Great Aussie Icon Hunt # 5.7
Round and round they go, and have done such in Australia for almost 2 centuries.
Yes I’m talking about the Windmill – an Aussie Icon seen all over Australia.
Windmill – Aussie Icon
This is one of a series of great Aussie Icon hunts. Travelling around Australia you undoubtedly see windmills: Dead ones, Rusted ones, High ones, Spinning ones, Coloured ones, Huge ones, all seen along the roadside, adjacent farm houses, along river banks, in gullies, in country town parks, in museums, in fact wherever…
This series of geocaches is designed to help you when travelling around Australia, by breaking up the trip, and to discover a bit of a history lesson as you seek windmills in locations with a written history of the windmill and/or local region adjacent.
With each of these trips, I’ll be giving the actual coordinates of some of the relevant windmills along the route – you then have to visit them enroute and determine the vital statistics and any other required info at the location. This will then be put into a formula to determine the final location of the cache. All windmills are accessible by car (no bush bashing required), they are all just a few metres off the highway, or in the centre of towns you will pass through, eg town parks. If there is limited access (to the base of the windmill) due to the time of day a park closes, I’ll mention that for the relevant windmill. All can be easily seen from road though.
Street view could be useful .........
Use that (& your time machine) and all is revealed, 100%.
In many of the windmills, you will be required to count the number of blades on the fan. This will be difficult to impossible depending on the strength of the wind.
Therefore, a digital camera IS ESSENTIAL.
These windmill hunts are in pairs, one from each state’s/territory’s capital city to Canberra, and one separate return hunt. So, for this particular hunt, the “return” is "Great Aussie Icon Hunt #7" – Perth to Canberra.
GC63F09 - Great Aussie Icon Hunt #7.
Now onto this particular geocache:
CANBERRA to PERTH
Windmill A1
S 35º 17.599 E149º 07.265
A Simplex windmill from Kenya station in central Queensland (110km Nth of Longreach) was relocated here in 2011. This Simplex windmill was made by the Intercolonial Boring Company in Brisbane in the 1920s. It provided water for stock on Kenya station.
The windmill is now part of the National Museum’s National Historical Collection. It was donated by John and Pamela Seccombe and taken apart on Kenya before being moved to Canberra – from Kenya station.
The windmill formed (& still does form) part of the National Museum’s National Historical Collection. It was dismantled in the museum in late 2023 due to the space being used for a further mezzanine level of displays. However, you can locate the windmill online by appropriate searching.
Number of blades = AA. AB = 4th digit in the final year the windmill provided stock with water. AC = Height of windmill minus 5. The windmill stood on Kenya station in central Queensland for more than XX years. AD = XX-58.
Windmill A2
S 35º 09.811 E 149º 07.737
Looking at one side of the tail, Number of bolts holding the tail PLUS the number of letters in the word = AE. Numeric value of the 2nd letter in the 8 letter word on the tail = AF. Number of bolts/screws holding the tail to the tail arm minus 2 = AG.
Windmill A3
S 35º 39.855 E 148º 59.328
Number of blades = AH. You can see it with the naked eye, but use your zoom on your camera to confirm, the tail – if Comet, AI=4, if Southern Cross AI=6, if Bryan Colac AI=8. Number of concentric rings forming the fan = AJ.
Location of next windmill
S 3(AB-AC+AG)º (AI-AF) (AD-AH-3) . (AD-AB-AI-1) (AC) (1)
E 14(AG-AF)º (AC-AI+1) (AE-AG-AJ) . (AA-AE-2) (AI-AJ) (4)
Windmill B
A large Mr. Corbet has number of blades = BA. A small Mr. Corbet has number of blades = BB. The wishing well Corbet – has a relatively small diameter wheel of a feet b inches. Make a=BC, b=BD. Whereas the big Corbet has a diameter of c feet, being the largest known of Corbet manufacture. Make c=BE. Number of steps on the large Corbet’s ladder = BF. James died in 19dd, dd=BG.
Location of next windmill
S 3(BF-AI)º (AA-BG-1) (BB-AH) . (BE-AF+1) (BF-BC) (9)
E 14(BA-AA+AF-BB)º (BE-BD) (BC+AG-AC) . (BF-BE) (BE-BC) (8)
Windmill C
Number of blades = CA. Number of legs = CB. If Bryan Colac CC=1, if Corbet CC=2, if Southern Cross CC=3, if Comet CC=4, if Yellow Tail CC=5. Number of vertical members on the tail = CD. Number of blades per segment = CE. On sign at base, “…on way to the surface through sometimes a-b cm of sand.”, make a=CF, b=CG.
Location of next windmill
S 3(BA-CA+1)º (CG-CF-BE) (CE-CD+1) . (CC-AJ-1) (BD) (4)
E 13(BE-CB)º (CB) (AI) . (AA-BG) (BA-CA) (7)
Windmill D
Number of blades = DA. Colour of pointy end of tail is ??, numeric value of the last letter of this colour = DB. Number of wagon wheels near the base = DC. He served x years as a councillor, x=DD. This included y years as mayor, y=DE. Number of vehicles in the photo = DF. Number of horses in the photo = DG. Number of windmill tails in the photo = DH.
