BT V – Flower Time Multi-Cache

The Queen Victoria Gardens, which are set out on 4.5 hectares opposite the Victorian Arts Centre in St Kilda Road, are Melbourne's memorial to Queen Victoria. The gardens feature trees, roses, flowering shrubs, ponds, and flowerbeds set in manicured lawns. There is a large emphasis on floral displays. Located within the gardens are ornamental ponds and monuments to Queen Victoria and King Edward VII. The Janet Lady Clarke Rotunda is a bandstand erected in memory of a 19th century philanthropist who worked for the welfare of women.

The main feature of the gardens is a superb floral clock with a staggering 7000 flowering and bedding plants located in front of the King’s memorial. The plants are changed twice yearly. The clock was given to the City of Melbourne in the '60s as a decorative timepiece by a group of watchmakers from a foreign country.

The Queen Victoria Gardens are also known for their artworks, including Paul Montford’s Water Nymph, which is set in the smaller pond, and two marble busts by Theodore Fink. A contemporary piece by Tom Bass called The Genie, is a sculpture designed for children to touch and play on. There are other sculptures to find and admire (or deprecate, according to your wont).

It is appropriate that such art is a part of these gardens, as the 'arts precinct' is right across the road. This is the location of the Victorian College of the Arts, which also has several public sculptures on show. However, the jewel in the crown is the National Gallery of Victoria, which has been displaying art works for the enjoyment of the community since 1861. During the 1990s it became apparent that the St Kilda Rd building could no longer successfully meet the demands of its growing collection and extensive exhibitions schedule.

The Victorian State Government agreed to an extensive redevelopment of the site, and also agreed to fund a second NGV building at Federation Square. The collection is now split between The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia at Federation Square, home of Australian art; and NGV International at St Kilda Road, dedicated to international artworks. Both venues are well worth a visit.

This description assumes that you are a business traveller, that you are staying at a hotel in or near Melbourne's CBD, and you are starting from Flinders Street Station at the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets.

Option 1: Tram stop 13 is outside Flinders Street Station in Swanston Street, just south of Flinders Street. Go there and take any of the following trams: 3, 5, 6, 8, 16, 64, 67, or 72. Get off at stop 16 in St Kilda Road (5 mins). The Floral Clock is on your left.

Option 2: Cross over Swanston Street at the traffic lights, and walk down the eastern side of St Kilda Road, following your GPSr, until you see the Floral Clock on your left.

The first waypoint is a 20m walk from the tram stop; a 570m walk from the railway station.

Melway street directory reference for the cache is: 2F H8
UBD street directory reference for the cache is: 18 C15

At the posted coordinates you will be standing in front of the Floral Clock, which has an informational plaque. When you have finished admiring the clock, gather the following information:

• Day of the month that the plaque was unveiled = A
• Year the plaque was unveiled = BCDE
• Number of letters in the name of the watchmakers' country = FG
• Number of councillors on the Parks, Gardens, and Recreation Committee = H
• Number of letters in the first word of the plaque = J
• Number of letters in the last word of the plaque = K

S 37° 49.(A+G–F)(H–A–J)(K+D–E)
E 144° 58.(F+B–G)(C+F–B)(D–A–F)

This is a log-only micro cache. The cache container is a film canister. Bring your own pen!

The initial contents are:

Clue for the Business Traveller's Cache
Log sheet and stash note

There is a high probability of encountering muggles around the cache site. The difficulty rating reflects this. Be watchful! As always, please replace the cache exactly where you found it to discourage accidental discovery.

After you've found the cache, here are some other things you can do in the area:

• Take a stroll around Queen Victoria Gardens and try to find the following monuments and sculptures: Janet Lady Clarke Rotunda, King Edward VII Memorial (bronze equestrian statue), Queen Victoria Memorial (marble statue), The Genie, The Pathfinder (hammer thrower), The Phoenix, The Bronze Water Children, and The Water Nymph.
• Visit the National Gallery of Victoria in St Kilda Road or Federation Square. You can visit their web site here.
• Take in a concert or other performance at the State Theatre or Concert Hall (go back towards Flinders Street: S 37° 49.230, E 144° 58.100). The State Theatre is the major venue for the Melbourne-based Australian Ballet and Melbourne Theatre Company. It is also the major venue used by Opera Australia when they are in Melbourne. The Melbourne Concert Hall is the major venue used by the Melbourne Symphony. It is also the major venue used by the Australian Chamber Orchestra when they are in Melbourne. You can visit their web site here.
• Visit the Shrine of Remembrance (S 37° 49.800, E 144° 58.330) a bit further south and reflect on the sacrifice made by others that allows you to do what you are doing today. The Shrine is Victoria’s largest and most visited war memorial and is probably Melbourne’s most recognised landmark. You can visit their web site here.
• Visit the Royal Botanic Gardens and Herbarium, and enjoy one of the great experiences of Melbourne. The Gardens were established in 1846 and are home to more than 51,000 individual plants, representing over 12,000 different species, and have become a natural sanctuary for native wild life including black swans, bell birds, cockatoos, and kookaburras. The Herbarium is a repository for dried plant specimens—like a library, but the information is stored in a biological form. You can visit their web site here.

You might also consider the following nearby caches that are also reachable by public transport or on foot from this cache: