House of Shell & Sand Traditional Cache
tattsus: Many thanks for all the fav points, but we are unable to maintain this cache at the moment, so will archive it.
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Difficulty:
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Size: 
(micro)
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In the early 1900s this area was once a cricket ground and a picnic area utilised by the residents of Somerset, but for many years it was the site of an abattoir. Following is a little bit of history about the area.
In 1912 the farmers around the area had to look for a new means of income and production when their potato crops were hit by the devastation of Irish Blight. The result was the co-operative known as North West Freezing and Canning Co. In 1918 work on the initial factory began and was built by W.A Pilbeam and Co. After almost two years the abattoir was ready to process and export fat lamb carcasses to the U.K. Unfortunately WW1 broke out and the factory wasn’t utilised until after the war. When the factory did begin production it wasn’t for its original purpose. Instead it was used to process pork and bacon. There were also other uses for the factory including the making of smallgoods, making ice and to store butter while it was awaiting export. The abattoir had an upgrade in the mid 1930s, and began to process lambs.
By the late 1930s the co-op was processing up to 40 000 lambs a year for export to the U.K. By 1950 the co-op was in trouble. Due to not only WW2 (1939-45), but also outdated equipment and unproductive work practices. In that same year C.E ‘Frosty’ Napier became chairman of directors. There were also many other new board members, and many farmers where persuaded to become shareholders in the company. Thus by the mid 1960s the abattoir was more efficient in its running and was even able to pay its 1000 odd shareholders a small dividend. ‘Somerset Freezers’ as they were commonly known was not however out of the woods. It was often critised for the terrible smell that was emitted, as well as being a major source of pollution in the immediate vicinity. Also in the late 1960s NW Co-op Freezing and Canning Co like many other meat export companies had to abide by the new and stringent health regulations that were introduced. In spite of all that the annual turnover for the abattoir in 1967 was $2.3 million. However the good fortune wasn’t to last, because in 1968 their beef export license wasn’t going to be renewed by the Department of Primary Industries until major renovations were made to the abattoir. The effect on the business was devastating and immediate with half the work force losing their job and cutting its annual revenue in half.
In 1974 TasMeats (made up of Webster Ltd, Roberts Ltd and Richardson Meats) took over the business. TasMeats was a subsidiary of Richardson Meats. By the mid 1970s the work force had grown to 250 and meat was being exported to more than 30 countries. By 1986 Richardson Meats was in receivership and the abattoir again changed hands and names. R.J Gilbertson bought the abattoir from Richardson Meat Industries; R.J Gilbertson was however controlled by a large trading house in Japan, known as Hawkridge Meats. The abattoir was now known as Hawkridge Meats. The abattoir however only survived for another eight years, and in 1994 Hawkridge Meats decided to run the whole business from its Longford plant. Hawkridge Meats at Camdale was demolished that same year, ending a business that had changed hands and names many times in its 70 odds years of existence.
The six hectare site was bought for $310 000 by the Burnie City Council in 1995, to rehabilitate and for the public to enjoy. Although the site hasn’t quite returned to its original splendor of the early 1900s, it is a great place to park the geomobile and take a leisurely stroll along the beach.
Happy caching, we hope you will enjoy finding this cache.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Abg lrg, jvyy frr ubj vg tbrf svefg.
Treasures
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