May we suggest that you please use hand sanitiser before and after finding this cache - thanks 😊 Welcome to GJMMelb's 4th Cache and the 2nd in our book series.
The first in our Hooked on Books series is Hooked on Books 1 - Artemis Fowl GC23G8X
The third in our Hooked on Books series is Hooked on Books 3 - The Three Musketeers GC2468Y
The fourth in our Hooked on Books series is Hooked on Books 4 - Ranger's Apprentice GC24DN7
The fifth in our Hooked on Books Series is Hooked on Books 5 - Heart and Soul GC248HF
The sixth in our Hooked on Books series is Hooked on Books 6 - ????? GC252Q8
The seventh in our Hooked on Books series is Hooked on Books 7 - THE FINAL CHAPTER GC252QB
*** The posted co-ordinates are bogus. You will find a carpark there but NO cache! The cache however is within 200 metres of these co-ordinates.***
One of JMelb's favourite series of books and movies is Anne of Green Gables. Readers of these books will know why the cache is called Lake of Shining Waters! All the clues you need are contained in the very condensed version of story below to find the missing numbers of the Cache co-ordinates.
People are surprised when Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, both very set in their ways decide to adopt an orphan boy. But no-one is more astonished than Matthew and Marilla themselves when the boy they are expecting turns out to be a very talkative, very imaginative, very red-headed, very female - girl!! Anne has arrived at Green Gables. Her adventures, dreams, sorrows and joys are set down in one of the most popular books ever written. Will Marilla and Matthew keep Anne?? She doesn't easily go to sleep that night. For only uncertainty remains as upstairs in the east gable, a lonely, heart hungry, friendless child cried herself to sleep..
But then Marilla decides to keep Anne, and Anne was in raptures and so we journey along with her as she gets into many many scrapes! One of the most notable being serving Diana 3 large tumblers full of Marilla’s home-made currant wine thinking it was raspberry cordial and Diana therefore becoming drunk!! Diana’s Mother was horrified at this and forbid Diana to have anymore to do with Anne, even forbidding her to talk to Anne at school. They had to correspond by letter and so they did so and Anne signed it xxx as she and Diana were best friends. Anne then flung herself into her studes, heart and soul, determined not to be outdone in any class by Gilbert Blythe! …..
Soon after this however Diana’s parents and Marilla were out of town and Diana’s sister became very sick with croup and Diana fled to Green Gables to ask Matthew for help. Luckily Anne knew how to treat croup and was able to save Minnie May and so Diana’s Mother allowed Anne and Diana to become friends again. Not long after this it was Diana’s birthday and Diana invited Anne to the Debating Club Concert and eventually Marilla agreed she could go. Anne found it very exciting that she would be going to the concert AND staying in the spare room bed!! It was an honour that she was in raptures about once again……
Another adventure sees Anne floating down a river acting the part of Elaine from Tennyson’s poem “The Lady of Shallot”. She lay down in the flat and drifted down the river but the flat begins to leak! She is lucky enough to be able to grab onto a bridge post and the flat sinks soon after. The other girls see the flat sinking and run off in a frenzy to find help. Meanwhile Anne is marooned under the bridge when her mortal enemy Gilbert Blythe appears in a rowboat. What to do? Even if Gilbert had the means of saving her – should she accept? After all Gilbert had called her “Carrots” 2 years earlier bringing her into perceived disgrace in front of the entire school and she had not forgiven him!! ……
As time goes by Anne who had had hardly any schooling before coming to Green Gables proves to her teacher that she is very academic and Miss Stacey asks Marilla if Anne can join the “Queen’s Class”. This class is for those children who will eventually go off to Queens for further study. There was now open rivalry between Anne and Gilbert so of course Gilbert was part of the Queens class too. So there, her rival encourages excellence in Anne and all the students work hard and “the days slipped by like golden beads on the necklace of the year” …….
The time came to sit the Queen’s Entrance exam and then the dreaded 2 week wait which expanded to 3 weeks until finally the list came out and Anne Shirley had tied for first place with Gilbert Blythe!!! Oh so much happens in such a short time with Anne going off to Queens and then deciding to go on to Redmond College. However just after this is decided sadly Matthew dies of heart troubles and the shock of their bank failing and then Marilla is told she will go blind in 6 months unless she gives up all eyestrain. Marilla is resolved to selling Green Gables but Anne is horrified and refuses to allow this to happen and procures a post at Carmody school. But once Gilbert hears of this he gives up his own post at Avonlea so that Anne wont have to travel so much and will be able to help Marilla more. She visits Matthew’s grave the evening after hearing this news and meets Gilbert on the way home. She thanks him for giving up the local school and he asks Anne “Are we going to be friends after this? She eagerly vacated every notion of remaining enemies with Gilbert for as she said to Marilla “We have decided that it will be much more sensible to be good friends in future” …….
The cache is hidden at S 37 49.? ? ? E 145 09.? ? ? You can check your answer on the following link (Geochecker.com)
The cache is now a 200 ml sistema container with room for small TB's, GC's and swaps and a little First to Find Certificate and prize. **Please remember to make a note of the clue which is written in the log book.
** PLEASE DO NOT CLIMB OVER ANY FENCES TO GET TO THIS CACHE. ACCESS IS FROM AN UNFENCED PART OF THE TRACK!! ** PLEASE NOTE: We also suggest that you do Waypoints 1 and 2 of Family Orchard GC2199A before doing this cache and then proceed to WP3 of Family Orchard after doing this cache*******
This cache was placed with the approval of the Blackburn Lake Advisory Committee. As with all caches in bushy areas - please beware of snakes! Also it's a great spot to have a picnic and go for a walk around that Lake of Shining Waters!! There are also a couple of playgrounds within the Lake Grounds to keep the Geo-kids happy. We hope you enjoy this cache and the surroundings!!