The 90 Mile Desert Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

-Beaker-: This area has become a disgusting mess thanks to the feral pigs who can't wait 10 minutes to get the to next town to take a dump. Archiving for health and safety reasons.

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Hidden : 5/26/2007
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:


This is BB's 58th cache hide.

The conquest of the 90 Mile Desert.

The area through Tintinara, Salt Creek, Keith and Bordertown was known as the Ninety Mile Desert. It was a section of thick mallee scrub on sandy soil, with reliable rainfall but low nutrients. Early pastoralists found that stock became ‘mallee sick’ and needed moving to more fertile ground or the beasts would die. Although the use of superphosphate and subterranean clover in other areas of the region was encouraging, attempts to begin large scale agriculture in the area proved futile.

Following World War Two, employment prospects for returned soldiers were not good and many were encouraged to settle in rural areas as farmers. The financial giant AMP had heard of the headway made by the CSIRO and Waite Institute into nutrient deficient soils, and believed the same techniques could be used in the Ninety Mile Desert.

In its centenary year, 1949, AMP put a proposal to the Australian Government to fund the transformation of these lands into productive land. The application of the trace elements copper, zinc and manganese transformed it into some of the most profitable land around.

From there the district went from strength to strength resulting in the vast areas of agriculture that you can clearly see today.

The cache is located in an ammo box between the main highway and a train line. Please keep a close eye on any geokiddies that may be around when searching for the cache. There are some monuments near here that explain a little more about the conquest and how it was achieved. Unfortunately there is also an abundance of rubbish lying around too. Rather than whinge about it, try picking a little of it up instead. This way the area will be more clean for everyone concerned.

Please rehide the cache carefully before you go.

Additional Hints (No hints available.)

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