Ballarat Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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A moderate climb from a graded dirt road up a steep hill. When parking your vehicle, make sure it can be seen for a distance. The miners at Briggs Mine tend to drive fast!
For those who are not familiar with the area, gold was discovered in Australia two years after the California gold rush of 1849. The discovery was made in Ballarat, Victoria, in the southeast part of Australia. It was there, in 1869, that the largest nugget in the world was found. It weighed almost 143 pounds. The prospectors who founded the town probably thought the name would bring them luck. It did not. The land was harsh and barren offering little except sagebrush. There were no trees or water or anything of substance necessary for survival. Everything needed to be brought in from great distances away. There was no timber for houses and other buildings. Ballarat was a town literally built from adobe bricks. Even under such extreme conditions, there were several dance halls and, of course, ladies. The adobe buildings have nearly returned to the earth but Ballarat is well worth seeing to gain an appreciation of the difficulties miners endured during their search for gold. (Courtesy of www.ghosttowns.com) P.S. The Ballarat caretaker has ice cream for sale when the freezer works. Trivia Note: Fans of the 1969 movie "Easy Rider" will recognize "Main Street" Ballarat from the opening scene along with Steppenwolf's song "The Pusher".
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gur pnpur vf na nzzb pna.