The cache is not hidden at the listed co-ordinates.
A series of caches to highlight the many towns, villages, hamlets, localities and crossroads around Australia.
Based on a series of caches in South Australia started by adelaideram. adelaideram was contacted and is happy with the series spreading its wings further into New South Wales.
This cache...
Burraga is a tiny former mining village in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, tucked away in forested hills west of Bathurst. Once supported by gold and copper mining, it now has a quiet, remote feel with only a handful of buildings and residents. Surrounded by bushland and gravel roads, Burraga is known for its isolation, rustic charm, and appeal to visitors seeking a true off-the-grid country experience.
... ok, here is what Burraga means to me...
Lost dog, broken car and no phone reception
Sometimes… well, often… you really don’t know what a day is going to throw at you.
We’d camped near the Abercrombie River, halfway between Oberon and Goulburn, for a few quiet days of bush camping and geocaching. After four years on the road, the caravan is home — and the car is what drags that home around Australia.
We planned an early start.
We did not have an early start.
After a slow, relaxed morning, we left the caravan tucked away in a free camp spot just off the highway and headed out caching through forest roads, eventually reaching Burraga — a tiny town in the middle of nowhere.
With nothing much around and it being stinking hot (37+ degrees), I decided to fill up at the unmanned bowser as we had a long trip tomorrow. The shop was closed for ever, which was a shame because we hadn’t bought lunch. Probably our first mistake of the day.
Instead of retracing our steps, I chose a different road back toward Black Springs.
About halfway along, I had to slam the brakes on — there was a tiny Pomeranian walking along the highway in the blazing heat.
After a quick discussion, we did a U-turn and scooped him up. We had a flicker of reception, so we checked local social media pages for a lost dog. No luck… but we did see a very similar dog called Choccy.
So naturally, our dog became Chocco.
We tried the nearest house. Deserted.
Drove toward another…
…and halfway up a hill, the engine suddenly died.
No power steering.
No brakes.
No engine.
I managed to coast into a driveway, stopping in front of a gate covered in padlocks and CCTV signs. Not exactly comforting. Later a hoon in a 4WD roared past yelling,
“You don’t wanna park there, mate!”
Excellent. Very reassuring.
Phone reception was rubbish, but eventually we got through to NRMA. Starlink helped a bit, but we had to conserve battery power.
While waiting Aquilus1 took Chocco for a walk downhill, hoping to reach a busier road… or at least grab a cache.
Chocco suddenly bolted around a bend and vanished.
We assumed he’d decided to head home.
Thirty minutes later, he trotted back like nothing had happened.
NRMA arrived and checked everything. Mechanically, the car seemed fine. Then he asked about fuel. I checked the receipt — diesel, correct…. Either way, modern engines don’t like mystery fuel, and there wasn’t much he could do roadside.
Tow truck time.
Another hour passed.
A small kangaroo hopped past us up the hill, casually using the highway like it owned it, never even glancing at us. Rude.
Then the tow truck arrived.
It was a Sunday night of a long weekend. The car would be stuck in Bathurst for days. We had no way back to the caravan… and still had a dog.
We rode in the truck to Bathurst with Chocco sitting proudly in the car on the back.
NRMA rang again. We asked about a hire car so we could return Chocco and get back to the caravan. Too late for rentals, apparently — but they’d try to find us dog-friendly accommodation and text us.
Meanwhile, Aquilus1 managed to contact a ranger in Bathurst who agreed to collect Chocco, since we had no car.
Soon we were dumped outside a closed mechanic’s yard:
Two people.
Two backpacks.
One bag of emergency supplies.
One random dog.
The ranger arrived — friendly and kind — and took Chocco.
Goodbye, Chocco.
Now what?
Still no texts from NRMA. It was after 9pm. We rang again and finally got someone who took over our situation:
Hire car tomorrow
Dog-friendly hotel at Mount Panorama
Taxi organised
Except… the texts weren’t coming through to my phone.
They sent them to Aquilus1 instead. Success.
The NRMA lady ordered us an Uber. None available.
Ordered a taxi. Cancelled.
Rebooked. Cancelled again.
Apparently that part of town doesn’t get pickups. Why? We don’t know. I guess we are walking.
We mentioned we hadn’t eaten since breakfast, so we walked into town looking for food and our own taxi.
Found a fast-food place. Walked up to the door. A woman poked her head out and said,
“Drive-through only.”
Of course it was.
We explained we were on foot and she let us walk around to the drive-through window, where she became deeply fascinated by our story and explained how taxis work in Bathurst.
We also joked about staying at Mount Panorama Circuit with no car. Maybe we will have to walk the track.
We followed her instructions and found the mystery taxi rank. Two minutes later, a cab arrived and took us to our hotel.
At check-in, the receptionist asked where our dog was.
After hearing the full saga, she gave us a complimentary breakfast.
Legend.
So at 12:30am, we finally had showers, a bed, and silence.
The caravan is still sitting in the bush.
The car is locked in a yard.
The dog is somewhere safe.
And tomorrow…
we find out what happens next.
PS: No snakes today… but yesterday I picked up a stick and one slithered out. So really, this story was already doomed from the start.
A Jigidi for... Burraga