The Melbourne Mint was a branch of the British Royal Mint.
From 1872 until 1916 it minted only gold sovereigns and half sovereigns, and continued to mint gold coins until 1931. It also minted all Australian coins between 1927 and 1967 when it was decommissioned and all Australian coin minting was moved to the new Canberra mint.
It is now the home of the Marriage Registry and the Royal Historical Society of Victoria, and has been leased to the private sector since 2001 and has a bar and restaurant within its grounds.
The former Royal Mint is located on the corner of William and Latrobe Streets (280-318 William Street and 387-429 Latrobe Street) and is of architectural significance as one of the most impressive 19th century government buildings in Victoria, and one of few Australian buildings in the true Renaissance revival style, and a virtual copy of the Raphaels Palazzo Vidoni-Caffarelli in Rome (1515).
The national trust registered royal mint was built between 1869 and 1872 to the designs of architect J.J Clark whose other notable works included the Old Treasury Building in Melbourne.
Sources: Wikipedia, Museum Victoria & National Trust
How to catch a cache:
I know you think it's simple. Go to the posted coordinates, find it, sign it, return it, log it. But stop and think for a bit.
- Get there You use your GPSr to get you to ground zero
- Search You use your GPSr and do that dance we all know so well and get as close as possible. Perhaps look around for potential hiding spots before you actively start climbing trees, crawling under seats or poking inside bushes. Always assume there will be others around, and try to be subtle about it. Your shoes need tying, or you are on the phone leaning against something. Not looking for something.
- Retrieve Before you go grabbing that cache in excitement, you should take note of both exactly where and how the cache was placed. Landmarks and markings help. This is important to ensure the cache goes back where it should later.
- Sign the log If you didn't sign the log, there's no proof you found it. Your log may be deleted! Of course, if for some reason it is not possible to sign the log, send me proof somehow. I may rant, but I'm reasonable.
- Return it Because you know where and how the cache was hidden, you are now able to stealthily able to return the cache to the exact correct hide with out any issue. Now the next cacher can also successfully find the cache.
- Log I know it's not easy to post details of your hunt every time, but please consider that many cache owners have put effort into their hides. It is always appreciated when you put effort into your log.
The hint should tell you in a slightly cryptic manner where the cache should be. Please return accordingly.