The cache is located on MacKillop Road near MacKillop Oval, Kincumber on the Mary MacKillop Peninsula.
Mary MacKillop was born in Melbourne in 1842. When she was in Penola she met Julian Tenison Woods and together they opened the first St Joseph's School in 1866.
Mary MacKillop and Julian Tenison Woods founded the Sisters of St Joseph to continue this work. Over the many following years, the number of Sisters grew as did their schools. Schools were opened as the needs arose: in country towns, mining towns, cities. The Sisters also became involved in other areas of need including setting up a refuge for women in need and orphanages for children, visiting prisons and working with the sick.
History ….
Mary MacKillop Road, Oval and Peninsula were so named due to Mary MacKillop’s connection with the area and, in particular, St Joseph’s Spirituality and Education Centre at the end of Humphreys road.
See Mary MacKillop – Kincumber 2 for the story....... Unfortunately that cache has been muggled a few times and now archived. However, the story is still worth noting here... Continue along MacKillop Road to the end of Humphreys Road. The Sisters of St Joseph have maintained an important link to Kincumber since "Mother" Mary and the Sisters first established this site as a home for boys in 1887. The area has more recently been designated by Gosford Council as Mary MacKillop Peninsula. Mary MacKillop established an institution for the poor and destitute at the Rocks in Sydney. This institution was known as St Josephs Providence. In 1887 the presbytery and grounds at Kincumber were placed by Cardinal Moran at the disposal of the Institute of the Sisters of St Joseph. Dean Sheridan made the necessary arrangements for 3 Sisters and 22 boys to take up residence at Kincumber from the Providence in Cumberland Street. In 1889 an adjoining block of 30 acres was puchased for 300 (pounds), on the financial advice of Dean Sheridan. Later Dean Sheridan assisted the Sisters to aquire a further 100 acres, land that was known as "Killarney" and "Tara". Gradually more land came under cultivation. In the 1880s this area was still quite isolated and most goods were transported by water. The boys had to learn the skills of living and working for a country life. The work of farming, dairying, gardening, baking and carpentry was some of the early work they were trained in. With unemployment high in the cities by the 1890s the intention was also that they would grow up skilled and be able to find work in the country. From 1887 until 1966 the site of the St Joseph's at Kincumber was a Home for Boys established by Mary MacKillop and the Sisters of St Joseph. In the early sixties the site was used soley for retreats and in most recent times St Joseph's Kincumber is a modern conference and retreat centre. Part of the museum is dedicated to Mary MacKillop and stories of the Sisters who were there in the past. The water down the "avenue" is the boatshed and wharf area. This wharf was used by many boats but particularly St Joseph’s Pioneer Ferry Service run by the Sisters and manned by the boys, in operation from 1905 until 1960’s. The concrete stairs that lead down to the wharf near a small gate, are the original stairs that were used as the entrance to the Home from Brisbane Water.
Mary MacKilop's famous saying was "Never see a need without doing something about it"
Well..... there was a need, a geochache in her honour, and something has been done about it!
This is one of many caches placed in significant locations of her story.
Mary died on August 8th, 1909.
She was declared Australia’s first Saint in 2012.