Great Barrier Reef
This is the third cache in the third series of four different “Wonders” cache series. These caches represent the “Natural Wonders of the World.” Please look at the GC map and plan your route accordingly. These are very narrow roads. There’s not a lot of traffic but, please stay safe! If you intend to make the entire series in one trip, read the description for #1 and #7, it’ll help on the time and safety! At each of the first six caches in the series, please take note of the clue left for the final cache which is not at its listed coordinates.
This series takes place on Salmon Creek Road, please start from the middle of the town of Bodega. If you haven’t already cached them, there are some really great caches in this area! Okay, so the GC map or even the one on your smart phone will show a road that looks like it connects to Coleman Valley Road. It might, but it’s POSTED as private road so we didn’t do it. Plan this as a “One-way and then turn back around and go back to Bodega” trip! If anyone knows anything different about this road, please let me know and I’ll change this up accordingly!
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 1,600 mi covering an area of approximately 344,400 square 133,000 sq miles. The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in north-east Australia. The Great Barrier Reef is the only living organism on earth that is visible from space. (Unlike the Great Wall of China which is NOT a living organism!)
It is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms. This reef structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps. The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem composed of 2,900 individual reefs. It supports a variety of vulnerable and endangered species.
The ecological system that the reef supports is astounding on sheer numbers and diversity. Five hundred species of marine algae or seaweed live on the reef, creating mini-ecosystems on their surface which have been compared to rainforest cover on land.
Thirty species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises have been recorded in the Great Barrier Reef. Six species of sea turtles come to the reef to breed. Around 125 species of shark, stingray, skates live on the reef. Close to 5,000 species of mollusc alone have been recorded on the reef. Forty-nine species of pipefish and nine species of seahorse have been recorded. At least seven species of frog inhabit the islands. 215 species of birds and more than 1,500 fish species live on the reef.
Because the reef had no atolls, it was largely unstudied in the 19th century. During this time, some of the reef's islands were mined for deposits of guano. Lighthouses were built as beacons throughout the system. The Great Barrier Reef has long been known to be used by the Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Aboriginal Australians have been living in the area for at least 40,000 years and Torres Strait Islanders since about 10,000 years ago.