On a sunny weekend in March, geocachers gathered in the town of Sunbury for a party. Muggle the Puggle, a baby platypus, was the event’s adorable mascot who welcomed everyone to the festivities. The platypus, a unique animal only found in Australia, was a perfect addition to The Sunbury Event Block Party (GCAP417) that celebrated all the incredible things about geocaching in Australia over the last 25 years. It was an amazing experience full of friendly geocachers, passionate cache owners sharing their secrets to amazing geocaches, and opportunities to experience what makes geocaching in Australia so special.

After a casual evening meet-and-greet event the night prior, the day of the Block Party was a gorgeous cloudless day. Under the strong Australian sun, we all gathered for some opening remarks and a group picture. Following the opening ceremony, we were able to enjoy everything that the organizing committee, part of Geocaching Victoria, planned.

Gadget caches made by creative community members for the Adventure Lab® Caches were popular. I enjoyed solving them with other geocachers and appreciating the work it took to build them. The organizers also put together a great roster of informational sessions. Various geocachers gave presentations on crafting and hiding amazing geocaches. This included many types of caches ranging from EarthCaches to Letterboxes and challenge caches. Geocaching Victoria’s GPS Maze also made an appearance. It was a delight to walk through the educational labyrinth and especially to learn about geocaching in Australia.

I had the opportunity to participate in a question and answer session with local geocaching community volunteer reviewers Bunjil and Balayang. I enjoyed hearing the questions from the community and answering some myself.

The weekend wrapped up with a Cache In Trash Out® (CITO) at the Holden Flora Reserve on Sunday which was an amazing chance to help support the rich local environment with various improvement projects. Finally, after our work was complete, it was time for the final Event of the weekend and to say goodbye after three fun-filled days.

Even on the third day of attending all the Block Party fun, I was constantly meeting new geocachers. The design of the event created many opportunities to connect with everyone. The community was so friendly and welcoming! I had many wonderful conversations with cachers from around Australia. I especially loved learning about all the amazing geocaches and sights throughout the country.

I manage the Mega-Event program at HQ, so it was also incredibly rewarding to meet the members of Geocaching Victoria. I’ve supported their events through my role for several years now, and they were just as kind and passionate about geocaching in person!

An enormous thank you to the Block Party committee, especially RoamingHowie and Connie from ConnieandRick, who planned a spectacular celebration of the friendly community, the uniqueness of Australia, the fun of hiding new geocaches, and of course—25 years of geocaching!

Geocaching HQ Lackeys attend dozens of Mega and Giga-Events around the world, shaking hands, sharing stories of adventure, and of course, geocaching! em_adventuring is Community Special Events Manager at Geocaching HQ. She recently traveled to Australia to attend the Sunbury Event Block Party (GCAP417)