Digger O’Dale : Mordi Gold 1 Traditional Cache
Earthbound Chief: Decided too close to Kinder.
Digger O’Dale : Mordi Gold 1
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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This is a series based on an idea that EB Nano had after he learnt about the Victorian Gold Rush in Grade 4 in 2013. He constructed the caches and wanted the hides to be child friendly.
There are 6 caches in this series.
You may not know the story of Mordialloc gold or have heard of the unluckiest Irishman ever.
Digger O’Dale came to Australia by ship in the 1850’s to find his fortune on the Victorian Goldfields. He got off the ship in Adelaide and started walking to Ballarat. He gained a friend on the way, a red dog started to follow him. Digger called the dog Aspen and they became almost inseparable. They walked for a long time and eventually they reached the ocean again. He asked a fisherman if he had reached Ballarat. The fisherman laughed at him and told Digger he had missed Ballarat!
Digger found he was in the village of Mordialloc. Always the optimist, Digger made camp on the banks of the Mordialloc creek and decided to look for gold anyway. He started his fossicking panning for gold along the creek. Digger found enough gold dust to get by, enough to encourage him to keep looking. Eventually Digger started a mine not far from the creek and this is where he struck it rich. He found nugget after nugget.
Digger quietly built himself a big house close to the beach in Mentone. He was very careful to keep his luck a secret, having his gold made into everyday objects so local people would be less likely to notice his riches. Some folk wondered how Digger had came by his money and how he could afford his grand home but Digger was always very careful in the way he answered.
A local lad thought he’d find out for himself and broke into Digger’s house. The boy discovered artefacts made from pure gold as well as a large nugget. He gathered them all up and stuffed them in a bag and was making his escape when Aspen bailed him up and bit the boy. There was a commotion as the dog chased the boy from the house. The dog grabbed onto the bag and wouldn’t let go. The boy had to run with the dog attached to the bag of gold. Neither the boy or the dog were seen again.
Digger lost all his riches as well as his best mate. He was heart broken over the disappearance of Aspen. Despite working hard to try and discover more gold it seems Digger’s luck had run out. The bank sold his house (it is now the Mentone RSL Club) and Digger ended up back where he started. In a tent on the banks of Mordialloc Creek. Sadly, Digger spent the rest of his life searching for his dog and his lost riches. He believed Aspen had hidden them somewhere.
Maybe you can find Digger’s lost gold!
This cache is next to a playground and there is a preschool adjacent, avoid pick up times as there will be Mums with pre schoolers everywhere.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
ernpu hc