We had a go at some Geocaching Bundaberg style this morning……and it was super fun! But this post is not just about geocaching in Bundaberg it’s about geocaching right across the Wide Bay. There are heaps of caches for kids to explore in Hervey Bay, Maryborough and the North Burnett.

I have been wanting to try this for ages but have never sat down and worked out exactly how to do it. So here goes, my how to geocaching guide.

Geocaching involves finding hidden treasure via an online app that someone else has planted. Members of the Geocache community disguise caches and hide them in areas all around the world.

Participants then logon to the Geocache community and see if any caches have been planted in their area. If so they then proceed to try and find the cache with the help of co-ordinates and clues. Some caches have prizes inside that can be exchanged as well as logs to sign to confirm your find.

We had a go at 5 caches this morning all around the CBD and ended up finding 4/5 so not a bad effort for our first try! I had 3 Wide Bay Kids with me aged 10, 11 and 12 who were all really excited about what treasure they may find. The first cache we opened was middle sized and had plenty of $2 shop booty to swap. The other caches we found today were all extra small and so only had room for a log book…….something to keep in mind if you have kids that are expecting to swap treasure with every cache.

This morning we downloaded the free version of the Geocaching App onto my phone. We then checked to see if there were any geocaches in the Bundaberg area. To our surprise there were heaps of them in town and along the coast. We could only access the free ones but there were plenty enough to keep us busy.

This is what the app looks like once it’s installed and you have created an account and chosen a location:

The smiley faces on the map are the caches we located. The dark green dots on the map are the caches you can access for free. You tap on the dot and it enlarges. You then tap on the dot again and the second screen appears with lots of information about the geocache. Tap on each of the areas I have circled in red for more information on the geocache.

The first thing I check is the activity tab which shows when the cache was last found. All the caches we tried today had been found within the last week. We also found this tab helpful when we were a bit stuck as sometimes there are cryptic clues contained in the comments.

Next I check the about tab which gives you the geocache description from the owner including hints and clues if you need them. I then look at the size. For beginner kids I think it’s a good idea to try and find a few medium sized caches to start with.

Then when you are ready, tap on start and head towards the destination. When you are within 10 metres you get a notification that you are near and to start looking. When you find the geocache you click on the log geocache tab at the bottom and record your find or not!

This was so much fun! I’m not actually sure who had a better time, me or the kids! The app is easy to navigate and set up and worked really well without any glitches. I guess the only hitch would be if you are in an area that does not have mobile service. To upgrade to the paid version costs $10 for 3 months or $30 for 1 year.