Location of next windmill
S 3(CG-DA-AA+1)º (DD-DE-DC) (BD-BC-DF) . (BD-DH) (BF-DB) (0)
E 13(BF-DE)º (DG) (DF) . (DD-AG+1) (CD-DG) (4)
Windmill E
Number of blades = EA. Number of legs = EB. There is some big rusty struts bracing this structure, number of struts = EC. On tail, if Southern Cross ED=1, if Yellow Tail ED=2, if Comet ED=3, if Colac ED=4. Number of old wheel hubs used between all the struts = EE.
Location of next windmill
S 3(EB-EC)º (DD-BF) (BD-EB) . (BE-EE) (AF) (2)
E 13(EC)º (EE) (BC-EC) . (EA-DE-ED) (EB) (6)
Windmill F
Number of blades on the rotor FLAT on the ground = FA. Number of windmills (standing, working or not) = FB. On the Yellow Tail windmill, tail has two words. Numeric value of the 1st letter of the 1st word = FC. Numeric value of the 2nd letter of the 1st word = FD. Numeric value of the 3rd letter of the 1st word = FE. Numeric value of the 1st letter of the 2nd word = FF. Numeric value of the 2nd letter of the 2nd word = FG. Numeric value of the 3rd letter of the 2nd word = FH.
Location of next windmill
S 3(BC-CC+DF)º (EA-FD) (FF-BE) . (FG-FB-2) (FC-AG) (0)
E 12(EA-FC)º (BD-FB-1) (FE-DG) . (FA-AH) (FH-EE) (0)
Windmill G
Number of blades = GA. In the phone number, 1st digit = GB, 2nd digit = GC, 3rd digit = GD, 4th digit = GE, 5th digit = GF, 6th digit = GG.
Location of next windmill
S 3(GC-GE)º (GE-EC) (GE-ED) . (GD) (GA-FB) (4)
E 11(GA-AJ+DC)º (GD) (GB-GD) . (GC) (DD-FE) (7)
Windmill H
Number of blades on largest windmill = HA. Number of windmills = HB. Windmills “approved” dd/mm/yy. Make dd=HC, mm=HD, yy=HE.
Location of next windmill
S 3(HE-BC+1)º (HB-CG-BG) (HE-AF) . (HD-DF) (HC-EA-1) (3)
E 11(HB-CF-AA)º (DE-HA-2) (AA-HC+GC) . (AH-BD) (HD-ED) (8)
Windmill I
Number of blades on closest windmill = IA. Tallest windmill = x metres high. Make x=IB. Number of windmills = IC. Length of blade on tallest = ID metres. Lowest operational wind speed = IE km/h.
Location of next windmill
S 3(DA-IB+1)º (IC-FF+1) (IE-GE) . (HC-IC+2) (DE) (2)
E 11(HC-IC)º (BA-ID-1) (GB) . (GE) (IE-FB-2) (7)
Windmill J
Number of blades = JA. Number of legs = JB. Number of sides to the tail = JC. Number of concentric rings (attached to the blades) making the fan structure = JD. What catches your eye, if the satellite dish above the windmill JE=11, if the eagle wind vane at the top JE=13, if the candy cane stripes JE=15, if the impressive car logo JE=17.
Location of next windmill
S 3(DD-JE)º (JC) (JB) . (JE-GB) (JA-IE-2) (8)
E 11(GC)º (JD+JC-IE) (JD) . (GF) (JA-BE-1) (8)
Windmill K
Look over there, over the creek, Number of blades = KA. If Comet KB=2, if Southern Cross KB=4, if Bryan Colac KB=6. Number of blades per segment = KC. Number of concentric rings attached to the blades forming the fan = KD. (Note: each ring is composed of two rings joined together, so basically, how many pairs)(Answer is <5).
Location of next windmill
S 3(IE-GC)º (KA-JA-KC+1) (ID/JC) . (JE+KD-HD) (KB+JE-FC-1) (0)
E 11(HD-KB)º (KA+JE-ID+1) (FF-JA-1) . (KA-KB-BF) (KC) (5)
Windmill L
Number of blades = LA. Angle between adjacent blades = LB degrees.
Cache is located at:
S 35º NP.QRS
E 14Tº VW.XYZ
Where
N = (BA-FF-JA+EC-KD)
P = (HB-LB+AC-KA+FB)
Q = (DA-IB+HC-BG)
R = (AE-DD-GE+JC-ED)
S = (AF-AJ+GC)
T= (EA-FD+IE-DC)
V = (CF-CA-ID-EE-HA)
W = (AA-BE-DF-FH-DH)
X = (AH-JE+JB+JD-GG)
Y = (AD+AG-FA-FC)
Z = (LA+GA+HE-IC+GF)
Finally, as with all windmills, from time to time a blade may fall off and you may see the windmill before it is replaced. So, count how many blades should be there. (unless told otherwise).
Feel free also to contact me beforehand and/or on route to confirm details or any other query you may have on the way, or to be prepared. Remember, when plotting the location of the next windmill, it is generally on a main highway or in a town somewhere, never off in the bush or beyond the black stump. There may be the occasional wind farm.