This cache was nominated in the 2018 Victorian Cache of the Year Awards (Best 'Other' Cache).
Estimated time to complete: 20 min
Estimated distance to travel: 500m
Does anyone post letters anymore?
Does anyone find letterbox caches?
Maybe you are such a person!
Background
Letterboxing began in Dartmoor England in 1854, some 140 years before geocaching had been invented. A series of clues leads to a letterbox where an imprint from a hand-carved stamp in your own notebook is the reward. You return the favour by stamping the cache’s logbook with your own stamp (or, as this is the modern letterbox hybrid form, you can just sign it as per usual). If you wanted to try making your own stamp, just search for stamp carving videos - it’s not that hard and you might surprise yourself with your creativity. Here’s a short video as an example: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=En9gJI4Gk-c
It is also possible to find this Letterbox without gps via letterboxing.org
Starting location
Your first task is to navigate to the listed coordinates, which will allow you to discover the starting location. For this first navigation step, you can choose from a range of address systems:
- listed gps reference: S 37 49.318 E 145 12.529
- latitude & longitude: -37.8220480 145.2089507
- what3words: stands.stamp.neon
- plus code: 56H5+5H Mitcham, Victoria
- street address: 27 Purches St Heatherdale 3132
Once there, you will need to collect another set of reference numbers from a power pole. Begin with the 7 black numbers on a yellow background, followed by the 4 raised numbers on a metal plaque, to give a single 11 digit number. From this number subtract 31872750176 to get ABCDFGHIJKL.
Checksum: A+B+C+D+F+G+H+I+J+K+L=34
The starting location for your letterboxing journey is found at:
S 37 49.ABC E DFG HI.JKL
Instructions
When you arrive at the starting location you can put away the GPS unit and imagine a simpler time. You are now a postal worker/letterboxer delivering mail across the country and will be orienting yourself via the Australian 2 digit postcode map (for reference, Purches St runs North-South, uphill being North):
- From the starting location head in the direction of 31 to 73, counting 122 footpath squares
- Next follow a fence in a 44 to 65 direction until you reach a path
- At the path move in a 43 to 46 direction to a path junction
- At the junction move in a 37 to 33 direction until you reach a road
- At the road head in the direction of 71 to 36, and stop at the third curbside drain hatch
- Sit on the nearest bench and look in a 63 to 56 direction to find the Heatherdale 3132 Letterbox a short distance away (it really should have the name “Mem Fox” on it!)
Cache information
You are looking for a 1L sistema container. It contains a stamp, stamp pad, pen and logbook.
Please do not remove the stamp or stamp pad - they are not trade items and must remain with the cache.
***CONGRATULATIONS to geo_jas on FTF***
“Gone but not forgotten”
In memory of another cache that was once also here:
GC5CKW5 Butterfly 3
October 14, 2014 - February 9, 2016
