University of Melbourne Scavenger Hunt
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The University of Melbourne Scavenger Hunt is a scavenger hunt held once a year at the University of Melbourne in Melbourne, Australia. It is one of the largest events of its kind in the world; though the University of Chicago's Scav Hunt claims to be the largest, Melbourne's has recently had an increase in team participation and number of items with the 2004 and 2005 events consisting of 15 different teams of anywhere between 5 to 60 people. This annual event takes place in and around the University of Melbourne, Australia, during "Prosh Week" and involves participants or "scavengers" locating a wide range of items. As with most Scavenger hunts, items (assigned various point values) are released in the form of a long list at a fixed time on the day of the hunt. The Scavenger Hunt and Prosh Week generally take place during the third week of second semester, at a similar time to Green Week, which is the equivalent event at the cross-town rival Monash University.
Points are allocated based on the difficulty of obtaining the item, the embarrassment associated with obtaining the item, and in some cases the illegality of the item in question. The list of general items is usually about 300-400 long with additional photos, videos, kidnaps, lecture stunts and miscellaneous additions expanding the total to well over 500. Other events, occurring throughout the week, also contribute towards the teams' total points including: boat races, the billy cart race, an iron gut competition, jelly wrestling, a midnight construction event, a procession through the city of Melbourne, nude Olympics and many more.
Teams may enter as either a large team (greater than 20 people) or a small team (fewer than 20 people) and two different winners cups are awarded, one for both the large team with the highest total points and one for the small team with the highest number of points. Judges of the event are selected from the winning and second placed large teams and the winning small team, there are generally 6 in total (3 from winning large, 2 from second large and 1 from winning small team).
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[edit] Past results and rivalries
In recent years, science and engineering students have enjoyed a fierce rivalry in the large teams' competition. For the past four years the small teams' competition have been dominated by the Frotters, a team from the nearby Queen's College.
| Team Name | Year | External link |
|---|---|---|
| Team Terrorist | 2006 | |
| Frotters | 2005 | |
| Frotters | 2004 | |
| Potato Donkeys | 2000 | |
| Phobos | 1999 | |
| CLINT (FOUL/Engineering Music Society) | 1998 | Website |
| Team Cyril | 1997 | |
| Potato Donkeys | 1996 |
| Team Name | Year | External link |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering Donkeys | 2006 | Website |
| Science | 2005 | Website |
| Science | 2004 | Website |
| Engineers | 2003 | Website |
| Science | 1997 | |
| II (Infinite Images Roleplaying Club) | 1996 |
[edit] Past Judges
| Year | Judge Name | Real Name | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Nick Haslett | Science | |
| 2000 | Judge Porn | Glenn Fry | Engineering |
| 2000 | Karen | II | |
| 2000 | Emma Carter | Phobos | |
| 1999 | Judge Devo | Steve | Science |
| 1999 | Judge Green | Mike Lindsay | Science |
| 1999 | Rob deMaid | Science | |
| 1999 | Judge Absent | Trent | Science |
| 1999 | Judge ? | Geoffrey Menon | Infinite Images |
| 1999 | Judge Not Elvis | Andrew Finegan | CLINT |
| 1998 | Judge Bert | Science | |
| 1998 | Judge Ernie | Science | |
| 1998 | Judge Ron | Rhiannon | Science |
| 1998 | Alex | Science | |
| 1998 | Euan Lindsay | II | |
| 1998 | Judge Judy | Paul Howell | Cyril |
| 1997 | Judge Zaphod | Jarrod Abbot | II |
| 1997 | Josh Orth | II | |
| 1997 | Judge DJ | Russel Irvine | II |
| 1997 | Judge Kitty | Kate | II |
| 1997 | Judge HotDog | St Hilda's College | |
| 1997 | Judge Yols | Yolanda | Potato Donkeys |
[edit] Prosh Week Events
[edit] Trivia
The annual trivia night is an opportunity for Teams to bond together in a meeting of the minds,lubed by copious amounts of beer it is is the perfect introductory event to Prosh Week. Recent Trivia's have included 'Video-oke' (participants have to comically re-enact scenes from popular movies), the contentious '101 Dick Tricks' and 'Wet T-shirt'/'Wet Jocks' competitions and the requisite trivia questions covering topics as diverse as 'Australian Flora & Fauna' to 'Which movie is this Arnie Quote from?'! All participating teams receive points towards their team's total.
[edit] Billy-cart Race
Teams build their own billy-carts, the only design rules being that there are no brakes, at least three wheels and only the driver is allowed to steer. The billy-cart can be pushed by a maximum of two team members at any one time. Large teams are encouraged to volunteer their services as marshalls to control traffic and avoid any significant mishaps. The circuit covers the scenic route around the university consisting of an uphill section past Wilson Hall, numerous blind-corners and the inevitable obstruction of unwary students. Points are awarded for the final results as well as for the most ingenious design.
