Willow Waters Traditional Cache
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
DR Funk 64 was in Port Augusta visiting Bowz2 and said “let’s go for a drive set a cache that has a real “flinders ranges” flavour / views / experience.
Here is the result...
Willow Waters is the place the Hawker and Flinders Ranges “locals” go to for a BBQ. It’s a quiet secluded place to enjoy the Flinders well away from the hordes of visiting tourists and worn tourist hotspots.
To get to the cache from Hawker whilst not that far the trip will take you across the Willow Plains, where you will see homesteads and ruins established by the farmers of the 1870s and 80s. “The Strangways Act (1869)” opened up this area which had been large grazing holdings to small farmers, unfortunately after a few years and dry times the cropping farmers drifted away, and their properties were bought by graziers. The country responded well to the sustainable grazing that is carried on now in the area.
Once across the plains you enter the Gorge proper and follow the Willow Creek, some distance into the gorge off to the right of the road and you will see the Willow Waters Weir, which was built in the late 1800s by early mining explorers. The water behind the weir was piped down to the flats of Willow Plains to water stock. Continuous flooding through the gorge eventually filled in the weir with dirt but it also aided the road to be put in the 40’s.
In the Willow Creek you can see remains of the party telephone line that was maintained by Worumba property owners until 1988.
In the 1880s, this steep and rugged area was infested with dingos, and it was a sort of no-man’s land, only used by an occasional shepherd as he brought flocks to graze. Prospectors roamed the hills seeking gold and other metals, and you can still find remains of their diggings all through the Flinders and here as well. But the prospectors had little success in most instances (here was no different).
Timber cutters also appeared and took out accessible stands of native pines for fence posts, which were sent as far south as Jamestown. Red gums were harvested to provide sleepers for the transcontinental railway line.
The Shinnick families settled on the flats just outside Willow Water Gorge.
From here they also ventured into the rugged terrain to cut wood and to graze their animals. For many years they used their skills as cattlemen, teamsters and woodcutters in the area, before it became pastoral leases. The abundance of trees on the north side of Mt. Plantagenet brought in other woodcutters and teamsters from afar. Many stations including Worumba station were consolidated into Pastoral Leases. And in 1919 Worumba was allotted to Murray Howard, who was a returned soldier from World War I. He and his neighbours erected a dog-proof fence to make the area safe for sheep.
To Access the cache... Once through the gorge you come to the Worumba boundary gate. Do not enter (unless you a paying guest of theirs in your 4x4.)
Just to the left of the gate is a section of the original dog (dingo) fence which has been preserved. Also the Jagged Mt. Craig is off to the left in the distance.
Follow the “dog fence” along on the 4x4 track next to it to its end at a fence near the creek.
Find your way to GZ on top of the rocky outcrop. Take the time to enjoy the views!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Objm2 Yvxrf ebpxf naq pnirf
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures