This is the fourth in the series of caches placed at the end of
former railway lines. This one is near the end of the Springvale
Cemetery branch line. For thousands of people, this really was the
end of the line, their last train ride.
Back in the 1880's, Melbourne was searching for a site for a
general cemetery. The two main candidates were Springvale and
Frankston. In 1900, Springvale was selected, and the Necropolis was
born. It was declared a public cemetery in Feb 1901. As private
transport was not common, they needed a way to transport coffins
and mourners. This resulted in a branch line which left the now
Pakenham line at Springvale station, and headed to the
Necropolis.
The Springvale Cemetery Railway Line opened on the 7th of
February 1904. Corpses from Melbourne and intermediate stations
were carried free of charge on the assumption that mourners
journeying by rail to the Cemetery would bring revenue to the
Railway Department. The carriage of pauper corpses were charged at
10 shillings as it was assumed that no such revenue would be
obtained. Funeral trains left from the Mortuary Platform at Princes
Bridge Station Melbourne and travelled to The Necropolis Springvale
Station.
The line was electrified in 1922, and closed in 1951 when
Sandown Racecourse was extended, after having the electrification
removed a few months earlier, although the last train ran in 1947.
You can still see a small section where the line leaves the main
Pakenham line, and can generally trace its route for a further 400
- 500 metres until it hits the Sandown Race Track.
The accompanying diagram shows the original layout or plan for
the Necropolis with what appears to be a railway line encircling
it. The Necropolis was designed in the same layout as the Union
Jack, although much of this has changed. A check of the Melways map
beside it shows you the extent of the expansion since the original
design, but you will still see much in common.
The current map above includes a red and yellow circle
indicating the position of the former station where the plaque is
now located. FYI it is located at S 37° 56.743 E 145°
10.788 approximately. See photos below. My thanks to Weathafurkawi
for pointing out the location of the station.
The Cache:
The cache is a 1 litre Systema cliptop box. You do not need to
disturb any plant life to find it. It is not necessarily close to
one of the former stations, but is within the current boundaries of
the Necropolis. Opening hours are generally 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
except in Winter when it closes at 5:00 pm. The cache also contains
the first extra clues to Puzzlemania
#5 - Mystic Zip.
