Oxley's End of the World Traditional Cache
malleechick: Suspended I can't get to repair this cache.
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(small)
Related Web Page
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
****Suspended**** I can't get to repair this cache. This is a monument to John Oxley and his party of exploration. It is the farthest south and west he ventured in 1817. He was the Surveyor General for the Colony of New South Wales.
Oxley’s mission was to map the course of the Lachlan River to discover what arable land lay to the west of the colony and to discover where the water flowed to. There were theories about an inland sea. Matthew Flinders had chartered the entire coast of Australia in 1802 and had not recognised the mouth of the Murray River for what it was. All the water from those inward flowing rivers had to go somewhere and the thought of a huge sea was one contained in magic and huge wealth potential. 1817 was a bad year. Little rain, little water in the river and little arable land to be found. Oxley left the course of the Lachlan in May to set off in a south westerly direction hoping to reach the coast near modern day Portland. What he found as he travelled were conditions not unlike what we see these years after many years of drought. The oft quoted comment about the land being ‘unsuited to man or beast’ comes from the day that he ascended Mt Brogden to see if it was worth continuing in his south westerly quest. Oxley’s botanist, Cunningham, climbed the adjacent Mt Caley. Cunningham may have been excited about his discovery of new botanical species, but he was just as worried about the survival of the expedition. There was little water and little grass for the horses. One of the horses was in such a bad condition it had to be put down, and the men made shoes out of the hide. Side trips were made to hills to the west of Mt Brogden (the current site of Griffith) to see if there was a way through, but the men came back after calling the hills the Disappointment Hills. The party turned east instead and returned to the Lachlan River. You can read the diaries of Oxley and Cunningham by using the link above.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Haqre ebpxf haqre n gerr
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures