Fireplace Traditional Geocache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(regular)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
A very difficult cache to approach - do not take this one on lightly. The rewards are great, but the pain may endure for days afterwards. It will take a a full day to achieve.
Before attempting this cache, you should go for 'I Tried for the Fireplace but...'. This allows you to assess the vastly more difficult goal of 'Fireplace' with the option of retreat, but with at least one cache under your belt.I almost called this one 'A Pint of Blood', because I literally lost plenty while setting the cache. The problem is not the steepness of the terrain, nor even the navigational difficulties: it is the undergrowth. The approach to the Fireplace is littered with shrubs, bushes and small trees, mostly dead. You can push through them, but the scatches and cuts, to say nothing of the effort, takes its toll.I'd recommend a winter attempt, which would allow you to wear trousers and long sleeves. I'd add good knee-length gaiters and thin leather gloves. You will need good footwear, preferably with some ankle support. I would also take a quality compass that will allow you to take bearings, and a map (1:25,000 Blowering 8527-2-S ), because once you are on the slopes it is very hard to keep an accurate track of your position. Eye protection, in the form of sunglasses, perhaps, will also be necessary. And please, take an emergency pack - some food, many elstoplasts, and at least two long wide crepe bandages. Check up on snake-bite first aid before you go. Your telephone will also be handy - there is full mobile signal all over the approaches.Take lots of water. I took only one litre and suffered deperately from lack of water. Apart from the waterfall that you will probably pass, there is very little water on the slopes. You will see plenty of wild-life. Brown and maybe tiger snakes, (that's why the gaiters are such a good idea), Lyre birds, possibly Mallee fowl, echidnas and of course kangaroos and wallaby. You'll curse if you forget your camera.When you reach the Firplace you'll find another log-book in plain view under the main rock. This has been there for many years. Please fill it in and replace it very carefully.The cache itself is deliberately easy to find (having got this far, I didn't want to exhaust you further). It is a clear plastic bottle with a red top, hidden only to protect it from casual, non-caching visitors. It contains the usual bits and pieces. The view from the Fireplace rivals any I have seen anywhere in Australia.From the base, it looks as though the easy way up is over the rocks, but unless you are a highly-skilled rock-climber, the rocks are too steep and too smooth to climb. You will have to use the gullies.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)