2009-04-18 -37 143

Sat 18 Apr 2009 in -37,143: -37.0845888, 143.8377370 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

The location

On the outskirts of Carisbrook

Who Went?

myka

This hash was fairly close to the road I would be taking from Bendigo to the northern end of the Grampians National Park, where he would drop off a trailer. I figured that it would be remiss of me not to give it a go.

After preparing a google maps screenshot, I left Bendigo. It wasn't long before I discovered a problem. The Zaurus I had planned on using for reading the map apparently did not have any software that would open and allow zooming of png files. after pondering the problem, i came up with a solution. my phone should be able to do what i wanted and let me use the maps, if i could get the files onto it. a sightly convoluted process managed to get me there. (In the end, the screenshots had gone ubuntu -> SD card -> Zaurus Hard drive -> backup small capacity microSD card via SD adapter -> Phone memory -> general use microSD card in phone) Now I was able to view and zoom the maps, and use them.

Taking the turn off from my normal route toward Carisbrook, I was confident. From what I could see on the map, it would be an easy drive into the town, then a minor road would take me most of the way to the hash-point. I though I would be able to get to the point, as although it appeared to be on farming land, it looked like there would be trees heading most of the way from the road to the hash, which i could wander up through without raising the ire of any farmers.

I became a briefly confused when Carisbrook turned out to be connected to Maryborough (the next town on my route) by a different road than i was expecting, and I was coming in from a different direction. I quickly found my bearings, and after one false turn, found the road (lane) heading towards the Hash.

I turned on the GPS, and entered the coordinated from the peeron screenshots, taking care to double check them (a lesson learnt from past transcription errors which cost the success of hashing expeditions). I was driving along trying to figure out how to get across to the Hash from the closest point, and discovered that it was 1.5Km from the road at a minimum. I also discovered an apparent party at a farmhouse between me and the Hashpoint (sort of). After a U-turn, I took a second look at where to go, with a mind to not interrupting the barbecue.

There turned out to be a small service road leaving the normal road at roughly the right spot, and in roughly the right direction. It was most likely part of the property, rather than public, but the gate was open and I decided to take advantage of it. I was uncertain if the house with the party was the one whose property I would be on, although it seemed likely.

After a short drive up the track to the next gate, and a little bit of trailer acrobatics to get the car turned around and parked out of the way, I set off on the last 750m to the point itself.

It was somewhere up in one of the paddocks, past some sheep, and near some trees. I gave the sheep a wide berth, and with possibly Fergus the Hashscot, crossed the first paddock along the track, then diverted through the second on a direct line for the point. The party house was visible from part of the way in, and I do kind of wonder what the people there though of some random chappie wandering through the paddocks (which might have been theirs) with a determined look on his face.

A brief GPS shuffle followed, and possibly Fergus and I had found the first Hashpoint of the day

myka then continued on towards the Grampians.

mykaDragonBlue earned the Graticule Unlocked Achievement by being the first to reach any hashpoint in the (-37, 143) graticule, here, on 2009-04-18.

mykaDragonBlue earned the Multihash Achievement by reaching 2 hash points on 2009-04-18. It's a Double Hash.

Photos

myka

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  driving for hours...

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  possibly Fergus and the car near the Hash

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  The gate blocking the track, the hashpoint in the distance

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  Sheep, and flatness

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  blurry proof

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  possibly Fergus celebrates success

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  Big Wide and Flatness, with Dark

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  Trees, in the Paddock

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  more Big Wide and Flatness, without Dark

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  more Driving, with Sun