The Geocache of the Month for March 2019, is a multi cache placed by Toriaz. The Wheatsheaf Hotel (GC754BN) allows you to discover a special piece of history that could have remained buried forever. Developers uncovered this spot when excavating the site and it has now been preserved so we can all learn a little bit more about the site specifically and the area in general. You will have to visit the site for yourself to see just how the site has been saved.

With over 60% of finders giving this multi a Favorite Point, it's exactly the type of geocache that sparks the interest of the GCNSW committee. Tronador has written as part of her log: "Wow another amazing site. So much history is around this area and I'm sure there is still a lot buried. Walking along the street I thought I was heading to the corner pub and had no idea what I was supposed to be looking at until I ventured closer. My eyes widened in amazement." 

Congratulations to Toriaz for her second Geocache of the Month win and for doing a great job in placing caches that allow players to discover more about our local history.

Found a great cache that you want the whole world to know about? We are currently seeking nominations for Geocache of the Month for April 2019! To nominate your favourite cache simply head to the forum and leave your suggestion.

The two nominations recieved in February were both outstanding candidates, but were deemed a little bit young for consideration at the moment (one of them having been published IN February 2019!). So we dug back into the archives of previous nominations to arrive at the winner for this month.

The Geocache of the Month for February 2019 is the traditional cache Clybucca Memorial (GC4QX9K). Placed by Coongoola, it was nominated back in July 2018, by Seemyshell.

(Photo by Diane Watson via monumentaustralia.org.au)

Hidden in October 2013, this great little cache is not only a pleasure to find, but the history behind the placement is a credit to Coongoola. The memorial is a site of tragedy. Back in 1989, a terrible bus accident occurred which claimed the lives of 35 people and injured 41 others. This memorial was developed to honour those lives that were lost.

Now, here comes the geocaching goodness - Coongoola visited the site in 2013 and noticed that the memorial had not been maintained. The lawns were seriously overgrown and weeds littered the gardens. Coongoola did not want this memorial to be lost so returned with not only a cool cache but lots of gardening equipment and tools. They went on to clean up the whole memorial - the lawns, the weeds, the environment - and by placing the cache ensured the memorial would receive plenty of visitors. Since 2013 there have been 193 finders with 49 awarding a favourite point. 

Geocaching is not just about containers or smileys but sometimes it brings us to places that make us think and reflect or discover important stories that shouldn't be forgotten.

Found a great cache that you want the whole world to know about? We are currently seeking nominations for Geocache of the Month for March 2019! To nominate your favourite cache simply head to the forum and leave your suggestion.

Photo credit: Pacmess

The winner of Geocache of the Month for January 2019 is Easterly Extreme (GCX0QP) by Liz & Bruce. The nomination was submitted by wazza9 via the Geocaching NSW forum.

Hidden in June 2006, this 12 year old cache has been visited by more than 1200 geocachers and it's no wonder when it's placed in the beautiful Byron Bay area on the North Coast of NSW. It has been regulary maintained and has amassed nearly 200 favorite points. For the statistics hunters, it is indeed Australia's most easterly geocache.

Photo credit: wazza9

Most finders of this cache walk away with numerous photos and videos at GZ - the gallery is loaded with amazing photos of the scenerey and there is no shortage of selfies of happy geocachers. What better way to highlight the beauty of the NSW coastline than with an excellent cache like this. This really is a must do cache, if not for the tick to your statistics boxes, then for the outstanding location.

Congratulations Liz & Bruce (who at the time of this award, are also the top finders in Australia!).

Liz and Bruce

Found a great cache that you want the whole world to know about? We are currently seeking Nominations for Geocache of the Month for February 2019! To nominate your favourite cache simply head to the forum and leave your suggestion.

This month saw a number of caches being put forward, including past winners. The committee have decided on a mystery cache owned by Port Macquarie's very own pprass. TRIA (GC2Q76E), is known as a field puzzle, yet it's as easy as ena, thio, tria. 

It was placed in March 2011, and with 49 favourite points (at a ratio of 55%), it's definitely one to place on the to-do list. By the looks of most of the logs, people who holiday in Port Macquarie find this cache while in holiday mode. Some of the comments involve the 'Field Puzzle' aspect.

Some of the comments involve the 'Field Puzzle' aspect:

Team Canary - A well designed field puzzle that had us pondering for a while.

asbestiform - On discovering the "cache" I was thinking this was not much of a puzzle. Then opened it and the fun began.

Well done Peter and Cathy on another reason to visit the beautiful Port Macquarie region.

The winner of Geocache of the Month for December 2018 is Parallel Track Letterbox (GC77FMT) by phlphotos. It was 
nominated by asbestiform.

Hidden in June 2016, this Letterbox Hybrid cache is not in a spot that your average postie would go on their delivery rounds. With a D4.5 and a T4 rating, it's going to take some brains, brawn and fearlessness to get a smiley here. Located in Blaxlands Ridge, it's 79kms from Sydney, just across the Neapan River and at the foot of the Blue Mountains.

Previous finders have noted that the terrain rating is spot on and that there are a few options on how to get to GZ, some easier/safer than others. Please take care when attempting to find this cache for yourself or go as part of a group.

On top of the terrain rating there's also a field puzzle component when you finally get to GZ. It receives many favourites points for the adventure it takes to get there, but also for the amazing views.

Congratulations phlphotos on your win.

