The North hills on Lord Howe Island offer some of the best views and not having enough containers for a cache at each waypoint I decided to make it a multi - a long one! The total length to walk is probably couple of kilometres but there are a few steep sections, through fairly sun exposed bushland, but after every hill comes a good view at the top to make it all worth while.
There is plenty of history in this area which i'm sure you will learn along the way.
On your journey you will walk passed thousands of birds, such as; the red-tailed tropic bird & wideawakes (sooty tern), that you will get so close to that you could pick them up - Please don't do this as they are most likely nesting in the long grass, sand dunes or cliff faces
RAAF Catalina Flying Boat A24-381 Crash:
After this horrifying accident resulting in 7 RAAF members death, the wreckage of the plane was never removed and still sits on the hillside today.
Malabar:
Red tailed Tropic Birds, gracefully performing their airborne courting rituals are common sightings from Malabar between September and May. The spectacular cliffs in the area drop straight down in to the ocean below so be careful if you have young children.
Kims Lookout:
Kim's Lookout is one of my favourite spots on the island primarily because the view is just so amazing! The Lookout is named after Kim Morris who was a young man who also loved coming to this spot. His cause of death is unknown but a plaque has been placed up here in memory of him.
North Bay:
North Bay is only accessible by foot or boat and is a fantastic place to take the family for a picnic. There a great facilities here including BBQ's, Picnic tables, and tank water suitable for drinking. The snorkelling here is top notch with many fish, colourful coral and turtles. Along the beach are thousands of Wideawakes which lay in the sand dunes and are immensely loud and smelly.
Snorkelers can also explore the wreck of the Favourite, which has rested on the ocean floor since 1965.
Tracks from here lead to Old Gulch and the Herring Pools <--- a must visit, Mt Eliza (a unusually shaped mountain which resembles a shark fin. You can climb to the top if this, but during the Summer months access to the top is closed due to all the nesting sea birds.)
The Cache:
The cache can be found at S 31 30.ABC E 159 02.DEF
WP1 will take you to the site where the RAAF Catalina hit the hill and there will be a plaque comemerating this event. Using this plaque answer the following questions:
According to the plaque how many crew members were on board when it crashed? = A
WP2 is on top of Malabar where you will find a wooden sign.
How far is it to Ned's Beach?
- If 1.5km B will = 7
- If 1.2km B will = 6
- If 1.1km B will = 1
The elevation of Malabar is 20?m - The missing number will = C
WP3 is Kims Lookout. Once again you shall find a plaque.
D = How old Kim was when he died, divided by 4
The date of his death is 2?/4/67, ? = E
WP4 takes you to the shelter at North Bay, on the side of the shelter you will find a sign talking about the North Bay Sancturary Zone
How many people can be seen snorkelling on the sign? = F
Enjoy the final walk to GZ, some good views can be seen nearby. Probably not as amazing as some of the other views seen along the walk, but still a worthy finish to the cache.
Make sure you bring a good pair of walking shoes, a camera, plenty of water and a snorkel if you feel like going for a swim at the end.
Once again a BIG thankyou to my Nan who has agreed to look after and maintain the cache for me. If there are any issues please tell me so I can send on the message to get everthing back in order.
ENJOY!!
