Australia Day for many Australians is an opportunity to have an Aussie BBQ with friends and family.
You can take part in the celebrations this year by attending any event from Friday 26th January through Sunday 28th January 2018 and earn the Australia Day 2018 souvenir.
This year, Signal the Frog is visiting the Southern Hemisphere for Australia Day 2018 and geocachers worldwide will be gathering at local events to celebrate and join the festivities. It also presents an opportunity to earn the Australia Day 2018 souvenir just for attending an event.
After a busy time meeting with thousands of geocachers at Mega and Giga-Events all over the world, Signal the Frog® is ready for a summer vacation. Yes, that’s right – he’s packing flip flops*, a snorkel, and many bottles of amphibian-proof sunscreen, because he is headed for Australia!
Photo by Schlauchen near GC3QDK0
We’re excited to share Signal’s next destination with you as he continues to celebrate geocaching around the world. Visiting the Southern hemisphere for Australia Day 2018, our favorite frog is planning to join in on the festivities and barbecue like an Aussie would do!
You can take part in the celebration by hosting or attending an event on Friday, January 26 through Sunday, January 28, 2018 and earn the Australia Day 2018 souvenir.
If that is not enough to make you brave the cold by firing up a grill in the Northern hemisphere’s winter, we’ll give you some fun facts and clear up a common misconception about Australia.
- There is rarely any shrimp on the barbie. “I’ll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you” was a marketing slogan from the Australian Tourism Commission in a TV ad in the 1980’s. Australians actually use the word prawn not shrimp, and you’re more likely to find sausages or hamburgers on the barbecue for Australia Day.
- January is summer time in Australia. Living in the Southern hemisphere means that having a picnic, beach parties, barbecues, and fireworks are all common activities on Australia Day.
- There is deeper relevance for the emu and the kangaroo on the Australian coat of arms. Not only are both animals indigenous to Australia, they also have one trait in common: none of them can walk backwards. This characteristic serves as a metaphor for Australians to always move forward.
Do you have any interesting facts about Australia? Share in the comments below!
*Flip flops are called ‘thongs’ in Australia, or ‘jandals’ in New Zealand.
Come on down, grab a soda and spend some time shooting the breeze with other local geocachers. You'll be able to trade travel bugs and just hang out for awhile while you recharge your batteries after a long weekend. After some rest and relaxation, you'll be able to make an informed decision as to whether you want to brave the elements and perhaps go caching. We'll be meeting at one of the local hot spots for a pick me up (if you're so inclined), short stories and a great end to the day.
Who:
Why YOU, of course...whether you have one cache find or a thousand cache finds, please feel free to come join us for a small meet and greet.
When:
Sunday, January 28th, 2018
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Where:
Mission BBQ
17301 Valley Mall Road
Hagerstown, MD 21740
(443) 491-8777
Why:
To eat delicious food, talk geocaching, and trade bugs. Those who wish to may also do some geocaching before or after the event.
Extra things to keep in mind:
- If you pick up a Travel Bug or trackable coin at one of the events, make sure you log it out so it doesn't show up in the events list. If a trackable sits as being listed in the event for a couple of months, the cache owner is the one that gets the e-mail from the TB owner(s).
- Each person attending will be responsible for any costs incurred for food and drinks.
- Since this IS being hosted at a restaurant that serves 'adult' beverages YOU are responsible for YOUR actions. If you choose to imbibe then please plan for an alternate means of transport home.
- Mission BBQ accepts cash, debit or credit cards. Please plan accordingly.
FTF honors go to??? Congratulations!!!
