2023-03-02 -36 145
| Thu 2 Mar 2023 in -36,145: -36.5450205, 145.7747877 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox |
Location
Just off Plozzas Rd in Upotipotpon, near Violet Town.
Participants
- Bob
Expedition
The Victorian Geohashing Group had successfully achieved 12 consecutive geohashes, including the previous day's which involved two hours of driving in rural Gippsland. So the desperation levels for achieving this hash were running high.
Unfortunately, all the hashes were difficult in some way. Melbourne East was way up in the mountains, Pakenham was near Inverloch and another long drive from our Gippsland friend, Rhonda, Geelong was in the ocean, Melbourne West was deep into a cattle farm nearish Sunbury.
So we gamed out the best of these - Melbourne West near Sunbury. No-one was keen. It was an annoying trip, plus cows and bulls scare all geohashers. And the amount of farm-bashing was high. Maybe we could approach from the east across Emu creek? Pretty dodgy regardless how you looked at it.
Looking further afield, we had Traralgon - back at Yarram and yet another long drive (in fact an almost identical drive) for Rhonda. This was a possibility as a last resort.
Then there was Ballarat graticule. This was more achievable but would involve long train rides to and from Ballarat after work. Lachie and John heroically volunteered on a coin-toss basis to do this also as a last resort. None of these participants were particularly enthusiastic about the sacrifices they were offering to do to keep the streak alive, but they were willing.
Finally, there was Shepparton. This has was relatively close to a road north of Violet Town. As it happened, Felix Dance was on a work trip up that way, in Wangaratta. The hash was only 45 minutes bike ride from his route. However, rather than being sensible and hiring a site vehicle to do the site visit, as was offered to him, he decided it would be much 'cooler' to take the train to the construction site instead, riding his bike from Wangaratta Station to the construction site. This meant that, unless the hash was directly on the train line, it would be difficult to reach. How silly.
Felix gamed out how this could occur anyway. Unfortunately, this would involve him getting off the train at Violet Town as he returned to Melbourne, riding 1.5 hours to and from the hash, returning to the train station, and then waiting for the next train, which would get him back at home around 10:30pm. Since he'd already been away and needed to get back home to his pregnant and suffering partner he decided this was a non-option.
But, as it happened, parents of geohashing stalwart Matt were also travelling in this part of the world, and would, in fact, be passing Violet Town that afternoon. Matt alerted his parents and they were immediately on board (what legends!). They diverted north from the Hume Freeway and reached the hash, with Matt's dad Bob evidently getting out of the car and athletically jumping the farm gate to the hash.
Photos produced, they then, presumably, returned to their scheduled route. The deviation would have been about half an hour.
The streak was saved for one more day.
Photos
Bob jumping the gate to the geohash
GPS proof
Achievements
Matt earned the Puppet Master Geohash achievement
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