Seek and he shall find: Melbourne dad tracks down Nova’s Jase & Lauren

A Melbourne dad has won $94,000 after cracking the secret location of Jase Hawkins, Lauren Phillips and Clint Stanaway in Nova 100’s Hide & Seek … relying solely on Google Maps and his sharp instincts to find them!

Charles, a father of two from Ormond, spent days chasing cryptic clues dropped live on air.

His final breakthrough came while scrolling through Google Street View.

On air, Charles said: “I was like an absolute madman… up all night Googling.”

“My wife’s been off work for the past year looking after our youngest … this money means I can take some time off myself and she can do the same.”

Here’s the full explanation behind the clues:

• “Play That Funky Music”: a nod to a once famous nearby nightclub
• “Narre Warren also has one, kind of”: Narre Warren has a Sandilands Court
• “It’s within 25kms of a Specsavers”: there is a Specsavers down the road
• “I love a big birthday celebration”: street number 16 is also a big birthday celebration
• “We are busy on school holidays”: a fake caravan business was set up at the address to throw off those walking past
• “Hold back the river”: the location was close to Albert Park Lake, a similar body of water
• “Jase bought his straightener”: hair tool brand Cloud Nine’s head office is around the corner
• “Are you buying what I’m selling?”: referencing the building’s past as a real estate office
• “What do Specsavers and 32 have in common?”: you divide both by 50%… to get Specsaver’s current sale and to get 16 from 32
• “You can call us Hitchy”: you hitch a caravan, alluding to the fake business
• “Keep an eye out for The Bont”: pointing to nearby dog parks
• “Is nonna making sushi for dinner?”: Nana’s Place restaurant is around the corner
• “If you’re lost, we can be found 22 minutes away”: pointing to Chadstone’s current exhibition Lost & Found
• “Before seven, not as far as eight”: placing them between turns 7 and 8 on the Melbourne F1 track
• “I need a new handbag”: also alludes to the F1 and Louis Vuitton’s current sponsorship
• “West is not Best”: the team’s hiding place was not in the West
• “We could walk to the footy in under an hour”: the team’s location was relatively close to the MCG
• “Where there is danger, lurks opportunity”: a city power box is located outside the address with a sign that reads ‘danger’

The game began with a $250,000 prize, which decreased by $1 every second until the hosts were found.

Jase & Lauren can be heard from 6am to 9am on Nova 100 in Melbourne. Listeners can stream the show live or catch up with the daily podcast by downloading the Nova Player.