The cache is located on the Rees Valley Road which is a 30 - 45 minute drive from Glenorchy. The road is gravel so take care and there are several fords which will need to be crossed (2WD cars will be fine). The road is maintained as far as Muddy Creek, after that it gets rather rough and it is advisable not to drive any further as it is prone to sudden washouts. The cache is located several kilometers before Muddy Creek but it is worthwhile driving as far as Muddy Creek for the scenery. And there is now a cache located there. Muddy Creek is the starting or ending point for the Rees Dart track and there is a car park and toilets located there.
The cache is located at a circular stationary buddle or concentrator which belonged to the Otago Pyrites Saving Company. There is parking right next to the buddle, just drive up. This 7.9 meter diameter buddle is all that remains of the 1884 extraction plant. The buddle was used as part of a method for extracting gold still trapped in the tailings which were brought down from the Invincible Battery, located high above on the mountainside.
Initially the Invincible Mine Company did not know how much gold was still contained in the tailings after it had passed through their stamper battery. The Invincible Mine agreed to sell their tailings to the Otago Pyrites Saving Company for 15% of the gold recovered. The tailings were sent from the mine in a 2200 foot (679 meters) long wooden chute and were processed through classifiers, pyramidal boxes and jiggers (all forms of washers) and the concentrates were shipped to Australia for specialised processing. The lighter fractions then entered the buddle. The material was released in the centre to trickle down the smooth plaster surface whilst jets of water of differing pressures emitted from 4 rotating arms divided the material in waste slime, slime sand (which was reprocessed), lighter ore and pure pyrites (concentrate). The fractions passed into four different concentric gutters on the perimeter. The Buddle is still almost intact with the arms on which the jets were mounted and the gutters are still present. The dams for water storage are still present although the turbine and its building are missing.
The cache container is a small round container which is covered in gray tape and is large enough for small swaps .The hint is explicit as it is unlikely you will come this way again!