INTERNATIONAL
GEOCACHING DAY
Saturday, 15th August, 2026
Are you up for the challenge to compete in this year's BattleCache Tournament?
Who will be crowned the
2026 BattleCache Grand Master?
Geocachers of all ages are welcome to come along and join in to celebrate International Geocaching Day. Events are a great way for geocachers to meet, have fun, make friends, swap stories, discover and swap trackables, get hints on puzzle caches and generally discuss all things geocaching. Place this event in your diary and don't forget to post a "Will Attend" log.
Details:
Location - Ironbark Lake Reserve, The Ponds
Date - Saturday, 15th August
Time - 1:30pm to 4.30pm
Parking - Street Parking adjacent to the event.
Where will we be - Just look for a portable gazebo with bunting around the top edge and geocaching logos attached.
What to Bring - BYO all food and drink requirements, picnic rugs, clipboard or folder, pen, trackables. Please bring a portable chair as possibly there's limited seating where we will be. Tea, coffee (instant) and biscuits will be provided. Please note - there is no take-away coffee/food outlet at this location.
Registration - Free registration for BattleCache will commence at 1:30pm and close at 2:00pm. Unfortunately, latecomers will not be permitted to join the tournament but are welcome to participate in the geocaching event. The knockout tournament will commence not long after 2:00pm.
What if I don't want to compete in BattleCache? - No problem! Come along anyway and help make this a great International Geocaching Day!
So, what is BattleCache?
BattleCache is a knockout tournament. You must keep winning to progress. BattleCache is played the same way as the game Battleships except you are hunting for your opponent's geocaches. If you're not sure how to play Battleships, just Google it. Your task is to find all your opponent's geocaches first and therefore proceed to the next round. The last one standing in this knockout tournament will be declared our champion and crowned the 2026 BattleCache Grand Master.
Each player has the following geocaches to place on their 8x8 grid:
1 Puzzle (P) - 6 squares
1 Adventure Lab (AL) - 5 squares
1 Earthcache (E) - 4 squares
1 Wherigo (W) - 4 squares
1 Virtual (V) - 3 squares
1 Multicache (M) - 3 squares
1 Letterbox (L) - 3 squares
1 Traditional (T) - 2 squares
1 Nano cache (N) - 1 square
For example:
How to Play:
1 Geocaches must be placed on the grid in a straight line either horizontally or vertically but not diagonally, see the example above.
2 Players decide who will go first.
3 Player 1 selects a square to search and nominates that square's coordinates using a phonetic word for the row and a column number. For example, Delta3, Apple6, Fire2, etc. The use of a phonetic word is mandatory to avoid confusion. Players are asked to look at your opponent and use a clear voice with appropriate volume when stating the coordinates.
4 Player 2 repeats Player 1's coordinates using the exact word and number.
5 Player 1 must then confirm the coordinates are correct by saying for example, "Yes, Delta3" or "Yes, Apple6" or "Yes, Fire2" or whatever coordinates are called.
6 If the square you nominate does not contain part or whole of a geocache, your opponent will say, "DNF!"
7 If the square you nominate contains part of a geocache, your opponent will say. "Found but not Logged".
8 If the square you nominate is the last square to be found of a geocache, your opponent will say, "Found and Logged the (insert cache type here)!!"
9 The first player to find all their opponent's geocaches is the winner and will proceed to the next round.
Players will be paired randomly for competition and game sheets will be provided. Depending on numbers competing, during a round, You may end up competing in a three player game.
All decisions of the event organiser shall be final and no correspondence will be entered into!!
***By attending this event, you will receive the special 2026 International Geocaching Day Souvenir.***
Here's hoping you can come along and help celebrate another great International Geocaching Day.
Cheers,
Calypso62
BattleCache
Roll of Honour
Jackscruff
2018 Inaugural BattleCache Grand Master
PelDroedGwin
2019/20 BattleCache Grand Master
(No BattleCache Tournament was held in 2020 due to Covid restrictions.)
EverestHigh
2021 BattleCache Grand Master
Googlehihihi
2022 BattleCache Grand Master
Little Shoes
2023 BattleCache Grand Master
Jackscruff
2024 BattleCache Grand Master
Gatherer Hade
2025 BattleCache Grand Master
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Did you know that NSW has a geocaching association? Geocaching NSW aims to enhance and improve the activity of geocaching and holds regular events where geocachers meet to enjoy their common interests. Visit the association website here.