Port Macquarie was established in 1821 after John Oxley in October 1818 followed the Hastings River from the mountains and came across this idyllic port which he proclaimed to be a “paradise of great significance and potential”.
Port Macquarie was initially used as a place of secondary punishment, to receive convicts who had transgressed the law a second time after transportation to the Colony. Port's convict population peaked in 1825, but was then progressively run down until 1830 when the Hastings Valley was opened up to free settlement.
Each cache in the series will contain a 3 digit code that needs to be noted down to be able to work out the co-ords for the 9th and final cache of the series.
All information for this multi has been sourced from the Port Macquarie – Hastings Council web site.
The multi part of the cache
Visit the following 6 sites and obtain the required information at each site to work out the co-ords to find the cache.
1) Start at Wesleyan Chapel - 144 Horton St.
The site of the first Methodist Church on the North Coast, the church was built in 1845 under the leadership of William Litchfield.
The church was one of the first built by voluntary subscription and mainly voluntary labour. It closed in 1848, due to a declining congregation in line with Port Macquarie's general decline in population due to the gold rush era, but re-opened in 1857.
Despite a number of alterations to the building, most notably those of the 1870s to the nave and the 1928 replacements of the porch, much of the original fabric and integrity remains. It was restored in 1995 with amenities and is used as a Chapel for special occasions.
The building is classified by the National Trust of Australia (NSW).
Question: How many panes of glass are in one of the large windows along the north side of the building = A
2) Go to Hayward House - 104 Horton St.
Believed to have been built for Charles Hayward, a convict who arrived in Australia in March 1826. It was the birth home of Frederick Hayward, who was Port Macquarie's second Mayor. It is believed that the building was originally only single storey and built c1840 with the second storey added c1850.
The feature of this building is the internal wooden staircase, built by William Anderson, which is still in use today.
The building is classified by the National Trust of Australia (NSW).
Question: Find the red and blue security WARNING sticker on one of the windows and note the 5th digit of the 10 digit phone number = B
3) Go to Westpac Bank – 35 Horton St.
The site, originally owned by Corporal Michael Fahy of the 28th Regiment, was bought by the Bank of New South Wales in 1882. The Bank used the building that was on this site until Jacob Healey commenced construction of this building late in 1891.
The Bank opened its doors in 1893 and although renovations were made to the building in 1912, 1960, 1978 and 2000 the distinctive front façade has maintained its appearance through the years.
The enclosed arches on the ground floor were originally an open veranda like the first floor. Part of the original fence and gate that once stood along the front of the bank, now stands along the front of the Port Macquarie Historic Museum.
Question: How many green segments in any one of the star shaped sets of tiles that are on the ramp going up to the glass door entrance and ADD 2 = C
4) Go to the Royal Hotel - Horton Street (the very end)
On 1 July 1841 the Royal Hotel, or as it was sometimes called 'the Major's Hotel', opened its doors on the waterfront.
Built by Major Archibald Clunes Innes on Land purchased at the first sale of Crown Lands in Port Macquarie, it was primarily intended to accommodate visiting officers and new settlers.
The hotel was burnt down in 1886 and rebuilt in 1887. Over the years numerous alteration and additions were made and in 1999 the building was completely restored back to the era of the 1880s.
Question: On the plaque on the west side of the building, find the year that the hotel was built and subtract 1834 = D
5) Go to the Court House - Corner of Hay and Clarence Streets
Built in 1869 to fulfill an urgent and pressing need to replace the original courthouse, which was in a derelict state, the building was designed by Colonial Architect James Barnet and built by Butler and Bourne, local builders, at the cost of £1,091 and 9 shillings.
The Courthouse served the community for 117 years until it was vacated in 1986 when a new courthouse was built. Restoration was completed in 1993 and the building is classified by the National Trust of Australia (NSW) and is also registered on the National Estate.
Question: On the bottom plaque outside the main entrance, find the month that the Governor of NSW unveiled the plaque and DIVIDE by 3 = E
6) Go to the Museum – 22 Clarence St.
One of the only remaining early commercial and residential buildings in Port Macquarie it was built between 1835 and 1840 using convict labour.
It was first used as a residence and a store by William Stokes and was bought for the Historical Society who opened it as a museum on 18 April 1960.
The museum is classified by the National Trust of Australia (NSW).
Open: Monday to Saturday: 9.30am to 4.30pm. Charges apply.
Question: Find the 8 digit number on the bottom of one of the blown up pictures in the window - btw those photos are from an exceptional collection from a local resident - Thomas Dick who documented the lives and habits of the aborigines in photographs.
Add the last two digits of that number = F
The final cache is at:
S31° 25.ABC
E152° 54.DEF
Checksum: S24 E33
You are looking for a small plastic pill container which hopefully muggles will ignore!