We couldn’t pass up an opportunity of hiking on the Ghost House Trail to look for a cave for our next cache. There are over 600 caves documented in Yanchep National Park. The one that we used for Spooky Manor Cave Cache is more of a shelter than a cave but is still impressive. It will cost you $11 to get into the park unless you have an annual pass. A walk trail leaflet can be collected from the visitor centre and the trail is well marked.
The Ghost House Ruin (former Shapcott’s Cottage), was built c1930s on the northern most banks of Loch McNess. The buildings were constructed by Shapcott for his use during his regular visits to the park using local limestone and timber from the Eucla which was wrecked in the Fremantle harbour. The electrical wiring, timber and plumbing were acquired free of charge or bartered for. Shapcott traded soil, rocks, animals, and birds for whatever materials he required for the construction of facilities within the Yanchep National Park.
The cottage was located a considerable distance away from the main recreation zones within the national park and is about a 9km hike round trip (that should test how committed you are to Geocaching!). There is a camping area and shelter opposite the cache which makes a great overnight stopover. It’s a long walk in and a bit of bush bashing for the last 30m or so. Once there it should be an easy find as I don’t want you to walk all that way and then not find it!