Not much history can be found about
the sleepy hollow of Kotupna, it is not even a blink and you
will miss it sort of town as many people probably drive right by
without even realising it is even there. There is not much to see
even for those that do stop - the school (now closed), a fire shed,
and a few houses. Kotupna's name is likely to have
originated from the remains of the Kotupna Station.
Prior to European settlement, the
area around Nathalia was occupied by the Yorta Yorta
people. In 1838, Charles Sturt was the first European to
explore the area when he and his party followed the Murray
River downstream. The squatter, W.J Locke established
Kotupna Station on the future site of Nathalia in
1843 with the station being broken up for closer settlement in
1869.
In 1905 the Picola &
District Football Association was formed with Kotupna
being one of the competing clubs along with the Barmah Federals,
Lower Moira, Picola and Nathalia.
Way Point
1
At WP1 you will need to look for some
signs of animal life and answer this simple question:
How far is it to Sheepy's?
The cache can be found at one of the following
answers:
400m = S 36° 08.151 E 145° 07.761
500m = S 36° 08.251 E 145° 07.771
600m = S 36° 08.651 E 145° 07.761
700m = S 36° 08.729 E 145°
07.645
Apart
from football legends, the area is known for several horse studs,
in particular:
Wakiti Creek
Clydesdales
Northdale Park
Clydesdales
The
Clydesdale Horse is renown worldwide for its beauty and
strength. In the early 1800's Scottish farmers selectively bred
horses from Flemish stallions for their stamina and working
ability. They developed a breed of handsome and powerful horses we
now recognise for their distinctive characteristics and gentle
disposition.
Clydesdale legs and feet have exceptional wearing qualities
- the legs of flat bone, with their distinctive fine silky feather,
are the trademarks of the breed making them the "showiest" of the
heavier horse breeds.
Clydesdales in Australia date back to early European
settlement and by 1850 the breed was very much part of Australian
pioneer life. The gentle giants were extensively utilised in the
early development of our country, ploughing, sowing, cropping,
hauling loads of timber and wool, and, of course clearing the
densely forested land.
Because of their strength Clydesdales were an integral part
in the construction of dams and irrigation channels in New South
Wales, Victoria, and Queensland. Before the introduction of steam
engines, teams of up to 30 Clydesdales were often used to move
heavy loads of earth over long distances.
In the
cities and towns of Australia Clydesdales became a familiar sight
in the streets and the sound of their familiar "clip clop"
indicated the arrival of a beer delivery, perhaps the "milko",
greengrocer, or the "Jack-of-all-trades".
Possibly one of the most famous Clydesdales are the
Carlton and United Brewery team who were pulling wagons
laden with wooden barrels of freshly brewed Carlton ales from as
early as 1864, to be replaced by motorised trucks just after the
Second World War.
Now,
you may think that not much happens in Kotupna, however,
things went 'off' several years ago when the Moira Shire
officially opened the new Wakiti Bridge on the 19th January,
2006. The whole town turned out for a community celebration with
the Moira Shire Mayor, Cr Ed Cox and Federal Member for Murray, the
Honourable Dr. Sharman Stone doing the honours. The bridge cost
$190,000 to construct with the works beginning in November 2005.
The new bridge replaced the 45-year-old timber bridge that was
obviously a bit worse for wear due to the all the heavy traffic
over the years.
You
are looking for a small (roughly 200ml Sistema container) that is
big enough to hold logbook, pen and only a number of small swaps
from GeoJnr's own caching stash. Be careful of the odd car that can
zip up and down the road. Cheers.