Lumper (coal) Multi-Cache
~Tango~: An interesting bit of Albany's history but muggled again. Goodbye Lumper
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(small)
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From the 1850's through to the early 1900's lumpers used to sit outside the front of the Royal George Hotel waiting for stevedore assignments at Albany's bustling port. By far the best paid and therefore most desirable stevedoring assignment was in the coaling teams. This cache retraces a little of that history.
The earliest shipping through Albany had been by sailing ship. Then, in the early 1850's the Peninsula and Orient Steam Navigation Company won the contract to carry mail between England and Australia. This heralded the age of the steam ship and of course the need for coal as fuel.
To start with, this coal came from England in large sailing ships and was bunkered direct from these. Soon P & O built a jetty below what is now Lawley Park. In the photo this can be seen between the Deepwater Jetty at the top and the Town Jetty at the bottom. Coal was transported to Albany and unloaded at this jetty. Soon the coal was brought in from Newcastle in NSW. Collie coal was never used as fuel because it was not of satisfactory standard.
As shipping traffic grew the coal was loaded onto hulks which were old ships no longer able to go to sea. Usually steel hulled, these ships were gutted and the topmasts and bowsprits removed. A caretaker family would live on board in the old captain's quarters which were wood panelled and luxurious. The hulks were towed by a tug to the jetty to be filled with coal and then returned to their anchorage waiting for the next ships to refuel.
Back at the Royal George when the lumpers were given assignments they would be told the starting time and whether to bring 2 meals or as many as 5 or 6 depending on the length of the job. They would carry their tucker in the hessian bags they slung over their shoulders. The cargo, timber and wool teams would need to take the long Seaman's Walk out to the Deepwater Jetty. Remnants of this walk remain through and below Lawley Park. The coal teams with their distinctive big pointed shovels would go to the Town Jetty and be taken via launch out to one of the hulks. There were eight in each coal team: three pairs filling the large baskets, the topman who controlled the steam winch lifting the full baskets, weighing a third of a ton, from as much as 60 ft below him, and a boy to manoeuvre the basket into the waiting hold. Hard and dirty work but paying four times as much as general cargo.
Much to the chagrin of Fremantle which was by now operating in opposition to Albany as a port, the American Great White Fleet chose to refuel at Albany on their historic visit in 1908. However the days of coal were gradually coming to an end. Until 1925 there were 5 hulks in the harbour, then only 2, and by 1952 the last of them was gone.
The co-ordinates will take you to a plaque which marks the location of the coaling jetty. Lots of dates and information but take note of the first two dates and the first two lengths which we will call abcd, efgh, pq.r & stu.v respectively.
The hide is nearby at S 35 01.bhg E 117 53.c(q+r)(t-s)
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gb gur yrsg bs gur zvqqyr "ovt" fgrc. Ab arrq gb yrnir fgrcf gb ernpu