A Conspiracy Unmasked Whitebridge, New South Wales, Australia
By Mix on 10-Apr-04. Waypoint GCJ51Q

I was going to replace this cache in what I think is a lovely spot but as it seems any cache I place in Newcastle is going to be judged solely on the basis of its swaps (which I only ever include for the kids, not seeing the point for adults) I don’t think I’ll bother at all. Also don’t expect many new cache hides in Newcastle from me any time soon.

thanks c.j.b...

I dropped by for a check since this was on my way while cycling down to Swansea, and I noticed that a lot of the landscape has changed, both artifically and naturally, and I had no luck locating the cache where I discovered it before-- it looks like the path alongside the hide widened considerably, and this could've exposed the cache.

Very enjoyable cache. Thank you.
Left deck of cards took whistle

Toby25000

Found first try. Also my first puzzle. Top view. I grew up in the area and had never there. Good job Mix.
imj

We worked it out, conspiracy unmasked; it’s to do with the disappearance of Harold Holt. The mask bit gave it away as he was last seen wearing a dive mask before entering the Russian submarine. But no one realises he has come back to OZ and is the coach of the Harold Holt water polo team.
Don’t know if the cache will last much longer as the area around it has been flattened and not by cachers, but by hang glider types making a landing there.

After the decryption and finding the way to GZ we found the cache quite easily, Tepi had to take a call of nature and chose a spot 1 metre from the cache . Some kind soul had also put a little timber X near the right bush.

Good views from here, saw a 20 or so oil tankers parked. Looked like an invasion of sorts.

Be wary of snakes, tripped over a brown one on the way back.

Cache is an excellent container and in good nick.

Took : Stocking
Left : Tube repair kit

Thanks Mix76

This was a finally as well. Had a little help from Mix and a Hang glider dude who knew exactly what I was looking for. I had actually returned after an hours search some months ago to watch my Dad-in-law jump off a cliff. Fortunately he was strapped to a glider (Tandem).

Anyhow - it was a find no matter how much I cheated. Still trails of blood from the other finders - Future cachers "WEAR LONG PANTS" and bring water, and tell the significant other you may be a while.

Bronze.

With Mix's new coordinates, it only took about a half-hour to find. The landscape not providing much in the way of 'obvious' cache-hiding locations was a bastard.

Took heaps of photos, but of course the area makes it difficult to try and use them as a spoiler..

You evil genius Mix76. After cleverly concealing clues in a devious bit of cryptography, you employ the masterstoke of puting the cache 24m away from the co-ordinates.

Lucky I had a second set of co-ordinates that turned out to be spot on.

After 20 minutes of hurling a small child in front of me to clear the nasty prickly undergrowth out of the way ("But Daddy, this is prickly!" " Yes dear, now turn to bearing 72 degrees and keep walking, and try not to bleed so loudly.") we have success! Hiding in shadows with a coat of dark green camo, it was finally revealed. And didn't Little Miss Rat have a lovely time going through the ton of goodies hidden inside. She finally decided on the play money for herself, and a fluffy lion for her baby sister, and left a whistle and a book lamp.

There are plenty of decent sticks for poking into bushes, just in case you're out of 4 year olds to act as point man. In fact, Little Miss Rat brought one home to be fashioned into a superb bit of bush-bashing gear for future adventures.

Thanks for the trips Mix, both of them. Please adjust your cryptogram for the next undercover cacher, or you may have to watch your e:mail for blasts from the coast.

Cheers,
SteelRat & Little Miss Rat.

This is where I swear my face off, while cradling the remaining strips of flesh on my shredded legs...

I also spent this July 3rd, from 2pm to almost 4pm, looking for this cache, at what I now find out where bogus co-ordinates. (50kms of bike riding for nothing..)

[This entry was edited by c.j.b on Saturday, July 03, 2004 at 1:34:29 AM.]

Ok so it turns out that if you take your time and average you coordinates you can actually end up with inaccurate co-ords were as when you go back walk up, take two co-ords and give them to someone they are spot on.

Edit* crypt reworked now, so use the new one and you should be spot on.


[This entry was edited by Mix76 on Monday, July 05, 2004 at 9:54:50 PM.]

Hurrah, we found it! (With a little hint from Mix76) Took the travelbug (Roverandom) and a GameBoy, left a noisy plush toy lion to help SteelRat find the cache, since the toddler wasn't even in the cache anymore, letalone making noise!

Not sure what to say, Mix76. Maybe someone found it and didn't log? The guys were pretty elated at finding the cache today after about two hours of scouring the area yesterday with no luck at all. Apparently there were two whales visible from the bluff today, but we were too busy staring at our shoes and making sure nobody spotted us.

Thanks again, Mix76. Nicely done!

its still there and co-ord seem good took 'Bug Me' ans left 'Roverandom'.
email me after first try (if you fail) for a little help (note: I said little).

I will look in this weekend.

Took an hour or so this morning bending my brain around a bit of cryptonall...cryptynola...cryptoanaly...you know, code breaking. Once the A's, E's and S's were done, the rest fell into place like a big game of Wheel Of Fortune, but without the annoying wheel spinning bit.

After having a go at Overhill & Underhill I went for a trip south for a bit of cloak and dagger.

Everything was going along brilliantly right up to the bit where it didn't. Found a snake, a nice 2m red belly whose idea of fun is shooting across the track two paces in front of me. Found lots of pointy, prickly, sharp leaves and grasses at GZ (note to self: NEVER wear shorts in this area, and have boots come up to the armpits).

But alas, alack and woe is me. No bloody cache. Spotted a very puzzled muggle wondering why I was walking in circles poking the bushes with a long stick (I like skin on my hands, the bushes had other ideas) and cursing a multitude of skygods while muttering to a mobile phone at arms length.

I know from the picture that it is a big metal bucket with green and black paint and a toddler trapped inside. But do you think I could hear him banging on the lid waiting to be let out? No, of course not. Don't be silly. The ocean was far too loud and would have drowned him out.

The conspiracy has been unmasked, but I still can't see who the bugger is. Next time my friend, next time.

Does the red headed 18 month old come with the GPS, or is that the travel bug you dropped in?

I hope you put a few airholes in the cache for him!

LOL
- if you dont know what im on about,check out the photos supplied! -

Fantastic first finders prize!

Droping TB