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    VICTORIA - ADDITIONAL ADVICE TO THE  AUSTRALIA WIDE POLICIES 

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. TAKE ACCURATE COORDINATES.

2. GEOCACHE MAINTENANCE

3. COMMUNITY CACHES

4. CHALLENGE CACHES

5. EVENT STACKING

6. NATIONAL PARKS AND OTHER PROTECTED AREAS

7. PLACEMENT IN NATIONAL PARKS AND OTHER PROTECTED AREAS

8. CINNAMON FUNGUS  

9. TECHNICAL TREE CLIMB CACHES (TTCC)

  1. TAKE ACCURATE COORDINATES

It is important that you obtain a number of readings and then average them.  Be sure to let your GPS enabled device settle to ensure full satellite coverage. Use these two links to articles you will find useful and informative:

 - Taking Co-ordinates for a geocache and Averaging Co-ordinates on your phone

 - How to get accurate coordinates

To alleviate the need to make multiple visits to the GZ but still establish accurate coordinates, here are some Apps that can be used for averaging co-ordinates on Smart devices:

- iTunes (Apple) - GS Averaging

- Google Play (Android) 
                          - GPS Point (developed by a Geocacher for Geocachers)
                          - Geocache Placer

There is also a locally developed help sheet. Click on the image below to go to open document.

  2. GEOCACHE MAINTENANCE

  If you have received a 'Maintenance Requested' prompt then this is your choice of responses.  Remember, you have 14 days to reply to the enquiry.

• CHECK ON THE CACHE:-   Visit the cache to check, repair, replace or do whatever else is needed, Post an Owner Maintenance log indicating what you have done and that the cache is back as it should be. Then ENABLE your cache and sit back and wait for the logs of thanks and delight to roll in.

• PALACE A WRITE NOTE LOG:- Reviewers are not mind readers (unfortunately)  , so without a note on the cache page explaining that the site works are on-going, you have been in hospital, the area has been flooded, the cache is in a remote/difficult to access location, or some other reason that has prevented attending to the cache, they can't tell what is going on.  

All you need do is to post a Write Note logto the page (within 14 days). Be sure to indicate the actual date that you expect to have it fixed so that everyone knows you are on top of it. When a Reviewer next looks at the listing, all will be fine, for a little bit longer.  

If you have a long term unavailability  (where you don't have an actual date), please ensure you visit the page and post a note every 4 to 6 weeks, so as to keep everyone up to speed.

• ADOPT or ARCHIVE:-  If you don't plan on fixing it then you could consider passing it on to another geocacher by asking them to Adopt your cache .     Alternatively, you need to Archive the cache, so it is removed from searches and someone else can have the spot. Don't forget to remove any remnants of your previously enjoyed cache too.

If, when the cache is next checked by a Reviewer and the issue hasn't been addressed, or there is no acknowledgment as requested, it will be assumed the cache has been abandoned and processed accordingly.  

3. COMMUNITY CACHES

It is recognise that there are certain caches that the community are interested in maintaining largely due to their age and location. For a cache to be maintained as a Community Cache under the following clauses the cache must be considered to be "significant", for this to occur it must meet the following criteria:

a) Be placed on or prior to 31st December 2006

b) Have a number of favorite points.

c) The cache still matches closely to the way it was originally hidden (no mint tins to replace an ammo can)

d) Have a cache owner that is no longer active.

e) Have a community member who is prepared to monitor the cache and resolve issue/s, before it comes to Reviewer attention e.g., promptly take action on logs (Found, DNF, WN or OAR) that indicate an issue with the cache.

For a cache to be designated a Community Cache the following should occur:

a) A community member has expressed interest in maintaining the cache by posting a note to the cache page, prior to any maintenance activity by a Reviewer.

b) The community member will have the cache on a watchlist

c) The community member agrees to promptly respond to any issues with the cache (before Reviewer intervention), by addressing the issue and placing a Write Note log to the cache page, after the issue has been addressed.

d) For any small changes to the listing page, such as removing/adjusting attributes, coordinates etc., contact the local reviewer with the requested change.

4. CHALLENGE CACHES.

To clarify some of the requirements:

• To satisfy: “where a very similar or identical challenge cache already exists.”  – there should only be two of a similar genre’ within 100km of each other.

