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A Surveyors Blaze Traditional Cache

Hidden : 4/12/2009
Difficulty:
3 out of 5
Terrain:
5 out of 5

Size: Size:   small (small)

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Geocache Description:

Located on Mt Von Geurard, this cache has 2 features worthy of note:

The first is the cache location.

In the 19th Century Surveyors used to mark trees with Blazes to mark or to define the extent of portions of land for the crown.

The Blazes were coloured blue and had an identifying mark on them, usually in the form of 3 arrows pointing to the nearest reference point.

Blue is still the colour used to identify Surveyors marks across Australia

These Blazes are uncommon now as most have been removed or burnt down in fires.

So uncommon are these Blazes that examples are now Heritage listed

Here you will find a fine example of such a blaze.
It is pointing to its reference point Mt Kent and a line of sight has been felled to provide clear vision.
The line of sight looks like a road, but it goes nowhere and is approx 30m long

The other feature worthy of note is the name,

It is believed the hill, at 1234m is named after Eugene Von Geurard
A noted 19th century wilderness painter.

Eugene von Guerard (7 November 1811 – 17 April 1901) was an Austrian-born artist, active in Australia 1852-1882.

In 1852 von Guerard arrived in Victoria, Australia, determined to try his luck on the Victorian goldfields. As a gold-digger he was unsuccessful, but he did produce a large number of intimate studies of goldfields life, quite different from the deliberately awe-inspiring landscapes for which he was later to become famous. Realising that there were opportunities for an artist in Australia, von Guerard abandoned the diggings and was soon undertaking lucrative commissions recording the dwellings and properties of wealthy pastoralists.

By the early 1860s von Guerard was recognised as the foremost landscape artist in the colonies, touring Southeast Australia and New Zealand in pursuit of the sublime and the picturesque. Guerard is most known for the wilderness paintings produced during this time, which are remarkable for their shadowy lighting and fastidious detail.

One of Von Geurard's paintings
"View of the snowy bluff on the Wonnangatta River 1864"

Image: (visit link)

May well have been painted from this very peak - the views, although restricted by fire regrowth now offers the same vantage as the 1864 painting.

Access to cache:
A 4wd with low range and good ground clearance will get you close.
The ability/skill to negotiate your 4wd up/down steep and loose terrain.
Once at the Helipad - where the vehicle access ends, good views of the Wombat range can be seen.
It is approx 250m to the cache, a track can be seen, but soon disappears and you will have to walk off track with a small climb to GZ, Thick regrowth scrub will need to be pushed through.

Packs of wild dogs roam the area - if you are a solo cacher, take care - These wild dogs have been known to stalk solo walkers.
Whilst at GZ, a pack of wild dogs were heard approaching us.

Enjoy the wilderness

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Onfr bs Oynmr Gerr

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)