Once colourfully known as the Apple Snatchers (scary!!), Hillwood nowadays boasts a less distinctive emblem, but is nevertheless still building on a proud tradition stretching back eight decades. For many years, the club was a highly successful member of the East Tamar Football Association, contesting ten grand finals between 1955 and 1969, for eight wins. However, when the ETFA merged with its West Tamar counterpart to form the Tamar Football Association in 1970 Hillwood found itself unable to continue, and spent the next ten seasons in recess. In 1980, the club finally took its bows in the TFA - and promptly lost 38 games straight, 25 of them by margins in excess of 100 points, before finally breaking through for a win in 1982. Two years later, in what was the EFA’s last season, Hillwood reached the grand final, but lost to Bridgenorth by 39 points.
In 1985, Hillwood commenced in the Northern Division of the Tasmanian Amateur Football League, reaching a grand final three seasons later, and winning a premiership in 1990 with a 12.14 (86) to 10.10 (70) defeat of Longford. When the competition split into two divisions in 1992 the Sharks won the inaugural division one flag, downing George Town in the grand final by 13 points.
The northern amateur competition was replaced by the Northern Tasmanian Football Association in 1997. The Sharks won the division one premiership in the new competition in 1999 when they thrashed Longford by 97 points, 26.14 (170) to 10.13 (73). They then went back to back thanks to an 8.12 (60) to 2.8 (20) defeat of Scottsdale the next year.
Hillwood continues to compete in division one of the NTFA.
Perhaps what is even more impressive is that they managed to resurrect a defunct football club, make it successful, and all this in a town with a population of just over 300. Go Sharks!!
The cache is a round black tupperware container with logbook, pencil and a few small swaps.