Ferry McFerrycache
"Fred Hollows"
Emerald Class Ferry - The first to go into service
In November 2014, the Government of New South Wales announced six new ferries would be ordered for use on Sydney Harbour. In September 2015, the contract to build the Emerald Class ferries was awarded to Incat, an Australian company located in Tasmania. The first ferry was expected to enter service in late 2016.
However, the entry into service was delayed due to problems uncovered during testing that required modifications to the vessel. A ferry named Fred Hollows, (the famous eye surgeon), was the first ferry to enter service, commencing operations on 26th June, 2017. The introduction of the Emerald class ferries allowed the final two “Lady” class ferries to be withdrawn in October 2017.
The sixth ferry was delivered carrying the name Emerald 6. Transport for NSW caused a lot of controversy when it was announced the new ferry would be renamed Ferry McFerryface. Some loved it, while others hated the name. The Maritime Union of Australia refused to crew the vessel in protest at the name. It eventually entered service in December 2017 named Emerald 6 with a Ferry McFerryface sticker below the bridge. In January 2018, following revelations that the name wasn't a public vote winner but selected by the Transport Minister, it was renamed May Gibbs after the Australian author of children's stories.
Each Emerald class ferry has capacity for up to 400 passengers and a speed of 26 knots, (around 50km/h) and operates on the Cross Harbour Ferry Services covering the areas of Circular Quay, Darling Harbour, Balmain, Lavender Bay, Rose Bay, Watsons Bay and even Manly. The ferries are designed to look similar to the First Fleet class vessels that continue to serve our harbour so well. There are two inside decks with comfortable seats as well as outside areas where you can enjoy the wind in your face and take great photos of the harbour. Also, there's free wifi onboard and free charging stations for your mobile devices.
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This cache requires you to go for a ride on six specific Emerald class ferries. The ferries are named Bungaree, Pemulwuy, Fred Hollows, Catherine Hamlin, Victor Chang and May Gibbs. It's possible that not all ferries will operate on a particular day so it's a matter of pot luck as to which ferries are working. Although you can board these ferries at a number of wharves around the harbour, the best place to begin your geocaching adventure would be Circular Quay and see which of the six ferries comes in first, then board that ferry and go for a ride to wherever it may take you. The cheapest days to travel are Saturday, Sunday and public holidays when all adult fares are capped at $8.05 no matter how many ferry, bus, train or light rail trips you make. Child and concession fares are capped at $4.00. Of course, if you are a Senior or Pensioner, every day is capped at $2.50. To travel, you will need an Opal Card with sufficient credit to cover the fares. Also, you can use a contactless credit or debit card or linked device.
On each ferry, look for some information about the vessel’s name. Use this information to calculate the value as indicated below. I suggest you check your answers carefully as it could be quite easy to make a mistake.
I've given this cache a 4 star difficulty rating as you may have trouble finding the right ferry, at the right time, on the right day, at the right location. I'm expecting multiple visits may be needed to complete this cache. Also, some of the calculations may prove a challenge.
Tips - Each capital letter below represents a two, three or four digit number. Count any hyphenated words as two separate words.
This is what you need to find......
Bungaree
A = The year Bungaree demonstrated a return boomerang
B = All the individual number digits from the text added together
(E.g. 26th February, 1798. Therefore 2+6+1+7+9+8=33)
Pemulwuy
C = The year stated in the second column of text, fourth line
D = The number of words in the left column of text, excluding numbers
Fred Hollows
E = The total number of letters in the names of all the countries Fred visited
F = The total number of words in the text that begin with a vowel (a,e,i,o,u)
Victor Chang
G = The year associated with a St Vincents Hospital program
H = The number of words in the text beginning with a lower case letter
Catherine Hamlin
J = Number of years Catherine Hamlin devoted her life to maternal healthcare
K = The number of capital letters in the text including the heading
May Gibbs
L = Number of years May Gibbs lived beside Sydney Harbour
M = All the numbers in the information on the wall added together
(E.g. Lived for 87 years. Married in 1912. Died 1958. Therefore 87+1912+1958=3957)
Complete the following:
A + C + E + G + J + L = Emerald
B + D + F + H + K + M = Ferry
Now, work out the next calculations and enter your solution into the GeoChecker where, if you are correrct, further information to find the cache will be given. And yes, the coordinates are for the northern hemisphere!
North (Emerald - 5710)° (Ferry + 9378)
East (Emerald - 5618)° (Ferry + 1841)
(Don't forget to place the decimal point!)
Good luck and I hope you enjoy tripping around our glorious Sydney Harbour on these great ferries.
Ferry McFerryface - Now called "May Gibbs"
**Special Note**
One of the ferries is named after Catherine Hamlin AC, MBBS, FRCS, FRANZCOG, FRCOG.
On the 18th March, 2020, Catherine Hamlin passed away after a lifetime of medical service. She was 96 years of age.
To see a newspaper article on her amazing life, click on the following link.
(FYI - You'll still need to ride the ferry to gather the information you seek.)
'Treasured' Mother of Ethiopia
**Thanks to Jackscruff for the newsapaper article on Catherine Hamlin.
**Thanks to Rama497 for a great cache name!
Sources: Wikipedia - Emerald Class Ferry, Transport for NSW - Sydney's Ferry Fleet
FTF Honours
Baktrak
The Ferry Master!!
Did you know that NSW has a geocaching association? Geocaching NSW aims to enhance and improve the activity of geocaching and holds regular events where geocachers meet to enjoy their common interests. Visit the association website here.