Surf Coast Shire Council in Victoria is preparing to host a geocaching event that will see up to 1000 people converge on the region.
Described as “a treasure hunt with a GPS”, geocaching involves people finding hidden caches at locations across the world.
The Surf Coast Event 2016 is a free competition organised by Geocaching Melbourne.
Anglesea Recreation Camp will be the headquarters for the Council- sponsored event, to be held 12 and 13 November.
Geocaching Melbourne secretary Adriaan Homburg said this year’s event marks the first time it has been held in Surf Coast Shire.
“The Surf Coast is a fitting location,” he said. “It’s close enough to Melbourne and it boasts so many iconic Victorian attractions nearby, which is appealing to the geocachers who will be participating.
“We’ve also received great support from the Council and the YMCA in getting this event up and running.”
Mr Homburg said he expected geocachers to travel from interstate and even overseas for the event and he said Geocaching Melbourne is committed to giving back to the communities it visits.
A ‘Cache In, Trash Out’ event was held in Anglesea in September, in which a group of cachers visited a local area to clean up rubbish and plant trees.
“We will also be providing bags to the people who have registered for the main event in November, so they can clean-up while caching in the Surf Coast,” said Mr Homburg.
Surf Coast Shire Council Anglesea Ward Councillor Margot Smith was delighted that the Surf Coast was selected as the venue for this year’s event.
“It sounds like an event full of adventure,” she said. “Cache In, Trash Out shows the organisers have great community spirit and want to maintain our unique coastal environment, which is what we like to see.”
Local residents are encouraged to participate in The Surf Coast Event 2016 – either by themselves or with friends.
“We’ll be holding information sessions for new players on both mornings,” said Mr Homburg. “It’s such a great activity – you can play anywhere and it gets you outside and discovering new things.”
Business and Tourism Anglesea is supporting the event by awarding participants with a loyalty card that can be redeemed at participating Anglesea businesses.
