Skip to content

The Number 23 Mystery Cache

Hidden : 7/1/2009
Difficulty:
4 out of 5
Terrain:
2.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:


The cache is not at the above co-ordinates but it is close. This one is a puzzle cache which we hope will add to the fun and challenge for you.

All the clues you will need to find the cache are on this page (including the correct co-ordinates). We hope it stimulates your mental processes and gets your brain working but please don't think this cache is the product of a disturbed mind, even though 23 has been linked to mental illness in a Jim Carrey movie. It's even the subject of its own “enigma”: the 23 enigma is based on the belief that most events are linked to the number 23.

“The Number 23” is hidden in a lovely area which has many walking and cycling paths weaving up and down the hillside. Thick tropical rainforest and drier Australian eucalypt forest provide a peaceful backdrop for some often challenging walking and downhill cycling, however the cache is less than fifteen minutes' walk from where you can park your car. We hope that after you have found the cache, you take some time to explore the area. Some lovely views out to sea can be enjoyed by walking another minute or so past the cache. Take the right hand fork further along the road for more spectacular views, or the left for a quieter, less difficult walk. Our tropical latitude means perennial warm weather, and although good tree cover will keep you out of the direct sun, we suggest walking early morning and late afternon in the hotter parts of the year.

You will need to use deductive powers to determine the correct latitude and longitude of the cache. Neither of those given is correct, but you have all the clues needed. However, it's not numbers you need. It's really quite a simple cipher, so don't make it too complicated for yourself.

You could find the cache and return in well under an hour, but leave another hour or two, or more, if you want to do some exploring. You might manage to complete a circuit if you take the correct track to the left. Watch out for bikes on the trails.

Smithfield Conservation Park covers a large area. You are unlikely be be able to find the cache with a random search, by looking under every leaf pile and rock. Check your co-ordinates before looking for the cache by visiting geochecker.com (visit link)
and for fastest access note the carparking co-ordinates.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Gel gur ivqrb fubc be tbbtyr.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)