2020-05-29 -37 144

Location

In a Melbourne CBD laneway bar.

Participants

Felix Dance

Expedition

Every day one of the first things I do when I get up is check the geohash locations. So it is greatly surprising to me that I managed to get all the way through the day and into the evening completely unaware that there was a rare, perfectly placed geohash waiting right nearby.

It was after dinner when I found out. I jumped on my bike and rode into the city, taking some odd routes I hadn't thought through. After riding down the central Elizabeth Street I got off my bike and walked through the Postal Lane behind the General Post Office.

Because of all the Coronavirus stuff - you know what I'm talking about - the laneway was virtually empty. Usually it's bustling with evening-goers and out-and-abouters. Tonight the gates were open and the tables were all set out, with wait-staff cleaning cutlery in the kitchen, but no punters.

I walked my bike past all the carefully placed al-fresco tables as I approached the hash. Unfortunately, the large stone edifice of the General Post Office on one side and the Myers department store on the other leaves only about a 5m chasm between them which forces out the GPS signal. I could see from the satellite view on Google Maps that I was directly over the geohash but the closest I could get my reading was 5.2m.

As I was wobbling around with my phone out trying to get the signal to co-operate the publican came up to me and started speaking to me in a familiar manner. He was a large, affable man in a suit jacket who carried an air of dejection and misery, or at least a forced bonhomie that made him seem that way. He didn't seem to be interested in what I was doing or why I was there. He invited me to sit down and gave me a beer. I offered to pay for it but he refused - probably, I now realise, because that would be violating the Covid restrictions.

It's a satisfying geohash that involves drinking a free beer (a Sample Pale Ale) at the actual hash location inside a public bar despite being ostensibly closed to the public. It could also be a déjà vu geohash since I had been on a date at this exact spot many years ago.

I kept my phone on in case the signal got me closer to my nominated 5m and it continued to bounce around a fair bit but never improved. It's okay though - I can call it a success because I know I was actually at the real location.

Soon after my beer I thanked the beer-profferer, picked up my bike and walked out, continuing through to the other side of the laneway. I rode home to congratulate myself by the fire on a very enjoyable geohash - one that I could easily have missed and regretted for years.

Here is a route of my trip.