State’s biggest geocaching event on its way to Townsville
Date published: 23 February 2022
A high-tech treasure hunt will travel to Townsville in April when the Cache QLD Townsville Mega Event takes over Cluden Park with the support of a Townsville City Council grant.
This will be the first time that a mega geocaching event will be held north of Brisbane, and the three-day experience is slated to draw in more than 300 attendees.
Geocache players use GPS-enabled devices like phones and tablets to navigate towards and uncover hidden containers. These containers are hidden across the world, including 600 existing containers within 16km of Townsville’s CBD.
Mayor Jenny Hill said the unique event would be a benefit to Townsville’s geocaching community and for novices who wanted to try the activity out.
“Geocaching is a fun activity that combines tech and physical play, with players using a GPS-enabled device to lead them outdoors to find the hidden cache they’re chasing. This means players who attend the Townsville Mega Event will meet at Cluden Park but will travel to different areas of Townsville to find caches, increasing possible spend at local businesses,” Cr Hill said.
“This is a fun and innovative way to showcase Townsville to visitors who are new to the area, with geocachers being led to iconic Townsville spots as well as areas a little further off the beaten track and ideally recommending a visit to Townsville to their family and friends.”
Cr Hill said the Townsville business community would no doubt be grateful for the surge in visitors during the event weekend.
“Local businesses have been doing it tough for the last couple of years with floods and the pandemic, which is why every visitor we get into the city counts,” she said.
“We know that money spent at local businesses is reabsorbed into our city’s economy, and that’s why Council is continuing to support events like the Townsville Mega Event which drive tourists into our city and bolster sales in our local hospitality and tourism sector.”
The Cache QLD Townsville Mega Event grant of $10,300 was approved at today’s Townsville City Council meeting.
The event will run from 15 April to 17 April 2022 at Cluden Park.
