During the first wave of the coronavirus, one could barely walk a block in an Australian suburb without seeing a teddybear peeking through a window.
Aimed at brightening children’s days as the world around them became increasingly gloomy, the uplifting activity slowly died out as the pandemic dragged on.
For a while, it seemed this wave of community spirit was over, but then something peculiar started popping up on nature strips around the country.
Gaggles of spoons, adorned with googly eyes, pipe-cleaner arms and feather hats had started appearing anywhere there was soft dirt, from lawns, flower pots and gardens to public parks.
Creating these spoon villages or “Spoonvilles” was becoming a lockdown craze for kids and adults alike.
All you needed to start one was some publicly accessible land, a sign reading “Spoonville” and a character or two. It was then up to others in the neighbourhood to make their own cutlery villagers and join the crowd.
The activity was particularly popular in Melbourne, when residents were in stage-four lockdown. Much like the teddybear hunts, the idea was to ensure children still felt as if they were part of a community despite being unable to see their friends and neighbours in person.
Spoonville at its peak - the BFGS (Big friendly giant spoon) was my son's
Spoonville at the time of placing this cache
This particular Spoonville has survived the test of time quite well, but watch out! there is an imposter - use your geosenses to identify this sneaky trickster and you will find the cache
When completing some regular maintenance I found that it is now 'The Lost Town of Spoonville' and is nowehere to be found!
I have recreated the cache container and placed it close by as a memorial to all the townsfolk from Seville Spoonville may they rest in peace.