brucewwnz: I tried to visit the area today in the hope that I could at least retrieve the cache container. However, I couldn't get close as my normal means of approach was blocked by a fence. But I could hear machinery operating (at 2:30 on a fine Sunday afternoon - shouldn't workers in this sort of physical occupation be relaxing at the beach?)
An attempt to bush bash to get a bit closer to get a better idea of what was going on didn't produce any useful results as the landscape has changed so much that I couldn't hope to identify the site the cache was hidden in.
So, it's all over for this one. Thank you to everybody who solved the puzzle and/or found the cache.