[edit] Boat Races
The 2006 Boat Races took the form of a Regatta comprising of the following events:
- "Cock-less Pairs"
- (A pot[1] of beer and a pot of Bacardi Breezer (or similar) each)
- Two female participants from each team. The event was so-named because because only women can enter.
- Quad Scull
- (1 pot each plus a pint for the anchor)
- This classic event has four participants in each team, with at least one female team member.
- Dragon Boat Race
- (2 pots each plus a pint for the anchor)
- The maiden voyage of this event occurred in 2006. The event has eight participants in each team, with at least one female team member. Each participant has two pots to complete, starting at the anchor. When the scull reaches the last person, they start on their second pot and work back towards the anchor who sculls his second pot and finishes off with a pint.
- Single Scull
- (JUG)
- This highly-skilled individual craft has proven very competitive at every Prosh Week. Over twenty people competed in the 2006 event. Judges attempted to curb numbers by requiring participants to stand on top of tables with their pants around their ankles. One student reportedly completed the single scull in the nude.[citation needed]
[edit] Iron-gut Competition
One member of each team is forced to eat a repulsive concoction of foods and beverages as quickly as possible without vomiting. Dishes such as cubes of lard mixed with olives, and milkshakes with fish oil and chicken stock, are typical examples.
[edit] Procession/Protest
An annual tradition involves a procession down Swanston Street, passing RMIT, the State Library of Victoria and Parliament House, Melbourne. The 2003 theme was a "protest against protesting" with such slogans as "What do we want? Nothing! When do we want it? Whenever!" and "Land Rights for Gay Whales!"[2]. Other recent processions have included a mass fake funeral, pyjama party and toga party.
[edit] Paper Airplane Competition
Another old tradition, which has since fallen by the wayside, has been the Paper Airplane Competition. This was traditionally held in the Masson Theatre, located in the Chemistry Building, due to the vertiginous heights of the lecture theatre's seats, and the near-vertical grade of the stairs. As it was the perfect lecture theatre for paper planes during classes, it was formalised into the competition. Unfortunately, lecturers soon objected to the competition being held during their classes, so it was, in later years, held on the balcony of the then-Coffee Lounge/UBar. Points were awarded for accuracy in throwing the paper airplane, as well as creativity in the pilot's costume.
[edit] Nude Olympics
Traditionally held at around midnight on the South Lawn (although they have been known to have been held in the underground carpark), the main rule of the nude olympics is that you must be nude. Any observers must also be nude. Games played have often varied, but old favourites are poison ball and scarecrow tiggy. Teams are given participation points, as well as points for creating the largest nude human pyramid.
[edit] Notable events, items and occasions
Previous items include: An over engineered computer controlled vibrator[3] [4]:USB/bluetooth/Solar powered/UDP/TCPIP encouraged bonus points for it being really cool and if we can keep it for `research purposes’. 500, up to 6969 points. Completed - minus solar panels.
Famous kidnaps include comedian Graham Kennedy from the 1950s[5][6]
[edit] Scavenger hunt in the news
A 2005 activity to create a pot glass full of semen with bonus points for drinking it[7] offended many students, leading to complaints in a national newspaper. Other 2005 activities included dressing as Adolf Hitler, photographing a garden gnome with child pornography[8] and attempting to kidnap members of the Australian Universities Qualities Agency.[9] In 2003, a student on a scavenger hunt offered an office worker sexual favours in return for a souvenir Rolling Stones badge after a concert.[10]
[edit] References
- ^ Pot (Australian English) A glass of beer. Size varies regionally but is normally 10 fl oz (285 ml).
- ^ "Scav-related Absurdity!", 'The Age', September 2, 2003.
- ^ "An over-engineered Vibrator", 'Slashdong.org', August 30, 2005.
- ^ "How I over-engineered a Vibrator" 'Dave's blog', August 30, 2005.
- ^ "ABC article with a brief quote talking about Graham Kennedy being kidnapped" 'ABC', May 25, 2005.
- ^ "Actual Real Media file of Bill Bailey talking about the kidnap" 'ABC', May 25, 2005.
- ^ "Uni scavenger hunt 'offensive, sexist'" 'The Age', November 10, 2005.
- ^ "Dipso facto" 'The Age', February 20, 2006.
- ^ "Prosh Prank" 'The Age', Education: Notebook, September 5, 2005.
- ^ "Fun defined by degrees of debauchery." 'The Age', Insight, March 1, 2003.
