The Location
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Marina Barrage is a newly constructed dam which blocks the
mouths of the Singapore and Kallang Rivers (and Marina Bay) from
the sea , thus creating a new freshwater reservoir, to improve
Singapore's water supply. It is expected that sometime during 2010
the new reservoir will contain all fresh water.
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Marina Barrage also is the location of a very informative site
on water catchments, use, processing (eg. into NEWater), environmental
concerns, initiatives, technology and lifestyles, green town
planning and much more.
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The Marina Bridge spans the floodgates, which are used to
protect Marina Bay from storm surges and regulate the amount of
water in the reservoir After heavy downpours, one can watch the
excess water being let out into the sea when one or more of the
floodgates are opened.
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Last but not least, Marina Barrage sports a water playground, a
huge green grass roof, which is popular with the local population
for kite-flying, picnicking etc. A great view can be had both of
the city skyline (with the new Marina Bay Sands towers as well as
the Singapore Flyer) and to seawards.
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It also sports a large solar park on part of the root, which
makes it electrically independent (at least as far as lighting and
electrical outlets etc. are concerned).
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On the opposite site of the Marina Bridge, a boat hoist is
available to transfer boats between the open sea and the Marina Bay
(cost is SGD 3 per foot length of the boat. Permission to enter
Marina Bay has to be obtained beforehand).
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Gardens by the Bay are currently being built/landscaped next to
Marina Barrage, and on the far end there will be Gardens by the
Sea
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The Cache
A large small (or small regular?) box. Initial contents are a
pencil, logbook and FTF Goodie.
Please do not place heavy TBs into this cache
Please close the plastic bag properly again, as the box is not
watertight
Please take care when re-hiding, make sure it stays put
Info location open 9am to 9pm. Though it may be possible (but
maybe much harder) to do the cache outside these times, extra care
should be take due to the CCTV cameras and security muggles
possibly getting curious.
The Quiz
The cache is not located at the provided coordinates. It's real
coordinates are at
- North 01 AB.CDE
- East 103 FG.HIJ
You will need to answer the following questions. Answers to the
questions can be found all around the MB site, which includes car
park, the marina bridge etc. It is however not necessary to venture
further afield.
Pay attention with the math !
| AB: |
Divide W by Z to yield AB |
| C: |
Subtract the number of minutes it would take one pump to empty
an Olympic size pool from the blue digit (which you will
find in a few (unexpected?) places). |
| D: |
How many kilowatts of electric power does the solar park
generate? Use the last digit for D. |
| E: |
Get yourself drawn to the Force of Nature II. It represents
E. |
| F: |
The catchment feeding the reservoir created by the barrage is
huge. 1/(F+1) of the size of Singapore's land area. |
| G: |
G=X-Y |
| HI: |
The boat hoist can lift a boat across the barrier in half this
many minutes. |
| J: |
To the seaward of the marina bridge, a row of J*2
yellow/orange blinkenlights warn approaching boats of the
blockage. |
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| W: |
find drainage pump #1. It is rated W kW at 6.6kV |
| XY: |
Find the plaque that shows Singapore's skyline (dated December
2008). XY be the number of identified buildings. |
| Z: |
Find the water gauge. Z is the difference in centimeters
between the max level and the topmost reading. |
To Do
While here, there are a number of things you can do to spend time
with something other than geocaching:
- if you have time (and the weather is nice), pack a lunch and
have a picnic on the grass roof. (Might make a good base while
hunting for clues)
- Do visit the Sustainable Singapore Gallery on the second floor.
Most informative.
- Go fly kite (winds tend to pick up for a while around 6pm even
on calm days). The small shop below sells kites, so does
occasionally a mobile seller at the car park.
Getting There
Public Transport
is available via SBS Bus 400 from Shenton
Way Terminal and Marina Bay MRT station, between 9am and 11:30pm
every day. There is also a shuttle bus alternating with Bus 400
between Marina Bay MRT and Marina Barrage (though I can't say
whether that is a temporary arrangement).
by car
Take the Marina Station Road/Marina South exit from the ECP
(East Coast Parkway) and follow the posted signs (not proper
roadsigns yet, look for temporary signs). ... A car park is
provided, free of charge. On weekends or public holidays it is
likely to be overcrowded though.
Walk
If you are so inclined, take the MRT to Marina Bay and walk the
distance. It should be doable in under one hour, but you will
likely want to take a swim in the reservoir (not allowed!) once you
arrive :-(. Think Noel Coward.
FTF Goodie
... in between the logbook's pages