Sydney GeoQuest Block Party

16/02/2025

🎉 Crikey! It's been 3 weeks since the epic Sydney GeoQuest Block Party, and we're still buzzing! 🇦🇺

Relive the magic and check out the event video - you might just spot yourself or your geo-mates in action! It's a ripper of a watch, guaranteed to give you TFTC vibes all over again.

👀 Watch here 👉 https://youtu.be/WYksQyoO9Uo

A massive thanks to our incredible cache-tastic crew:
- Sydney GeoQuest Committee
- The Oz Mega Committee
- GCNSW Committee
- Garmin Australia
- Scouts Australia
- Elude Games
- GeoTourism Australia
- Frog and Tadpole Society
- Aussie Pathtag Club
- Parramatta Bike Hub
- All our amazing volunteers
🎬 The Aussie Geocacher, Seemyshell

You lot are true blue legends! Without you, this event wouldn't have been the smashing success it was.

Did you attend? Share your favourite moment in the comments below! 👇

28/01/2025

What a magnificent weekend! ☀️ We've had so much positive feedback for all our events and we're ever so happy that you all had a great time. 🥳

On Sunday, even despite the sore feet from all the walking 🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️ at Newington Armory, everyone went home happy and satisfied - please tell everyone about what a fantastic place the Armory and Sydney Olympic Park are!

Here is a small selection of photos from the weekend, but keep posting more on socials and in your logs.

A few numbers so far:
🏃 20 Geocachers attended Wentworth Common parkrun
🚴 Around 75 bikes were valet parked
🌭 Over 700 sausages were sold
🏝 Around 70 people attended a Geocacher led tour held all over Sydney
🏆 Over 19 prizes packs were given out
🐸 12kgs of frogs distributed
📈 with attendee stats to come a little later

Thank you to our sponsors and partners Garmin Australia, Geocaching, Parramatta Bike Tours, Elude, DPI Biosecurity, Aussie Pathtag Club, Geotourism Australia and Frog and Tadpole Study Group of NSW inc. - FATS. A massive thanks to the 1st Yaralla Scouts for pumping out the food and drinks all day and Sydney Disc Golf Incorporated for running their Come and Try sessions/

And lastly, the core volunteer team of organisers has had a great time working together. We'd like to show our appreciation to all the cachers (and one muggle) who helped out either before the event, leading tours, or on the day👏. It's brilliant when geocachers come together with true community spirit.

Block Party #1 done. Now on to Sunshine Coast Beach Party 2025 and Geocaching Victoria's Sunbury event!

Words and photos by ziggiau.

24/01/2025

23/01/2025

Come for the Block Party - Stay for the Adventure Labs.

Here's a summary of the 50 (yes, that's five-oh) AL waypoints that will be available on Sunday:

🎁 A Block of Gadgets – gadgets labs are located in 3 different locations - Building 46, Birdlife Discovery Centre and Murama Healing Space. Available 10:00 to 3:50pm.

🎖 The Quest for the Golden Trackable – waypoints are spread across the Armory site. A worksheet (available at The Gathering event and in Building 46) is required to complete this AL and correct completed worksheets will go into the draw to win a prize. Available from 9:30am to 3:00pm

🥳 Celebrating 25 Years of Geocaching – located in and around Building 46, no walking required. Available 10:00 to 3:50pm

♟ The final two ALs (Newington Armory, the Big Ammo Can and Newington Armory, More than just an Ammo Can) will be permanent. Waypoints are spread across the Armory site, and can be undertaken during or any time after the event (between sunrise and 5pm).

23/01/2025

Parramatta Bike Hub bikes are sold out!

But there are still places available to Elude's Beat The Box - https://eludegames.com.au/book-geocache-box/ - This puzzle is just what a geocacher loves, and even better when you can challenge your friends to see who can solve it first.

And don't forget to register for Sydney Disc Golf Incorporated Come and Try sessions - https://sydneydiscgolf.com/trydiscgolf/ - use quality equipment and be coached by pros on this unique course.

On Australia Day, Sunday 26th January 2025, Sydney Disc Golf Club will be hosting a come-&-try disc golf event at Newington Armory in conjunction with the Sydney GeoQuest Block Party 2025.

22/01/2025

A couple of last minute changes to our packed schedule.

The history panel will now include The Rats, fitzy_1965 and kerravon (and I'm sure many other early players will be there too)

Cache building is in the capable hands of Sweetmanda.

Please arrive at least 5 mins early to each session so we can allow presenters to start on time.

Geocaching tours are lead by geocachers but also include visits and information to all the highlights of the area – Ballot for tickets opening mid November. Head over to our Tour-booking page if you are interested in one of more tours.

21/01/2025

All the merch has arrived!

Pre-ordered Sydney GeoQuest merchandise pickup will be available outside the venue, under the bridge.

For people who have ordered Geocaching NSW coins, those can be picked up from the GCNSW stall.

And don't forget, the draw for the winner of the "spend over $150 or more on merch" prize will be drawn at 3:00pm on Sunday afternoon.

20/01/2025

🤩🥳 It's nearly party time! 🤩🥳

Lots of news to share to get your ready for your arrival in Sydney and a massive weekend of caching.

First up is news of parking at Sydney Olympic Park - the new system won't be switched on this weekend and we are back to a $22 discounted rate for anyone who parks in P5.

Take a look at the Site Map and Venue Map here:
https://geocachingnsw.asn.au/sydney-geo-quest-2025/sgq-event-site/ and refer to the SOP map for all possible parking options:
https://www.sydneyolympicpark.nsw.gov.au/map

15/01/2025

🌟 Calling all treasure hunters and adventurers! 🌍✨

Get ready for an unforgettable day as Sydney Olympic Park welcomes geocachers from across Australia and around the globe! 🎉

🗓️ When: 26 January 2025
⏰ Time: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
📍 Where: Building 46, Newington Armory, Sydney Olympic Park
💰 Cost: FREE (Gold coin donation for a BBQ 🔥)

Join us for Sydney’s FIRST-EVER Mega Geocaching event, hosted by Geocaching NSW and the Oz Mega Committee! Whether you're a seasoned geocacher or just curious about this outdoor treasure-hunting phenomenon, this event is for YOU!

🔍 What’s Geocaching?
Imagine a real-world treasure hunt 🌏! Use your GPS or mobile device to seek hidden “geocaches” around the world. Since the first cache was hidden in 2000, millions of adventurers have joined the fun. This is also your chance to explore the fascinating heritage of the Newington Armory while connecting with the global geocaching community.

💡 Pro Tips:
✔️ Log your attendance with the GC Code: GCACHF8
✔️ Don’t forget your camera 📸 – snap pics of the beautiful Armory surrounds
✔️ Share your adventures with us – tag us in your posts!

Let’s make history at Sydney’s first Mega Geocaching event! 🗺️✨

For full details visit : https://www.sydneyolympicpark.nsw.gov.au/things-to-see-and-do/sydney-geoquest-block-party-2025

Who's ready to hunt treasures and make memories?

Drop a 🌟 in the comments if we'll see you there! ⬇️

*Please Note the building in the image on this post is Building 143 - not Building 46*

12/01/2025

Let's set a record on 25 January 2025 by having the most geocachers at a parkrun Australia event. A great promo for both Geocaching and parkrun.

Wentworth Common parkrun is the place to be, with parking available at Wentworth Common or Archery (do leave enough time to find parking as it can fill up).

Please arrive at least 15mins before start time so we can capture a celebratory photo and allow first timers to attend the briefing. And if you aren't already, join as a parkrun adventurers and we can knock records off there too.

Comment below if you'll be joining in on our record attempt.

08/01/2025

If you've ever been to Newington Armory, you may have been wondering what the chain baskets where all about. They are part of the game of Disc Golf. And now is your chance to have a go.

Some of Australia’s best disc golf players are part of Sydney Disc Golf Incorporated and they are holding "Come and Try" sessions throughout 26th January for you to give it a go.

Take this opportunity to use top quality discs on one of NSW’s first permanent courses.

Book here - https://sydneydiscgolf.com/trydiscgolf

Image Descriptions: Man smiling, holding a trophy; Man with a cap holding a disc, raising one finger, standing beside a disc golf basket

03/01/2025

Teal shall be the car ribbon colour, and the car ribbon colour shall be teal.

For those that would like to identify themselves while they are travelling to Sydney, tie a teal ribbon onto your car, luggage, bike or whatever mode of transport you are using to get to Sydney. 💙