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Watson Wander Multi-cache

Hidden : 11/21/2014
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
2.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:


This (rather long) multi cache is designed to take you for a wander through some of the historical spots in Watsons Bay, provide a little histortical knowledge as well as provide a nice little hide at the end. We did this as a walk on a fairly hot day, with some of the finest beaches in the harbour providing a good spot for a dip. I estimate that the walk will take about an hour if you are in a hurry, but I recommend to take your time, have a swim, eat some lunch and enjoy this experience. The 2.5 terrain is really there for the distance if you walk as it is a couple of kilometers. If you choose to drive, it probably is only 1.5 terrain. As I know the cache is quite long, I have attempted to make the multi as easy as possible, there are not mathematical quantum leaps, in fact there is only one mathematical operation which is to add 1 to a number. Enough rabbling, this is what you need:

WP1 is positioned at an important lighthouse on South Head. This lighthouse is the typical white and red stripy one. In the year ABCD it changed to an electric powered beacon.

WP2 was the lightstation house in what I think is a better position than The Lodge at Kiribilli! Certainly an enviable spot to live! This structure was completed in 1858 for EFGH pounds.

WP3 is on a large cannon which at one stage was ready to fire onto any enemy vessel entering the harbour. This one may be a little hard to find as it is quite small, but the number IJKL is located on the face of the barrel.

WP4 Especially important to many of us as it is where Australia’s first governor landed back in 1788. This plaque has ‘M’ of the letter U on it.

WP5 Now more than halfway! This location is today a small park but was once a site that fed the new nation. In NOPQ was a fishery for Sydney’s population.

WP6 Bit of a walk from wp5 to wp6, but the views are great, especially if you are a visitor to the area. Somehow, someone hauled the anchor from the Dunbar, which ran aground RST yards from this site. Add 1 to R and call this new number Z.

WP7 A large sandstone wall commemorates the occasion when this area was given to Robert Watson. In some ways it would have been a bit of a slap in the face as this area was in the middle of nowhere with bushrangers on the track from Sydney and some unhappy locals in the early days. However, it was through land grants like this which opened up Australia, and a large lump of land meant power as you owned and could farm large areas of land. Write down the first date (UVWX) on the western side of this wall.

WP8 The last waypoint before the cache! If you thought that the cache walk was long, it is still another ‘Y’ miles to Sydney! I think that we can all be grateful that we don’t have to travel by horse and cart like the people did at the time this marker was made!

Final cache: The cache is at S33º 5M.KFC E151º 1Z.WYQ .This is less than 500m away from the last waypoint, in a spot which has more aesthetic than historical significance, but was in need of a cache. The cache is, well, unique. Not quite a home made one, but still fairly creative. The container is about 1 litre in size, and it is best to search for the container at ground level. I hope that you enjoy the Watson Wander!

Happy Caching!!!

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Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Tebhaq yriry, terra yvq, qverpgyl va sebag bs erq/oebja oevpx va jnyy.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)