This cache has been hidden between St Arnaud and Navarre, between farms. Please respect the farming community, and drive at walking pace, not to disturb the sheep and other livestock.
I suggest driving at 20kph or slower when the bitumen runs out, watch out for traffic associated with farms, esp utes, and livestock transport trucks.
Cache:
- This cache is a small clip-lock container
- Make sure you bring your own pen
- This is a traditional cache, no tricks, nothing fancy.
Terrain:
- The Ararat- St Aranaud Road is well maintained.
- The tracks surrounding the property are single lane, dirt tracks.
- You will find plenty of room to park, near the posted co-ordinates
- The terrain is flat, mostly even, with some debris in the form of fallen branches and stumps
Parking:
- There is adequate parking close to GZ, pull off the tracks, allowing other traffic to pass.
- Don't make excessive noise.
- Don't disturb the sheep and other livestock.
Muggles:
- Local traffic, farmers.
- Dirt Bikes and Horse-riders
- Council workers performing maintenance.
- 4WDs, Utes, and Trucks associated with the local farms.
Other Hazards:
- Livestock, esp sheep
- Mozzies in wet weather
- Watch out for snakes in warmer weather, use a walking stick to tap the ground
- Watch out for kangaroos and walabies drive slow, esp at sunrise and sunset
--------------------------------
Said Hanrahan P.J. Hartigan ("John O’Brien")
"We’ll all be rooned," said Hanrahan
In accents most forlorn
Outside the church ere Mass began
One frosty Sunday morn.
The congregation stood about,
Coat-collars to the ears,
And talked of stock and crops and drought
As it had done for years.
"It’s lookin’ crook," said Daniel Croke;
"Bedad, it’s cruke, me lad
For never since the banks went broke
Has seasons been so bad."
"It’s dry, all right," said young O’Neil,
With which astute remark
He squatted down upon his heel
And chewed a piece of bark.
And so around the chorus ran
"It’s keepin’ dry, no doubt."
"We’ll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"Before the year is out.
"The crops are done; ye’ll have your work
To save one bag of grain;
From here way out to Back-O’-Bourke
They’re singin’ out for rain.
"They’re singin’ out for rain," he said,
"And all the tanks are dry."
The congregation scratched its head,
And gazed around the sky.
"There won’t be grass, in any case,
Enough to feed an ass;
There’s not a blade on Casey’s place
As I came down to Mass."
"If rain don’t come this month," said Dan,
And cleared his throat to speak –
"We’ll all be rooned," said Hanrahan, "
If rain don’t come this week."
A heavy silence seemed to steal
On all at this remark;
And each man squatted on his heel,
And chewed a piece of bark.
"We want an inch of rain, we do,"
O’Neil observed at last;
But Croke "maintained" we wanted two
To put the danger past.
"If we don’t get three inches, man,
Or four to break this drought,
We’ll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"Before the year is out."
In God’s good time down came the rain;
And all the afternoon
On iron roof and window-pane
It drummed a homely tune.
And through the night it pattered still,
And lightsome, gladsome elves
On dripping spout and window-sill
Kept talking to themselves.
It pelted, pelted all day long,
A-singing at its work,
Till every heart took up the song
Way out to Back-O’-Bourke.
And every creek a banker ran,
And dams filled overtop;
"We’ll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"If this rain doesn’t stop."
And stop it did, in God’s good time:
And spring came in to fold
A mantle o’er the hills sublime
Of green and pink and gold.
And days went by on dancing feet,
With harvest-hopes immense,
And laughing eyes beheld the wheat
Nid-nodding o’er the fence.
And, oh, the smiles on every face,
As happy lad and lass
Through grass knee-deep on Casey’s place
Went riding down to Mass.
While round the church in clothes genteel
Discoursed the men of mark,
And each man squatted on his heel,
And chewed his piece of bark.
"There’ll be bush-fires for sure, me man,
There will, without a doubt;
We’ll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"Before the year is out."