About Balls Head Reserve (courtesy of the North Sydney Council website) Up until 1916 this area was the home of a local Aboriginal community. Seafood was plentiful and shelter available in the many rock caves to be found in the area. During WW I the Australian Army claimed the land and a Quarantine Depot was established. It is now State-owned and zoned as open space. Scattered through the Reserve you will find a number of dedication plaques, an Aboriginal waterhole, numerous foreshore caves and a historic flagpole. The flagpole is situated 300ft above sea level and marks the highest foreshore point west of the Harbour Bridge. In early settlement times it was used as a means of communication with Government House on the opposite shore. Care should be taken on the unpaved foreshore tracks - especially after bad weather.
There are several ways into this cache. We have provided coordinates for two of the entry points. Both are marked Angophora Walk. You can park next to each entry point. Upper entry is at: S33º50.773 E 151º11.646. Lower entry is at S33º50.780 E 151º11.717. You may want to practice Cache In Trash Out (CITO) as this site as muggle visitors sometimes leave bottles and cans behind.
Note added 30 June 2010 - This secluded spot attracts muggles for smokos, lunch breaks, overnight stays and even rogaining. Approach with caution as you will not be aware if you have company until you are right at GZ. Also if you find that you are tempted to resort to belly crawling or long reaches, take a breath, read the clue and come in from a different angle.
Update 27 December 2011 - Terry aka Mr Hint has taken up residence at GZ for the past several months. He recently added an exercise bike to his furnishings. He is polite and very willing to 'assist' geocaching visitors.
Update August 2012 - There were recent reports of a dead body found at Balls Head. We can assure geocachers that Terry aka Mr Hint is still with us. Just not always at home at GZ.
Update April 2020 - Terry aka Mr Hint is likely to be spending a bit more time around GZ in these coronavirus times. Visiting geocachers may pose a threat to his health and vice versa. For this reason, we are disabling the cache until the end of May at which time we will review the situation.
Update December 2023 - After about twelve years of sporadic residence at GZ, we became aware around July 2023 that Terry aka Mr Hint and all his gear had disappeared along with the cache container. Inquiries with Council staff have led us to believe that Terry has moved into residential care. As previous finders will know, he was gentlemanly and helpful whenever cachers visited GZ. And when he wasn't there, Terry's belongings, including his exercise bike, were always tidy and covered from the weather. We will miss him.