• To satisfy: “appeal to and be attainable by a reasonable number of cachers” – this is taken as having at least 10 Geocachers (Victorian based) that qualify.

• To satisfy: “owners must demonstrate that there are plenty of qualifying caches to meet the challenge at the time of publication.” – this is taken to be no more than 60% of the available caches, depending on the nature of the Challenge and generally within Victoria.  For example, if the Challenge is for 200 caches of a particular requirement, then there needs to be at least 335 caches available that match the requirement.

If you have a thought for a Challenge cache, first check out the requirement in the Help Centre (Challenge caches and Challenge cache subjectivity). 

If there is something that is still not clear, put your idea in a cache page and submit it for review with ‘CHECKING’ or similar in the cache name.  A Reviewer will have a look at it and get back to you.  This could include running it past other Reviewers, which is why it needs to be on a cache page.

Latest change: Challenge Caches added - 24 May 2022

5. EVENT STACKING

Event stacking allows a person to easily leave one event and directly attend another (including CITO to CITO).  However, it is permissible to back a CITO up to an Event. See the Guideline at this link Event stacking. 

To qualify the Guideline dot point: ‘Events that are near the same time or location’  there needs to be at least 4 hour’s time difference between the end of one event and the start of another if :

• for an urban area, the two events are within 30km of each other

• for a rural area, the two events are within 50km of each other

If you are unsure, submit your listing and include your query/question in a Reviewer Note log.

6. NATIONAL PARKS AND OTHER PROTECTED AREAS.

Victoria has 45 National Parks, 10 Historic and Heritage Parks, 21 Wilderness Parks and Zones, 141 Reference Areas and, 1 Indigenous Area, all of which come under the classification of “Protected Area”.  A full listing can be found at this Wiki link

• Protected areas of Victoria  

These protected areas are managed by Parks Victoria (Parks Vic) along with numerous other State Parks, Metropolitan Parks, Coastal and Marine Parks, Flora, Stream Reserves,  Nature Conservation Reserves, and Natural Feature Reserves.  

The current situation (August 2015) regarding placement of caches in any Parks Victoria managed area is as follows:

• Whilst National Parks and other Protected Areas are said to be public land, the placement of caches is not an automatic process or right.  Placement in Reference Areas is prohibited and there are limitations on placements in some National Parks and adjacent areas.

• There is no official ruling or State wide policy in place regarding Geocaching in National Parks and other Parks Victoria managed areas – it is generally left to the local Land Manager to decide in line with current local policies and requirements.

• Certainly, Geocaching is known to many Park Rangers and Land Managers working within Parks Victoria. In fact they frequently stumble across them and just place them back in their hiding spot.

• In theory, according to current Victorian legislation, Geocaches could be classed as littering. However, it is well recognised by Parks Victoria that Geocaching is an activity growing faster than their legislation can keep up with, and they acknowledge their legislation is clearly out of date. Parks Victoria recognises that;

  •  geocache placements are the game pieces for Geocaching,

  • geocaches are under constant monitoring and maintenance by the cache owner, and

  • Geocaching itself gets people outdoors and into parks and other recreation areas. 

• So, in principle, they have no issue with them being placed. There is no specific/written permission required before placement of a Geocache on most National Park Land in Victoria  AND THAT’S THE WAY WE WOULD LIKE TO KEEP IT PLEASE.  

• There are some areas where there are currently limitations.  Follow the basic guidelines below (7. Placement of Caches - National Parks and Other Protected Areas) and if a cache is found to be causing an issue, Parks Victoria will simply remove it.

SUMMARY

Geocaching currently has a good working relationship with and the general approval of Parks Victoria staff and management.  So, don’t do anything silly, foolish or untoward that will get them off-side and cause Parks Victoria management to institute restrictive policies and procedures.  

7. PLACEMENT OF CACHES - NATIONAL PARKS AND OTHER PROTECTED AREAS.

1. If it is your first placement in an area, then you should contact the local ranger/land manager as a courtesy and to check if there are any local requirements. This applies whether there are already other placements or not.

2. It is important that placements are located in close proximity to tracks. As a general rule leaving walking tracks is not permitted in National Parks.

3. Damage to any vegetation and/or general environment will not be tolerated, so Micro’s or other small and hard to find containers in the bush are to be avoided.

