Campus History:
Monash University's Caulfield campus began as the Caulfield Technical School in 1922, offering courses such as carpentry to local residents. In the late 1940s, the school's numbers increased with returned ex-servicemen taking up trade courses as part of the Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme. By the end of the 1950s the school had expanded further, with a junior technical high school and a senior school that offered diplomas in electrical and mechanical engineering. It was in this senior school that the future of the college lay.
The senior and junior schools were officially separated in 1958. Students of the junior school were absorbed by other technical high schools in the area and the senior school became the Caulfield Technical College. New courses were introduced, computers were installed and student enrolments grew. By the 1970s the once small, trade focused technical school had become the Caulfield Institute of Technology. Where blacksmith, carpentry, farriery and wheelwright courses had once stood, were now diplomas and degrees in disciplines such as computing, business, applied science, engineering, mathematics and psychology.
In 1982 the Caulfield Institute of Technology amalgamated with the State College of Victoria at Frankston to form the Chisholm Institute of Technology. Then, in 1990, Chisholm merged with Monash University and became Monash’s Caulfield campus.
Named after prominent Australian Sir John Monash, Monash University was established by an Act of Parliament in 1958, making it the first university to be established in the State of Victoria for 106 years. Monash celebrates its 50th birthday in 2008.
Cache Clues:
To find this cache, you must choose a book in the Monash library “with great care”. The final coordinates of this cache are hidden within the pages of two very appropriate books (choose either of them!) on level 4 of the library at Monash University’s Caulfield campus. But first, you’ll have to do some preliminary work!
As your GPS may have some trouble near the tall buildings, I have included the name of each building alongside the WP details below. The initial coordinates are for a car park, which offers 90-minute free parking. This should be more than sufficient time for you to complete this challenge, as long as you don't get stuck into too many books in the library! It's a short 100 metre walk from the car park to WP1. Alternatively, it's a 15-minute train trip from the city on the Frankston, Cranbourne or Pakenham lines to Caulfield station (adjacent to WP1).
WP1: S37° 52.645 E145° 02.595, building-S, level 1, southern entrance.
Look at the poles in the entrance foyer – they all have large decorative numbers on them. Which two digits (A and B) do not appear on any of these poles? (Note: A is less than B!). While you are at this location, check the glass sliding doors to find the street address of this building, CD Sir John Monash Drive.
WP2: S37° 52.656 E145° 02.625, building-N, level 1, southern entrance.
In the entrance foyer you will find a plaque announcing the official opening of this facility by the Premier of Victoria, Hon Steve Bracks on E March FGHJ.
WP3: S37° 52.585 E145° 02.644, building-H, level 1 southern entrance.
The directory board at this entrance states that the Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics is located on two levels of this building. The lowest of these two levels is K. (While you are at this building, you may want to head downstairs, eastern end of building, to a great little bar named "Mama Duke" for a quick drink!)
WP4: S37° 52.648 E145° 02.728, building-B, level 2 north-eastern entrance.
At this location, there is a piece of artwork by Edwin Miocevic titled “Growing Cons”. The dimensions of this sculpture (as listed on the adjacent plaque) are LMN / PQ / RST cm.
WP5: S37° 52.640 E145° 02.716, The Library!
Please remember that you are in a library, so please follow these simple rules: be quiet and do not disturb the hard-working students, no food or drink is permitted, turn off mobile phones, and replace all books exactly where you get them from. The library is open 7 days per week (closed on public holidays), and opening hours are available online at http://www.lib.monash.edu.au/hours/.
Choose any one of the following books (deduced from your answers above), located in the main bookshelves in the library:
NFD.QCHB
JTE.ASBMK
ENR.KQC
While you are looking for the books, you should ignore any alpha-suffixes on the book labels, as the selected books are the only ones in this library with these call numbers!
WP6 (GZ): The final coordinates of the cache (and one more important hint) can be found on a slip of paper inserted at page PG of either book. After you have made a note of the coordinates, please ensure that the slip of paper remains in its original place, and the book is re-shelved in its correct location!
Stealth will be required, particularly during semester, as there will be many students around, and the final location is potentially visible from many vantage points on campus. It will be much easier on the weekend or after dark!
The original contents of the cache are: stash note, log book & pencil, mini LED torch, Felix the Cat iron-on patch, a couple of foreign coins and a FTF certificate with a mystery prize. This is a small container (200ml Sistema), so small swaps only please!