The Town
Deniliquin boasts an oasis of green on the edge of the
Riverine plain, which stretches northwards in what is the flattest
land on earth, affectionately known as the beginning of the
outback.
Deniliquin is situated on the Edward River, in the
centre of Riverina sheep station country and on the fringe of the
world's largest redgum forest, where bird and wildlife abound.
The natural attractions of the region and the well developed
network of forest trails provide the opportunity try camping,
kayaking, biking, bird watching, swimming, fishing or
water-skiing.
The Story
The drive to the cache location will take you along the
Edward River to Loy’s Reserve which was named after
Deniliquin identity, Tom Loy.
Tom was born in Deniliquin in 1930 and grew up in the
area called “The Flat”. It was tough times in those days and Tom
learned many survival skills from the local Aboriginal people which
helped him provide food for his family and to also avoid the police
and welfare people that tended to not like the idea of Tom not
wanting to go to school. Tom’s father suffered from polio and when
Tom was eight years old his father had a fall in hospital, broke
his kneecap and would never walk again. It was then that the thin
and wiry Tom volunteered to become the ‘breadwinner’ for his
family. Even at this young age Tom was not frightened of hard work
and would match even the fittest of those triple his age.
Rabbit trapping was one of Tom’s specialties and Tom claims that
it is what saved his family’s lives. Tom would regularly set 140
traps a day to help feed the family and to also sell as income.
Tom’s father was very keen on the works of Banjo Paterson
and would recite the poems to Tom. It was through these words that
Tom decided he wanted be the best horseman in the world. Tom
initially went to Melbourne to become a jockey and by all accounts
he could have been quite successful, however, the wages were very
poor and with his parents struggling financially Tom would have to
come home every six months and go rabbiting to earn enough money to
go back again.
When things did not go so well in the jockey scene, it was
against Tom’s father’s wishes that he started as a buckjump rider.
Tom was very successful at this and won a total of 14 championship
events including the Moomba Festival International Rodeo and the
Inter Pacific Challenge with New Zealand. In Tom’s words:
“ …it was a triumph for me family, because
I didn’t get a lot of pleasure, I did it because people had laughed
at me. I just wanted to make a name for my family, my father. It’s
an amazing thing with sport. You can be black, you can be any
colour, but if you’re a champion sportsman everybody wants to know
you.”
Eventually, Tom became disgruntled with the rodeo scene and took
up show jumping and within four years he was representing Australia
and had won every major show jumping event in the country. Tom’s
quest to make the 1960 Rome Olympics ended when he unfortunately
fractured his spine in 1959. Tommy died a few years ago.
“My father always said to me you never
really want to worry about where you come from he said it’s where
you end up in life that’s pretty important.”
The Cache
The area should be accessible by most vehicles unless their has
been some serious rain fall. The cache is hidden in a standard
gecocaching spot and keep an eye for snakes, and drop bears! You
are looking for an ammo container with the usual swaps, log book,
and pen. Usually we provide a scratchie for the FTF but did not
have any on hand when placed this and the shop in town was closed.
If the FTF emails us with their details we will be happy to send
one out and also a limited edition , once off, commemorative book
mark. I know, we are just as excited as you are!