What's the collective noun for a group of witches? A gaggle? A flock? A broom? An occurrence? A discovery?
Whatever the grouping nomenclature, six such Wiccans of the wicked-west variety, and one good witch of the east, were spotted braving the dismally wet weather on Saturday (a very brave feat, given the Wicked Witch's famous propensity for melting) scouring the area outside City Hall in an apparent hunt.
Of course, we're not sure what exactly they were hunting for, but presumably, it had something to do with a shoe-thieving Kansan and her yappy little dog (of course, Topics is on the side of the witches; Dorothy dropped a house on one of them - clearly, the kid needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of Munchkin law).
The group explained that they were on a treasure hunt called the Oz Experience - an online scavenger hunt run by an outfit called Questo. Players are sent clues via their phones and traverse the city in costume to solve the puzzle and complete the story.
Details about the event are somewhat strangely thin as the company that apparently organises the hunts provides only a vague suggestion that players solve "witty puzzles and complete fun challenges" wrapped around a story based on the original The Wonderful Wizard of Oz novel by L. Frank Baum.
The grey areas - and a slightly suspicious amount of AI art that floods the Questo website - have sent some in the nichey corners of the internet on a bit of a scavenger hunt for the hunters, with some of the more sceptical drawing links to that viral Willy Wonka event that infamously redefined the term "underwhelming".
Still, the local witches decked out with signature green complexions and all-black attire were in high spirits when they met Herald photographer Peter Lorimer on the steps of City Hall on Saturday morning.
The Questo website boats more than 400,000 players in over 60 countries. Groups are encouraged to dress up as their favourite characters from the film and set out to solve the puzzle as they cross their hometown.
One TikTokker who goes by the handle "TheOzVlog" described the event as an "outdoor/puzzle solving game/escape room type thing", and another called "OzianLife" who quested in search of the organisers described a looping journey from event listing to event listing online.
"Most of what I've gathered has come from those who have done events from them in the past," the creator posted, "but it appears to be a geocaching scavenger hunt where all the clues and rewards are virtual. If you follow the clues and make it to the right location, it progresses the story for you."
In that respect, the Questo event seems reminiscent of the Pokemon Go craze of a few years back, around 2016, when countless players took to the streets chasing critters that popped up in their augmented reality mobile phone app.
Questo was selling "tickets" to access its content for the Newcastle hunt for a marked-down price of $55 online at the weekend, which it said bought a team of between two and six players access to the list of locations that would be sent by email. The game started any time after 10am, ended at 4pm, and took around 90 minutes to complete.
According to the event's online listing, there was also a costume contest for those who dressed up.
Single mum seeks new love
Conservation organisation Aussie Ark spent Mother's Day at the weekend trying to find an eligible suitor for their hand-raised potoroo, Dandarah, in hopes of working a bit of matchmaker magic to create a little family.
Last breeding season Aussie Ark wanted her to connect with her 'wild side' and she was introduced to her very first boyfriend, the dashing long-nosed potoroo Fredrick, conservationists at the Ark said in a statement.
Dandarah proved herself an excellent mother, producing and raising sweet joey Pippin who is now weaned and living independently. Frederick, meanwhile, has been released to "sow his wild oats in the Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary, leaving Dandarah a little bit lonely," the Ark said.
Wildlife Ranger Hugh Jones, assisted by operations manager Dean Reid, introduced Dandarah to her second boyfriend called Bellaphon. He was born and bred in the Ark's Species Recovery Unit and selected because of his excellent genetics.
"And he's officially single," Mr Jones said. "They seemed to be calm, a little intrigued with each other, and we're very excited to see how they do in the future."
C'est l'amour