(Photo credit: Brewmaker)

November Geocache of the Month has been decided and it’s a cache of Olympic proportions. The Geocache of the Month for November 2018 is Pentathlon (GC5R9DP) by Delloro.

A pentathlon is an Olympic sport consisting of 5 different events, each one designed to push an individual to limits of performance. This multi-cache captures that spirit beautifully. It consists of 5 waypoints with each one testing your full range of geocaching skills. It will also test your endurance (total walk from where you park is 3km) and your courage (you are warned to bring a torch).

Located in Heathcote, it has been active since 2015. It has had only 20 finds with 74% favourite points. It has been described by finders as “a true caching adventure”, “a bucket list item”, “a fantastic cache hunting experience” and an “awesome cache”.

It has been nominated for GOTM several times over the last few years and finally, we are happy to award it the gold medal for November 2018. Congratulations Delloro on a terrific hide.

Found a great cache that you want the whole world to know about? We are currently seeking Nominations for Geocache of the Month for December 2018! To nominate your favourite cache simply head to the forum and leave your suggestion.

It was a close one this month but we have finally decided on Geocache of the Month for September 2018. This Months worthy winner is St Ives Village Green (GC5HTKT) By Digby23.

The description lists this as another hide in the Leafy Northern Suburbs but we can assure you, this is not just another hide.

Opposite the muggle-ridden Village green shopping centre, this 3 WP multi starts off by introducing you to some of the historical figures that helped make St Ives the suburb it is before sending you to find tools and of course the final hide.

What makes this cache great is the surprise factor. It seems like an average cache in a park but it has some well thought out and designed camo (I'm not spoiling anything here, you'll have to find out for yourself).

A lot of thought and effort has gone into this cache and it shows- 57% of premium cachers have awarded it with a favourite point- a worthy entry for Geocache of the Month.

Found a great cache that you want the whole world to know about? We are currently seeking Nominations for Geocache of the Month for October 2018! To nominate your favourite cache simply head to the forum and leave your suggestion

This month's Geocache of the Month is a great multi located on the Central Coast of NSW. The Great Train Heist (GC6JMDK) is a barefootjeff geocache which was placed in May 2016. After just 28 finds, it currently has 19 favorite points, and with a DT rating of 2.5/4 its not just a park 'n grab. It was nominated by Calypso62.

Part of Calypso62's log, states:

What an epic adventure BFJ!! I loved every bit of it. A fantastic story. A great way to travel. Excellent waypoint locations. Great way to do the calculations. A fantastic hike up the trail. A brilliant bush bash (despite all my scratches). A wonderful view at GZ and a great cache container! Definitely one of my favourites so adding my point to the list. This is what geocaching is all about. Love your work BFJ!

So next time you are around the Central Coast, put this multi on your 'To-Do' list.

Have you found novel puzzle cache in your area? Perhaps a traditional with a twist? What is the one you'd take a muggle to to impress the socks off them? Nominate the NSW geocache that has stood out to you as a great one and say why you think it deserves the award. It doesn't have to be a geocache hidden or found in the past month or even the past year. It can be listed on any geocaching site, needs to start or finish in NSW and not currently be archived. Head over to the Forum and start nominating or post on our Facebook page.

This months Geocache of the Month takes you to a wonderful Seaside resort on the NSW South Coast. However, don't expect to find this resort on Yelp, or Wotif or Trivago, because this seaside resort is exclusively for travel bugs!

We’re really excited to announce the winner of Geocache of the Month for July! The lucky winner is Joadja’s Seaside TB Resort (GC6AN3T) by AstheCrowFlys. Located in Joadja, just outside of Mittagong, this Travel Bug hotel is something special. Nominated by ZiggiAU who said “A beautifully detailed cache with all TBs treated to 5 star attention by the COs. Placed in 2016, it currently has 63 finds and 31 favourites showing just how much everyone loves this cache, even it takes a bit of getting to.

Most hotels would kill for the reviews this resort has recieved which is why we are proud to crown this Geocache of the Month for July. Next time you're in Joadja, visit this one of a kind resort.

Have you found novel puzzle cache in your area? Perhaps a traditional with a twist? What is the one you'd take a muggle to to impress the socks off them? Nominate the NSW geocache that has stood out to you as a great one and say why you think it deserves the award. It doesn't have to be a geocache hidden or found in the past month or even the past year. It can be listed on any geocaching site, needs to start or finish in NSW and not currently be archived. Head over to the Forum and start nominating or post on our Facebook page.

This month The Hancock Clan would like to hold a private class to help improve an under-rated skill that every geocacher must have to be successful. Frustration can creep in to cache hunts for a number of reasons; muggles at GZ, fading daylight, needing to be somewhere in a hurry, or just the fact the last 26 finders have all noted "TFTC, easy find" and yet it's been a 20 minute search and you are sure you've checked the right spot 11 times. Hunt-frustration can lead to cache blindness and unwanted damage at GZ so today, from amongst the many great nominations submitted from the community this month, we'd like you to train your Patience! (GC30ENC)

Congratulations to The Hancock Clan who have won the GOTM for June 2018. Patience! is not only a virtue to practice but also an adventure to be had. A novel puzzle leads to variable approach experience and another lesson in reading the cache page and being well prepared. Those who can stare down distractions, locate and reach GZ will be rewarded with the fruits of their focus. 

28 or the 49 finders to date have decided a Favourite Point was in order for to this 3.5/3.0 puzzle cache and the logs make for great reading as the cache inspires candid accounts of success (and the odd failure).