!)

So near and yet so far... Was seriously worried about my maths when the final coordinates sent us into the hinterland, but it was soon obvious that they were sending us to a location worthy of a reccie. At least half an hour's scouring of the GZ area was not enough however to reveal the cache, though it was certainly worth risking life and limb to check out every possibility.

Another finder and another saga! Collected information from WP1 last weekend, and after a bit of Googling during the week I soon had some coordinates in hand. Today I decided to tackle the cache, so after purchasing a pizza from Heathcote I drove up the track and left the car at the locked gate.

The walk to GZ was quite pleasant, though I was somewhat disappointed with the diesel-powered mobile phone tower. Encountered a huge herd of wild goats close to GZ, fortunately they all disappeared rather quickly, as I'd hate to get impaled on one of the horns!

Upon reaching GZ itself I was extremely impressed by the nature of the rock, definitely not what I had expected for the Heathcote area. Started the search in a systematic manner, but after half an hour I was getting nowhere! Had to resort to calling Derringer, who gave me a few pointers. Still, after another half an hours searching I still had no cache, and as it was starting to rain (and getting rather dark!) I opted to leave, though not before doing one last lap of the rock formation. And sure enough, there the cache was! My search area hadn't extended far enough in one direction. I gleefully signed the log at 8:50pm!

TNLN. Thanks Derringer for a challenging cache!

Well, what a saga!
Collected the clues last year on a trip to Melbourne.
A few weeks later (on the way to Melb again), had a chance to try finding the cache.
Here I was in a precarious position just as the sun was lighting the morning sky, well off the beaten path, with no-one knowing anything about where I was. Lucky I didn't have a gravitationally induced mishap.
Didn't find the cache, but didn't look too hard 'coz my calculations put me in a very unlikely spot.

Gathered the required info again yesterday. Did the maths and worked out GZ is very close to where I looked last year. Unfortunately, I didn't leave the Big Smoke till 4pm, so arrived near GZ just after dark. Had an inducted muggle with me, so was more confident of not suffering from a slow lonely death in mountain goat country.
Torches at the ready, we headed off on the short(ish) hike to GZ. Not a lot of fun making our way over some very rocky ground in the dark, and scared the life out of a mob of goats picking at the sparse growth between the slabs of granite.

After a bit of a search in one area, we made our way around to another area and soon had the cache in hand. A quick sign of the log, then the trek back through the rocks to the parking area, and home (avoiding the roos along the road).

Probably not recommended that you attempt this in the dark. Glad I did because of the view of the lights of Heathcote, but very conscious of the need for a sure-footed approach.

TNLNSL.
Thanks for one of the more adventurous caches I've tackled.

I've been looking forward to completing this one after collecting most of the information and researching some clues over the last six months. I was not sure I would get time to complete it today but the track to the cache seemed ok so I kept going. I hunted around at GZ for quite a while and as it was getting dark I decided I needed a hint. I really enjoyed the history and the views with this cache.

Thanks,

R - B

Well I think this is Ms Sassi's first Derringer cache could be the last. Although after Mt Gillen in Alice Springs Military madness was a walk in the park NOT. I did have some figuring help today got this one with Rally we had a day of three pairs of eyes are better than one. Fetch is the third party other half of Ms Sassi and very handy indeed. Go Fetch!!! Thanks Derringer for a great cache and views to match. TNLN....

I have been looking forward to finishing this one and today was the day. After a brief walk the search was on for the cache which was well hidden in a fantastic location. The views this morning were amazing the air seemed crisp and sharp. I had wanted to save this one for my "Derringer Day" that I have been planning but recent events make it unlikely so no I can just grab them one by one. One by one is appealing as they are such great destinations the thought of rushing them now seems a little naive. TFTC

We didn't laught we cursed! as our GPS had us at least 20m from where we found the cache, there are a lot of potential hiding places in that 20 m (hours). The views were great and I did enjoy the historical aspect to the hunt particularly the story of the battle - this soldier poor was a long way from home. Thanks Derringer

Found @ 10:55:53 AM
We laughed at the terrain rating (for the first half of the trek). We didn't think that this one was as difficult as climbing Mt Yourasteed yesterday.
T: N
L: Screwdriver
SL
TFTC
12/05/07

I finally got around to doing this one. Long ago I did some research and today gathered remaining info at WP1. Then it didn't add up. However I thought I would be reasonably close so I set off anyway. I was reasonably confident with my longitude but the latitude had a possible error of around 100m which I tightened up once at GZ area. A logical search pattern produced the goods and the first find here in 9 months. Thanks derringer for a great cache.