2024-06-18 -37 144

Tue 18 Jun 2024 in -37,144: -37.7649296, 144.9677099 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

Location

On a street in Brunswick.

Participants

Expedition 1:

• Felix Dance

Expedition 2:

• Matt

Expedition 3:

• Steve
• KT

Expedition 4:

• BarbaraTables

Expedition 5:

• Lachie

Expedition 6:

• John

Expedition 7:

• Wizdude

Expedition 8:

• Stevage
• EB

Expedition 9:

• Patrick

Expeditions

Expedition 1 (Felix)

I got up early and immediately checked for hashes. Another stonker! Or maybe it was the gchat messages that alerted me to this one. Yes, that actually.

After getting ready and saying goodbye to the fam, I jumped on my bike (I'd tried to leave early but no luck there) and headed hashwise. After a few minutes I'd breezily crossed from West Brunswick into Brunswick and was nearing the hash. My hands were freezing cold given the temperature of the particles around them.

The hash turned out to be only a few metres away from my brother's old house through the block. It was inside a parked car on the side of a residential street, under a tree. I stuck my arm over the roof of the car until I got to less than a metre and took a screen shot. The point could well have been on the side of the car given the GPS precision, so I've decided to give myself a success despite not having climbed onto the roof of the car, or underneath it. I'd got the GPS to within 150mm but I now realise that's not the screenshot that was taken, so I have to settle for just under 1m.

Hash and photos taken, I mounted my bike once more and rode to work, my hands freezing even more as I accelerated downhill towards the city.

Photos

• 

  At the hash

• 

  Sunrise from the hash

• 

  Parked car at the hash

• 

  GPS Proof

Achievements

Felix Dance earned the Bicycle geohash achievement by cycling 10 kms to the (-37, 144) geohash on 2024-06-18.

Expedition 2 (Matt}

Photos

Matt walked (I, Felix, think), probably from his friend's house in Brunswick West. Or maybe he rode, not sure. Maybe he'll weigh in.

• 

  Matt at the hash.

Expedition 3 (Steve and KT)

KT had the day off on Tuesday, so on Monday night, we made some tentative plans.

"Shall we get out of Melbourne?" "Yeah!"

"Go on a road trip?" "Yeah!"

"Do a geohash?" "Hopefully!"

"Ok, here's what we'll do: No matter what, we're doing a geohash tomorrow. Even if we have to drive to Eildon or somewhere." "Um...ok".

KT was in bed at her current bedtime, around 6pm, and awake at 2. Steve was so excited about the idea of doing a ridiculous drive to some pointless geohash, hopefully deep in the bush somewhere, that for some reason he woke up at 4am.

Steve looks at the geohash. It's 600m away. What the hell.

He zooms in. It's probably in a house somewhere, right?

No. It's on the street, just off the nature strip.

What the hell.

Why? Why now? Why today? I've been looking forward to doing a proper walk geohash for a long time, but is this really the time? Why do the Geohashing gods mock me so?

Anyway, eventually KT comes over. We make ourselves cups of tea in travel cups and we walk over to the point. It's still pretty chilly, some time after 9am.

As we round the last street corner, we discover one last trick of the geohashing gods. There are there men in high viz, standing right at the point.

We try to ignore them. They ignore us. We shuffle over. We get the green box. We are squished up against the car that is occupying the spot. We are taking selfies. It is becoming increasingly obvious that the three men have a device that is being used to measure their location. They are about 2 metres away.

The tension is unbearable. I ask them what they're doing. Surveying. Probably for council drains. Apparently there are no underground drains in this area.

For no particular reason, I explain geohashing to them. We do the usual geocaching/geohashing disambiguation. We wish them well, and go on our way.

Then we go and make our own adventure, the old-fashioned way, with a delightful lunch in Trentham, a walk in Blackwood, and a chocolate sponge cake in traffic on Bell St. Perfect day, really.

• 
• 

Achievements

Steve earned the Walk geohash Achievement by reaching the (-37, 144) geohash on 2024-06-18 on foot, travelling a distance of 1.5km.

Expedition 5 (Lachie)

Lachie rode to the hash and climbed a tree to make sure he achieved it. He was there at about 10 to 1pm.

• 

  Lachie at the hash

• 

  GPS proof

Achievements

Lachie earned the Bicycle geohash achievement by cycling 20 kms to the (-37, 144) geohash on 2024-06-18.

Expedition 6 (John)

John also rode to the hash. Not much more is known at this stage. He was there from 4:15 to 4:45pm approx.

• 

  John at the hash

Achievements

Lachie earned the Bicycle geohash achievement by cycling 20 kms to the (-37, 144) geohash on 2024-06-18.

Expedition 8 (Steve and EB)

EB had been at a work function all day. I couldn't resist walking over to the hash again. I scurried over, hoping to catch her at the tram stop, but arrived a few minutes early, and got to know the inside of the local laundromat while I waited. They have a vending machine that sells drinks, chocolate, washing powder and fabric softener. They supposedly recycle wire coathangers, but it's not clear where to leave them. That was the extent of my investigations.

EB duly arrived, and we moseyed down Blyth St and were soon at the point. The car was still there, but the surveyors were not. This time, my phone said we were at the point when we were standing on the footpath exactly where the surveyors had been.

We took a photo, blinding ourselves painfully with the flash. The result was...not good. We tried again, looking away from the flash, adding a hint of mystery or gravitas or ...art?

Then off we skedaddled to warmer places. We startled two ringtail possums in a bush close to our face. Little cuties.

Achievements

Steve earned the Walk geohash Achievement by reaching the (-37, 144) geohash on 2024-06-18 on foot, travelling a distance of 1.5km.

Expedition 9 (Patrick)

A supremely convenient hash a short walk from home.

I planned to go in the morning before work. But instead, I slept in, and ended up leaving my house at about the time I had intended to arrive at work, so even small diversions seemed like they could be potentially job-threatening. I resolved to go after work.

After work I went to the pub, and had pints, and the headed home, and then went to have dinner with my sister, and watch British cop shows. I suggested hashing. She laughed. After dinner I went, alone, to the hash.

As I was walking along a heard a noise, a woman calling “Alfie! Come back, Alfie!” and suddenly a very fluffly dog was pawing me, having escaped through an open gate. Alfie’s owner appeared, apologising profusely. As we were now across the road from the hash, I should have suggested she, Alfie and I go to the hash together. Alas, I didn’t think of this.

I crossed the road. I kept walking because I didn’t want to seem too suspicious, waited until Alfie had been bundled away, and then doubled-back, taking my hash-shot. It was very cold, so I didn’t linger.

• 

  Picture of me at the hash

• 

  Proof for people who rudely don’t believe the photo