Mt Ellery also known by its Original name of Mt Goongerah (egg mountain) is one of the most prominent mountains of the East Gippsland region and the highest point of the Errinundra National Park at 1280m.
It is very significant to the local Aboriginal groups
The summit is capped with egg shaped granite tors. You dont have to access the top of the rocks, to do this cache. There used to be a chain and ladders, that you could climb but they have been removed. There is no need to climb any rocks even if it you think it will get you closer to GZ. The access to the walking track is off Big River Rd. There is a small on road parking area.
It is a 4km walk in steep terrain on soft ground. For some it could take half a day, others may take less then 2 hours.
It has had 2 fires in the last decade. The 2020 fire burnt quite a substantial area and has reduced the amount of rainforest and old growth wet sclerophyll on the Mountain. Due to wet nature of these forests, they didn't burn very hot, but each time there is a fire is leading to the area becoming more flammable.
The higher areas support Alpine Ash forests, with Shining Gum and Cut Tail Ash, and rare plants like subalpine beard heath and the monkey mint bush. Moving down the slopes, these high altitude plant communities transition to tall, wet eucalyptus forests. Cool temperate rainforests line the creeks and gullies on the upper and middle slopes of this mountainous region.
A summary of the risks for cacheing in this area can be found at gc6yy60.
TO COMPLETE THIS CACHE, YOU WILL NEED TO VISIT THE AREA, UNDERTAKE A SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF THE CREATION SPIRIT (RAINBOW SERPENT) AND WHAT THE SERPENT MAY HAVE LEFT HERE. YOU WILL NEED TO HAVE A BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE RAINBOW SERPENTS MOVEMENT ACROSS THE LAND AND WHAT MAY HAVE BEEN LEFT BEHIND, SO SOME RESEARCH BEFORE HAND COULD HELP. PHOTOGRAPH THESE FEATURES AND SEND THEM TO ME VIA THE GEOCACHING COMMUNICATION SYSTEM. INCLUDING SOME OTHER PHOTOS OF YOUR VISIT TO GZ IN YOUR FOUND RECORD, WOULD BE WONDERFUL. A BIT OF RESEARCH MAY BE REQUIRED BEFOREHAND SO YOU KNOW WHAT FEATURES TO LOOK FOR IN HOW THESE LANDS MAY HAVE FORMED THROUGH THE EYES OF THE FIRST INHABITANTS OF THE AREA. THE SUMMIT HAS A REALLY OBVIOUS ANSWER TO THE QUESTIONS, BUT IT IS NOT THE ONLY POSSIBLE ANSWER.
The coordinates given are a guide to the summit. You dont need to stand on that exact spot. Just at the end of the track is fine or around the tors.
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the "https://www.geocaching.com/blog/2019/05/introducing-virtual-rewards-2-0/">Geocaching Blog