Great Aussie Icon Hunt # 5.8
Round and round they go, and have done such in Australia for almost 2 centuries.
Yes I’m talking about the Windmill – an Aussie Icon seen all over Australia.
Windmill – Aussie Icon
This is one of a series of great Aussie Icon hunts. Travelling around Australia you undoubtedly see windmills: Dead ones, Rusted ones, High ones, Spinning ones, Coloured ones, Huge ones, all seen along the roadside, adjacent farm houses, along river banks, in gullies, in country town parks, in museums, in fact wherever…
This series of geocaches is designed to help you when travelling around Australia, by breaking up the trip, and to discover a bit of a history lesson as you seek windmills in locations with a written history of the windmill and/or local region adjacent.
With each of these trips, I’ll be giving the actual coordinates of some of the relevant windmills along the route – you then have to visit them enroute and determine the vital statistics and any other required info at the location. This will then be put into a formula to determine the final location of the cache. All windmills are accessible by car (no bush bashing required), they are all just a few metres off the highway, or in the centre of towns you will pass through, eg town parks. If there is limited access (to the base of the windmill) due to the time of day a park closes, I’ll mention that for the relevant windmill. All can be easily seen from road though.
Street view could be useful .........
Use that (& your time machine) and all is revealed, 100%.
In many of the windmills, you will be required to count the number of blades on the fan. This will be difficult to impossible depending on the strength of the wind.
Therefore, a digital camera IS ESSENTIAL.
These windmill hunts are in pairs, one from each state’s/territory’s capital city to Canberra, and one separate return hunt. So, for this particular hunt, the “return” is "Great Aussie Icon Hunt # 8" – Darwin to Canberra
GC63GEV - Great Aussie Icon Hunt # 8.
Now onto this particular geocache:
CANBERRA to DARWIN
Windmill A1
S 35º 17.600 E149º 07.265
A Simplex windmill from Kenya station in central Queensland (110km Nth of Longreach) was relocated here in 2011. This Simplex windmill was made by the Intercolonial Boring Company in Brisbane in the 1920s. It provided water for stock on Kenya station.
The windmill is now part of the National Museum’s National Historical Collection. It was donated by John and Pamela Seccombe and taken apart on Kenya before being moved to Canberra – from Kenya station.
The windmill formed (& still does form) part of the National Museum’s National Historical Collection. It was dismantled in the museum in late 2023 due to the space being used for a further mezzanine level of displays. However, you can locate the windmill online by appropriate searching.
AA = number of blades. AB = number of metres high minus 10. The windmill stood on Kenya station in central Queensland for more than XX years. AC = XX-61. AD = number of legs on the windmill tower plus 1. It provided water for stock on Kenya until the year 198? AE = half the final year digit.
Windmill A2
S 35º 39.855 E 148º 59.328
Number of blades = AK. Number of steps on the ladder = AF. Number of legs = AG.
Windmill A3
S 35º 09.811 E 149º 07.737
Looking at one side of the tail, Number of bolts holding the tail PLUS the number of letters in the word = AH. Number of blades – 2 = AI. Numeric value of the 4th letter in the word on the tail = AJ.
Location of next windmill
S 3(AJ-AF-AD)º (AD-AE) (AG-AB+AI) . (AC-AF-AD) (AK-AF-AG) (1)
E 1(AF-AB)(AA-AJ-AI)º (AG) (AC-AF-AE) . (AE) (AA-AJ) (4)
Windmill B
Number of blades on Monsieur Hall = BA. Diameter = BB ft. BC steps on the ladder. BD legs.
Number of blades on Señor Jones = BE. Diameter = BF ft. BG steps on the ladder, not counting the platform. BH screws holding each blade.
Location of next windmill
S 3(BB-1)º (BF-BD) (AG-AI) . (BG-AD) (BE-AF-1) (9)
E 14(AF-BF)º (AK-BE-1) (BB-BH) . (BA-BC-AA+1) (BF) (8)
Windmill C
Number of blades = CA. Number of legs = CB. On the tail, if Comet CC=1, if the local town’s name CC=3, if Southern Cross CC=5, if Bryan Colac CC=7. Check out the info at the base of the windmill – “Fire can quickly destroy vast areas of suitable habitat requiring maybe ## years ….and 30 - && years for the habitat ….”. ## = CD, && = CE.
Location of next windmill
S 3(CA-BA)º (AJ-CD) (BC-BD+1) . (CE-CA-CB) (BD+CB) (4)
E 13(BG-CC-1)º (CD-BC) (CA-AA-BB-1) . (CD-CC-AI) (BB) (0)
Windmill D
Number of blades = DA. On the tail there is 3 words – Numeric value of the 1st letter of the 1st word = DB, numeric value of the 1st letter of the 2nd word = DC, numeric value of the 1st letter of the 3rd word = DD. Date windmill was built here – dd/mm/yy, dd=DE, mm=DF, yy=DG. (at base of windmill)
Location of next windmill
S 2(DB-CD+1)º (BG-BF) (DD-AI) . (CB-AI+1) (CE-DA+2) (5)
E 13(BF-DC)º (DE-AJ) (DG-DA-CA-CD) . (CD-DF) (BE-BB) (1)
Windmill E
Number of blades = EA. Number of legs = EB. Number of “X”’s forming the tower structure = EC. Number of wooden wagon wheels in this enclosed area = ED.
NOTE: If the windmill has been stolen, EA = number of spokes in the metal wagon wheel minus 3. EB = 2 if the wooden wagon wheels are brown, 3 if they are red, 4 if they are white, 5 if they are green. EC = 7 if the fence the METAL wagon wheel is leaning on is red, 8 if green, 9 if cream, 10 if dark blue.
Location of next windmill
S 2(EC-CC)º (DF-ED) (ED) . (DA-CA) (EC-EB) (3)
E 13(CD-EA)º (EA-BB) (ED-AI+DD) . (EA-DC) (EB-1) (9)
Windmill F
Number of blades = FA. Number of metal platforms = FB. Number of wooden platforms = FC. If Comet FD=3, if Southern Cross FD=5, if Yellow Tail FD=7. Number of ladders = FE. Number of bolts used at the base of each leg = FF.
Location of next windmill
S 2(FF-FE-1)º (EC-EB) (FD-FC) . (DB-FA) (FD) (2)
E 13(BF-BH)º (FD-FB) (FC-FE) . (EA-FD) (FD-2) (7)
Windmill G
Number of blades = GA. Number of legs = GB. On the tail, numeric value of the 6th letter = GC. Numeric value of the last letter = GD. Predominant colour of tail = ??. Numeric value of the 1st letter of this colour ?? = GE, numeric value of the 2nd letter of this colour ?? = GF.
Location of next windmill
S 2(EA-GD+1)º (GC-DD+1) (GE-GA+2) . (GA-FA) (FA-GF-2) (7)
E 13(GE-DE+1)º (DC-FB) (GF-GC-1) . (GA-GD-1) (ED) (4)
Windmill H
Number of blades = HA. Number of steps on the ladder = HB. If Comet HC=3, if Southern Cross HC=5, if Bryan Colac HC=7. Find the tag on the windmill for the “RN number”. RN=abc. Make a=HD, b=HE, c=HF.
Location of next windmill
S 2(HC-GB)º (HD-HF) (HE) . (HB-HE) (FD) (0)
E 13(HB-AF-2)º (EA-HA-HB+2) (HD) . (GF-1) (GD-HF) (2)
Windmill I
Number of blades = IA. Number of steps on the ladder = IB. Bore Identification number = abc, make a=IC, b=ID, c=IE. It’s a Comet, so no need to ask if a Comet, Southern Cross etc, but it is a what pattern? Numeric value of the letter pattern = IF. About 30m behind the windmill there is a drinking trough, how many cattle can drink here at one time? I have no idea, but I thought you might. How many bays/sections is this trough made of (even number) = IG.
Location of next windmill
S 1(IA-IB-HF)º (IE-IC) (IB-HB+ED) . (IF-ID) (IG-IF) (1)
E 13(ID)º (IC) (IG-ID) . (HB-HE) (HA) (8)
Windmill J
Number of blades = JA. On the pump in the middle of the windmill there is a “SYPHON PUMP”. Under these words is a single digit number, = JB. Numeric value of the 1st letter on the tail = JC. Numeric value of the 2nd letter on the tail = JD. Numeric value of the last letter on the tail = JE. The curved platform has how many “ledges”, =JF.
Location of next windmill
S 1(JE-CD)º (DA-JA-IC) (IE) . (JF) (JE-BC) (7)
E 13(IE-ID+FE)º (IA-IG-JE) (JE-IG) . (JC-JD-IG) (JB-HF) (2)
Windmill K
Number of blades = KA. Number of teeth in the LARGE sprocket looking thingy on the swinging gate = KB. Number of long cylindrical steel pipes making up the grid = KC. KD=20, KE=11, KF=23.
S 1(KF-KD)º (KE-KB) (KA-2) . (KC-JB-1) (KF-KB-KC-1) (5)
E 13(KD-JE-1)º (HE) (KE-KA-1) . (KD-JE) (KF-BE) (6)
Windmill L
Number of blades = LA. Number of platforms = LB. Number of bolts holding down each leg = LC. If Southern Cross LD=2, if Comet LD=3, if Metters LD=4, if Bryan Colac LD=5. Number of legs = LE.
Location of next windmill
S 1(KC-LC)º (KF-KD-1) (LA-KF) . (LB-1) (LC) (2)
E 13(LA-JA)º (LC-1) (IG-ID) . (KD-KB-LD) (LC-LE+1) (9)
Windmill M
Number of blades = MA. Number of legs = MB. Number of tanks at base = MC. If Bryan Colac MD=4, if Southern Cross MD=5, if Comet MD=6. Number of concentric rings forming the fan and connecting the blades = ME.
Location of next windmill
S 1(ME)º (MB-ME) (LC+1) . (JE-KE) (JC-IG) (0)
E 13(MD-MB-1)º (LC-1) (MA-JC) . (MB) (EA-EB+1) (0)
Windmill N
Number of blades = NA. Number of concentric rings attaching the blades together = NB (Note: View the windmills on the corner of the building, the one above the three large red words)
Cache is located at:
S 35º NP.QRS
E 14Tº VW.XYZ
Where
N = (GE-KB-BG+FC)
P = (NA-EA+IC-LB)
Q = (LA+KF-DA-HB-ME)
R = (GA-CD+KE-JD)
S = (BF+AG+LE-IG-DD)
T = (DG-CE-BA-AK+EC+FB)
V = (AA-FA-MC)
W = (DB-DC-BC+NB)
X = (CA-JA-MD+BB)
Y = (DE-MA+HA+AE-ED)
Z = (IA-AJ+EB-GD)
Finally, as with all windmills, from time to time a blade may fall off and you may see the windmill before it is replaced. So, count how many blades should be there. (unless told otherwise).
Feel free also to contact me beforehand and/or on route to confirm details or any other query you may have on the way, or to be prepared. Remember, when plotting the location of the next windmill, it is generally on a main highway or in a town somewhere, never off in the bush or beyond the black stump. There may be the occasional wind farm.