David Lennox was responsible for the construction of many bridges in Australia. He emigrated to Australia in 1832 and was a master stonemason. He was commissioned to build this bridge by Sir Thomas Mitchell as an alternative to what we now call Old Bathurst Road. So Mitchell's Pass Road and this bridge are a part of an earlier, long-term route of the Great Western highway into the Blue Mountains.
Sir Thomas Mitchell commissioned a stone bridge as a sign of progress and civilisation in the colony, in preference to flimsier (and less durable) wooden bridges that had been favoured up to that time.
David Lennox was also responsible for the Lansdowne Bridge in Lansdowne, site of another cache called 'Lansdowne Bridge Vista' and Lennox Bridge in Parramatta. He also oversaw the construction of over 50 bridges in Victoria.
Eventually the main route into the mountains was changed to the Knapsack Bridge, which was also bypassed eventually by the M4 freeway. After Lennox Bridge began to show signs of structural damage in the 1950s the bridge was closed to traffic, taken apart, reinforced by concrete and reopened in 1982 to light traffic.
This cache is close to another cache which makes reference to Lennox Bridge. 'Birthday Bridge Backdrop' by Sky Dog originally had a Waypoint at a plaque near the bridge until that was vandalised. GZ for that cache is further away from the bridge, but you can leave your car next to the bridge while you do this one and 'Birthday Bridge Backdrop', if you haven't already done it.
It was just after I was returning to my car, having completed that cache, that I began to think it was a pity you no longer needed to see the bridge in order to do that cache. In fact, on a previous attempt to complete that cache I had walked up to the lookout from the old highway leading up to Knapsack Bridge.
This cache, however, will keep you firmly in the vicinity of the bridge. You will need to visit a few reference points, all within very short distance, in order to gather some information which will lead you to the location of the cache.
You won't need coordinates for any of these reference points as they are all within a short distance and are fairly evident once you're at the bridge, but the main features are listed on the table below, just in the very unlikely event you do have a problem.
Answer these questions
Find a plaque stuck on a rock half way down the stairs, next to the bridge: In what year did Rotary celebrate its centenary? The answer to this = A
On the same plaque, what day of February of this year did Rotary mark this occasion = B
There is a picnic table and seats near the top of the stairs. Count the number of planks used to make the seats and table. This number = C
There is a plaque in the centre of the bridge. Find the following information:
* The number of years the bridge was a part of the Great Western Highway = D
* The year the bridge became a part of the Great Western Highway = E
The number of galvanised bollards placed between sandstone boulders near the picnic table = F
A =
B =
C =
D =
E =
F =
Now do the following calculations:
Let Y = (A-E)+(D+C+1)
Let Z = ((B*C)*F)+((B*C)-C)
Cache is located at : S 33 45.Y, E 150 37.Z
The cache itself is more secluded that the original hide, but you will still be visible to curious muggles. If muggles are about please be patient.
The cache is a 1 litre sistema container. It has room in it for Travel Bugs, Geocoins and small swaps.
Please make sure the cache is replaced as you found it.
I hope you enjoy the bridge and the area, especially if you've come up from the city.
Please Note
Unless you find the cache and logbook shown below, please do not log this cache. If you suspect problems with the cache, let me know with a maintenance log, rather than placing a new cache where you think it ought to go.
