2024-12-24 -37 144

Tue 24 Dec 2024 in -37,144: -37.1802737, 144.2667200 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

Location

A few kilomtres southeast of Castlemaine in the bush in Fryers Ridge State Forest, 300m from a track.

Participants

• Stevage
• KT

Expedition

Part 1: You are ready.

It's Christmas Eve in Ballarat, with KT's family. Her parents have a quirky sense of humour. They give her a box of spells and charms. They give me an angel and unicorm themed deck of tarot cards. Thanks, Dangerparents!

A day of relaxed Christmasing draws to an end, and we have a crucial decision to make. Will we drive an hour out of our way to attempt a geohash in the bush near Castlemaine? It's quite a bush-bash &emdash; 333m according to geohashing.win. Some of the terrain in this area is exceptionally steep and rugged and it may prove very difficult.

On the other hand, the satellite imagery appears almost featureless - consistent tree density, which indicates no steep gullies or cliffs. Quite possibly there'll be little understorey either, making the bush-bash practically as easy as following a trail.

What to do? It's a tricky decision, and I can't decide. If only I had some sort of tool to guide me in moments of indecision, to gain clarity and reach a decision.

The Tarot cards. Perfect.

KT takes the box and cleanses the deck according to the instructions. She holds the cards in her non-dominant hand, forms a fist with the other, and strikes the deck gently. It's not a time-consuming procedure.

She then shuffles the deck. The instructions don't provide any guidance here. Overhand? Riffle shuffle? Smoosh them all around on a table? The practicalities of dealing with such a large deck steer her towards the overhand method, and soon she is dramatically drawing the top card of the deck.

The Magician. Archangel Raziel. You are ready! You have the resources or the ability to manifest them. Life is magical.

There is no longer any doubt. We have found clarity. We shall proceed.

• 

Part 2: You have the resources.

We bid adieu to the Dangerfolk and KT's peri-centenarian grandma and board the Yaris. We follow a series of unfamiliar roads through the hills of Ballarat towards the hills of Castlemaine, passing through many other hills on the way.

An overcast sky has given way to brilliant sunshine, casting a lovely glow upon the bucolic scenes we pass. We pass by the community hall in the tiny town of Dean, bringing back fond memories of music camps decades ago where I used to rehearse on a frigid winter's morning.

We drop into the charming little town of Guildford, which has a couple of cafes, one of which was even open on Christmas Eve. Here I acquiring a nourishing lemon beverage, and KT is thrilled almost beyond words by her Frosty Fruit.

The has-seen-much-better-days township of Vaughan Springs sparks a few more memories for both of us. KT had never heard of it, until a particular angle jogged loose the childhood memory of a family visit, where her brother convinced her that one of the water pumps would deliver lemonade.

Then we tentatively turn up a rough vehicle track, anxiously hoping that it will not prove too much for our trusty hatchback. We do have an ace up our sleeve however: the Tarot card was quite confident that even if our given resources were not up to the task, we would certainly be able to manifest another. I take this to mean hitch-hiking along this desolate, rarely visited track will be easier than it looks.

One track leads to another, slightly bumpier, but the Yaris's resolve is undiminished. Scorched tree trunks bear witness to recent controlled burn activities, but also remind us of the danger of bushfires in the dry diggings area at this time of year. It's very dry country, and it's looking particularly brown.

We count down the metres and, 340m from the geohash, we park.

• 

Part 3: Life is magical

We take a moment to prepare for the journey. I switch to shorts, apply sunscreen, find my hat, and grab a bag with snacks and a drink. KT puts on reindeer antlers. We set forth.

The threat of snakes is ever-present as we crunch our way into the bush. As hoped, there aren't many bushes, and there's little grass, so it's easy to keep an eye out. The terrain is undulating but not too steep, so we make quick progress up the first hill. Crunch, crunch, crunch.

We crest the hill, then it's down the next. It's easy to keep a straight line in such open terrain, and other than watching for snakes, there's nothing much to worry about. It's warm but not too hot, and peacefully quiet. Only a very occasional bird call.

KT is setting a cracking (literally) pace and arrives first on the scene. A few moments of crunching about and we both achieve success.

KT whips out a festive Christmas hat for me but fails to take into account the gargantuan proportions of my head, and it tears. Fortunately, she is well prepared, and has the resources. A second hat emerges from a pocket, and our gay apparel donned, we take a lovely bush Christmas portrait.

Life is magical.