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UYHH#8 The Privateers Multi-Cache

Hidden : 3/10/2007
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
3 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

In the early days of the upper yarra valley the power of moving water played an important part in development and industry. The Upper Yarra Hydro History series seeks to explore some of these....


After the closure of the Ythan Electric Supply Company surplus equipment was up for sale. Two recorded users were Mr Pickersgill and Mr Delco¹. Mr Pickersgill purchased a pelton wheel and generator. He set this up on Rocky creek as it flowed through his property. The Delco installation was set up on Don river and used a water wheel and reused generator to power 5 houses.
Given this equipment belonged to privateers rather than companies may have something to do with the fact that it is still in existence today.

The Cache
The first two waypoints can be visited in either order. Information from each is required to find the cache. Most of the cache is a drive by excepting the final 100 or so meters. The under an hour icon presumes a car will be used.

Waypoint 1
S 37° 44.843'
E145° 42.852'
Here you will find Rocky creek that powered Pickersgill's Pelton. Take care parking here and remember double lines mean parking or “standing” on the road is against the law. It may be better to drive on until the double lines stop then return and park on the lower side of the road outside the white line and walk over.
Next to the creek there is a driveway & letterbox labeled v_ _ _ _ _ _ The 3 digit number here = ABC

Waypoint 2
S 37° 46.840'
E145° 36.542'
(updated 12/2011)
Here you will find the establishment that now houses both Pickersgill's Pelton and Delco's generator and some associated equipment. At the given coordinates you should be standing outside the fence near a shed. Inside you will see a shed with the word "water" on it. Below this you should be able to see the larger of two pelton wheels (big round steel wheel a bit like an vintage tractor wheel). Count the number of bucket sets that would have been present before one was broken off (one protruding object = 1 bucket set(tip: count half and double it)). This number = DE. Delco's generator is also inside but not viable from outside the fence. No need to see it to find the cache.

Waypoint 3
The cache can be found at:
S 37° 42.(BxB)(A+B+C)A'
E145° 35.(Dx3)(Ex2)E'
Access to this area is gained by going around not through the well defined private property.
Wile we cant be totally sure this is a HH location have a close look near GZ and use your imagination – it may well have been.

Foot note
¹Some references spell this name Delcott and also suggest that buy the time he aquired his generator, it was in fact 3rd hand.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Onfr bs gerr jvgu vafhyngbef & jverf

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)