There is a dearth of information on-line regarding the history of the Ironbound range. It is possible to learn that the rocks are old, being metamorphic sediments from the Cambrian Period and Pre-Cambrian Era, as are most of the rocks of the south west. The explorer who named them, or who first crossed them, I am unable to tell you.
I can tell you that crossing them is hard-earned. The climb is substantial, the exposure to foul weather is considerable, and, if you are heading east, the descent is muddy, tangled and laborious. Even for those walkers restricting their trip to the South Coast Track, this necessary climb is every bit as much of an undertaking as the ascent of many of the more famous peaks further inland.
So, here is a little reward for your efforts. The only difficulty in finding this cache is the crossing of the range - if you get to this cache, you will find it. It's right on the track. The hint is very specific. I have left a geocoin for the FTF.
I placed this cache on the second day of an eight day trip from Melaleuca to Ida Bay Quarry, via New Lagoon, Precipitous Bluff, Kameruka Moraine, Wyllie's Plateau, Pindar's Peak, Ooze Lake and the Moonlight Ridge. The weather progressively worsened during the trip, so we felt increasingly under time pressure, had no rest days, and finished a day early. I had started the trip sick and found myself unable to keep up with the necessary eating, so I finished with over half my food and lost 5kg. After the walk, I found I had pneumonia and am now only starting to feel a little normal again two weeks later, hence the lengthy delay in publishing the cache. I have resisted the urge to tweak the difficulty rating upwards on this basis!
Congratulations to the intrepid ClanBeckett for FTF!
A maintenance plan has been submitted with this cache