4. Placement of geocaches in dangerous locations is not permitted - the Park Victoria land manager will decide if the location is dangerous.

5. If a Geocaching Event is to take place in a Parks Victoria managed area, then permission could be required, so check.

      Areas where placements are currently not permitted:

• Great Otway National Park

• Anglesea Heath 

• Designated (gazetted) Reference Areas

      Areas where specific approval is required:

• All Cinnamon Fungus areas – as per guidelines below - 8. Cinnamon Fungus

• Wilsons Promontory National Park (Placement with Ranger approval only)

 8. CINNAMON FUNGUS

(See here  and here)

Known variously as die back, root rot and Jarrah dieback, PC and Phytophthora, Cinnamon Fungus is listed in the top 100 of the world’s most invasive species and is Victoria’s most significant plant pathogen affecting both native ecosystems and the horticultural industry.  Phytophthora cinnamomi is a soil borne water mould closely related to brown algae.

The following parks are subject to the microscopic, soil borne pathogen Cinnamon Fungus.  ParksVic should be consulted and provide advice on cache placement in any of these areas (Contact info here). 

In those areas where Cinnamon Fungus exists, once/if approval is obtained, caches should only be placed at the side of tracks (not in the bush) as long as the placement is not near Grass Trees (Xanthorrhoea). NO PLACEMENT IS PERMITTED NEAR GRASS TREES.

LOCATIONS & AREAS WHERE APPROVAL NEEDED AND TEXT REQUIRED ON CACHE PAGE:

•  Arthur's Seat State Park - see below: Mornington Peninsula (Two Bays Walking Track)

•  Brisbane Ranges National Park

•  Mornington Peninsula NP - Greens Bush

•  Mornington Peninsula - Two Bays Walking Track

•  Ocean Grove Nature Reserve

•  Steiglitz Historic Park

•  Warby-Ovens National Park
  

LOCATIONS/AREAS WHERE A CHECK SHOULD BE MADE WITH LOCAL RANGER BEFORE PLACEMENT:

•  Baluk Willam Nature Conservation Reserve

•  Black Range State Park

•  Bunyip State Park

•  Croajingolong National Park

•  Dandenong Ranges National Park

•  Dergholm State Park 

•  Grampians National Park

•  Kinglake National Park

•  Lake Tyers State Park

•  Langwarrin Flora & Flora Reserve

•  Lerderderg State Park - Pyrete Range

•  Lower Glenelg National Park

•  Macedon Regional Park

•  Mt Arapiles - Tooan State Park

•  Point Nepean National Park

• Woowookarung Regional Park (Ballarat)
  

THE FOLLOWING TEXT SHOULD BE INCLUDED ON A CACHE PAGE WHERE A CACHE IS PLACED IN AN IDENTIFIED CINNAMON FUNGUS AREA:-

  9. TECHNICAL TREE CLIMB CACHES (TTC)

A geocaching T5 tree climb cache (TTCC) is one that requires specialist knowledge and/or tree climbing equipment to reach the cache container placed high in a tree. Generally they are 10m or more above the ground.    In 2014 Geocaching HQ advised the following:

Because climbing a tree is a more invasive form of geocaching, having permission is really key. Otherwise there's the risk of upsetting relationships with land managers. Geocaching communities have worked really hard to create good relationships with managers, and the priority is to maintain those efforts. 

To proceed with a proposed Technical Tree Climb cache, you need to obtain permission from the land owners about placing it in a tree where people have to climb to reach the cache. It is the cache owners responsibility to determine who owns the land of proposed cache spots.  

Once you have obtained permission, you can post a reviewer note and they can take the next steps. 

In Victoria the following applies:

• Parks Victoria (ParksVic) are happy with this type of placement in forest areas but have reservations in urban parks.

• Intended placements in urban areas will require the permission of the land manager - the cache owner is responsible for determining who to contact to obtain permission. 

• The City of Yarra originally indicated they don't have a policy and it is not prohibited, they have now advised that TTC caches are not permitted within the municipality.

• Municipalities so far contacted have generally advised that approval most likely would not be given, but they would treat each request on its merits.

• When advising approval, the name of the officer, their role/position in the organisation and the terms/conditions of the approval, should be provided in a reviewer note with the cache submission.