Finding your first cache

Choose a cache

Given it's your first geocaching adventure, we suggest trying a cache that is:

• Nearby, so you can go home for more clues if necessary
• Rated as easy, so you have a good chance of finding it
• Recently found, so there's a good chance that the cache hasn't been muggled

To identify this type of cache:

• Go to http://geocaching.com.au and click on the Menu at the top right, then 'Find A Geocache' (open this in a new window so you can refer to this page at the same time)
• Type your postcode in the "Search for a Geocache Postcode" search box at the top right hand side of the screen and press "Enter". You could also search by your locality name or many other methods from this page.

You should see a list of caches. If you don't, then try typing in a nearby postcode, or the name of a large nearby suburb or town. A Postcode search will give a list with distances to each cache. With a name search you can get a similar list by clicking a cache name and then the "Other Caches Nearby" link on the right of the page.

To find an easy cache, look for one with low terrain and difficulty (suggested 1 or 1.5 for each). These are shown as column "Terr" and "Diff" in the list.

Another way to see what caches are available in your area is to use Google Earth with the Geocaching Australia Network Link! Download and install Google Earth, then click here to add the Geocaching Australia Network Link and display caches on the map. You can click a cache icon, and select "View" to take you to the cache page.

Entering Coordinates in your GPS Receiver and Geting started

If this is the first time you have entered coordinates into your GPS for the purpose of finding a geocache do the following:

• 1 Look through the menus in your GPS and set the datum to WGS84
• 2 Set Coordinate or position format to ddd° mm.mmm'
• 3 Enter the coordinates displayed on the website as per your instruction manual (note if you had already entered geocache coordinates with setings other than those listed in steps 1&2 you will need to delete them and start again as they will now be wrong!)
• 4 Go outside and let you GPS receive a good signal (this may take a few minutes).
• 5 Find the waypoint you just entered in the menu list, select it, select goto and you're ready to go find the cache.
• 6 Start walking and watch the screen, noting distance to cache and direction. Remember you may need to move a few metres in order for the GPS to know what direction to point you in, and make sure you hold it right way around (see your user manual).

For more details, see Finding a cache.

Found a cache and not sure what to do now?

Log it online!

• Go to http://geocaching.com.au (open this in a new window so you can refer to this page at the same time)
• Type the name of the cache you found in the search box at the top right hand side of the screen and press "Enter". If you're not sure of the name, try putting in the suburb or postcode, and choose from the list of caches.
• Click the name of the cache to open the cache page.

Now, have a look under Cache Details:

• If it says "This cache is listed on an external site. Please click on the waypoint link above to view the cache." click the waypoint link at the top of the page. This will take you to the cache page on the Groundspeak (geocaching.com) site. Click the "Log in to log your visit" link on the right side of the page to begin the registration process.

• If the page displays Cache Details and a Description, it's a Geocaching Australia cache, and you can simply click "Log this cache" on the right side of the page. You will be taken through a simple account creation process, and will then be able to log your find. Congratulations!

For more information, see Logging a cache.