Hobart Rivulet : Do Not Enter Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

Balayang: I am regretfully archiving this cache since there's been no response from, nor action by the cache owner Cached within the time frame requested in the last reviewer note.

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Hidden : 1/13/2012
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:

You do not need to enter the rivulet to find this cache. The Hobart City Council no longer allow entrance to the Rivulet.

You can see into the Rivulet from here, but you can no longer enter, which is a real pity as the history you see down there is quite incredible.

The Hobart Rivulet flows down from Mount Wellington and underneath the city of Hobart into the River Derwent.

The following extract was published in 2009, and describes what can be see if you were to wander through, WHICH YOU MUST NOT DO. There used to be guided tours through here, but alas, no more :(

From (visit link)

"There was once a creek that fed Hobart's first European settlers the purest water from the slopes of Mount Wellington. Within 15 years it was a cesspool of garbage, sewage and dead animals.

The Rivulet has been cleaned up since then, but you'd still be advised to avoid drinking from it - on a potability scale from 0 (poisonous) to 10 (pure) it rates a score of only 1.5.

It runs 13 kilometres from the Mountain to the Derwent, including more than a kilometre which is directly under the city of Hobart. You can take a guided walk along this damp corridor with a guide from the Tasmanian Tourist Bureau.

The tours happen all year round, unless it's recently rained, as few people have the swimming skills to cope with two metres of fast-running water.

Just a small hop over the wall on Collins Street and you're in the main drain, looking towards a black hole that could easily fit a van.

Like many urban creeks, the natural creek-bed has been replaced with man-made materials. In many places it is still the original sandstone blocks laid down over a century ago. Sometimes another layer of concrete has been added over that.

And brick walls were built around it, at least two storeys high, allowing the city to be built over the top of its most important drain.

Once you step inside and your eyes adjust to the light, you can see that the walls are thoroughly covered with graffiti. Tour guide John cannon explained why.

"It's a deliberate policy of the Hobart City Council and also youth groups like Youth Arc just across the road from here, to provide an area for the young people of Hobart to express their artistic ability, rather than up on buildings above ground level."

He pointed out where the walls had been repainted white only a few months ago, creating a fresh canvas for anyone with a can of spray paint.

One artist had also created a pretty amazing fresco along one wall. And in a few places the drains themselves had been incorporated into artworks.

Wandering the tunnels gives you a fascinating view of the city - looking up into the Elizabeth Street Mall, seeing between major city buildings, exploring the infrastructure that makes the superstructure possible.

And much of the work was laid down by convicts many decades ago - the arrow-marked bricks pointing to a past where prisoners labored to create a city..."

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Zntargvp.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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