2024-06-24 -37 144

Mon 24 Jun 2024 in -37,144: -37.7658151, 144.9431176 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

Location

At a 7-Eleven in Brunswick West

Participants

Expedition 1:

• Felix Dance
• Ruth
• Gretel

Expedition 2:

• BarbaraTables
• Wizdude

Expedition 2.5:

• John

Expedition 3:

• Patrick
• Vanessa
• Emma

Expedition 4:

• Aimee

Expedition 5:

• Felix again

Expedition 6:

• Lachie

Expedition 7:

• Jude

Expedition 8:

• Stevage
• EB

Expedition 9:

• Mitch
• Liam

Expedition 10:

• EdBordin

Expedition 1

I've been trying to get my 1 year old daughter Gretel to as many hashes as possible, and no candidate could be better than this one. Similar to recent very convenient hashes: 2024-06-14 -37 145 and 2024-06-18 -37 144 (breaking a recent drought), this was accessible from the road and easy to get to.

So of course, I'm hoping a bunch of the Melbourne geohashing community will join me this afternoon at the hash. But having a family geohash would be best for the morning. So we all got ready, with Gretel going in the pram for childcare and Ruth walking her to 7/11 before work. I followed on my bike and we all met at the coffee machine. From there, we made the arduous journey to the cashier, outside the building and to the corning where the hash was located. I took a screen shot of a sub-1m distance (I missed a 200mm proximity), planted Gretel right where that was, and took some photos. Some of these are below.

I continued on my bike to work in the city and wrote up this report.

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  GPS Proof

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  G at the hash

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  Family geo-portrait

Ruth earned the Walk geohash Achievement by reaching the (-37, 144) geohash on 2024-06-24 on foot, travelling a distance of 350m.

Felix Dance earned the Bicycle geohash achievement by cycling 350m to the (-37, 144) geohash on 2024-06-24.

Expedition 2

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  Hash proof

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  Hash selfie

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  GeoSquishy proof

Expedition 8 (Steve and EB)

The story really begins on the Saturday two days prior. Lachie's band, the Hypnic Jerks, is performing at CERES, a kind of mini farm/cafe/environmental education center near my house. The band of course drew a large crowd of our friends, including a number of geohashers.

Conversation turns to the forthcoming convenient geohash near Felix's house. We start talking about when to meet, and in a flash of genius I propose 7:11PM at the 7/11. I apply some peer pressure to Felix, who immediately succombs, and suddenly there's going to be beer at his house afterwards.

Over the next few days, excitement brews. By Monday evening we're expecting at least 10 people to meet at the hash. A total change from last Tuesday's hash that featured 9 separate expeditions but no more than 2 hashers at the point at any single time.

6pm Monday and somehow EB and I are running late for the 7:11 rendez-vous. We're on our bikes out the front door, but can't agree on a route, so we immediately I turn left, and she turns right. It's chilly, but not as cold as I feared.

The traffic is light and the ride cruisey. But a glance at the time shows I'm in danger of missing the meet-up point so crank up the pace.

I arrive at the corner of Victoria St and Melville St and...where's the 7/11? Oh! It's another block to my left.

Seconds later, I whoosh in and see a large crowd gathered right where I expect the geohash to be. A moment's panic - oh no, who are all these randoms? This could be awkward!

But no, it's the largest geohashing gathering I've ever attended, and I'm almost late to the party.

I zoom straight to the point and the crowd parts. Belatedly I take notice of a large dog, who I have narrowly missed. But, geohash success!

We mill around merrily. I meet Emma and Vanessa for the first time, and say hi to Felix, Lachie, Patrick, Jude and Aimee. We take selfies, and then Liam and Mitch arrive. So we take more selfies. Now EB is here! More selfies!

People are buying slurpies to get the GeoSquishy achievement. Jude and I can't bring ourselves to do it, but I take a sip from Lachie's. It's cold and sugary.

I saunter inside the 7/11 to buy a souvenir but there's a real shortage of real food. In desperation I purchase a banana, but at the last minute make it two.

There is general mirth at my pair of bananas. And then Felix is expressing concern that the fire might have burnt down in his absence so down the hill we roll. Except for Aimee and Vanessa who have other places to be.

Around the fire, we celebrate with Felix's excellent homebrew, indoctrinating some of our newer members into the geohashing lore and sharing some history.

Felix and Jude wander back up the hill to pick up pizzas and before long we are wondering just how practical it would be to purchase an entire graticule. In general terms, a graticule is on the order of 9,000 square kilometres. The world's largest cattle station, Anna Creek Station, is 24,000 square kilometres. I'm not able to work out whether it actually contains any entire graticules, or indeed, how much it would cost to buy.

But if we can get past these obstacles, you'd have to admit: it would be pretty convenient to have a couch potato geohash every single day of the year.

9pm comes, and as promised, or threatened, Felix brings out the water cannons to douse the flames of revelry and hose down idle fantasies, but is unable to drench the geohashing spirit that lives eternally in each of us.

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Achievements

BarbaraTables and Wizdude earned the First Sip GeoSquishy Achievement by enjoying a slushy carbonated beverage at the (-37, 144) geohash on 2024-06-24.

BarbaraTables and Wizdude earned the 5 Star GeoSquishy Achievement by earning 5 stars all at the (-37, 144) geohash on 2024-06-24.

BarbaraTables and Wizdude earned the Land geohash achievement by reaching the (-37, 144) geohash on 2024-06-24.

BarbaraTables earned the Public transport geohash achievement by reaching the (-37, 144) geohash on 2024-06-24 using public transit.

Wizdude earned the Two to the N achievement by reaching 23 hashpoints on 2024-06-24 -37 144 and is promoted to Level 3 (Coordinates reached).