Top Gate Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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The Gillies Highway is an icon of the Tablelands. Loved by motorcyclists or loathed by less range-hardened travellers, it is nevertheless a major engineering feat and an important piece of pioneering history. Grab a quick cache and a bit of history before (or after) taking on 'The Gillies'
The Gillies Highway runs from Atherton to Gordonvale and was constructed to provide vehicular access from the rich farming, mining and logging area to the coast. Opening in 1926, it was a single lane gravel road with 613 sharp bends over 12 miles (19km), which cut two days off the travel time to the area. An additional section of road connected the new range road to Yungaburra, with the two sections meeting at the Top Gate. Initially, the road had no gatekeepers, with only a notice advising motorists the times they could travel either way. Unsurprisingly, this soon proved untenable, so gates were installed at both ends of the range. The gates had a permanent gatekeeper and were manned 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They were connected by a single wire telephone, with only the bottom gate connected to an outside exchange. Apart from controlling the gates, the gate keeper’s duties included collecting the toll, issuing and collecting tickets, recording the registration of the vehicles and the number of passengers and relaying this information to the other gate at regular intervals. They were also charged with enforcing the speed limit (initially 12mph) and retrieving any vehicles that broke down or were involved in an accident, both of which were determined by the amount of time taken to travel between the two gates. A teahouse operated by the wife of the Top Gate's first gatekeeper supplied tea and scones to the line of waiting vehicles. Up-bound vehicles waiting at the Mountain View Pub at the bottom of the range could sustain themselves on something a bit stronger, adding to the excitement and perils of the journey. :-) Although this was a 24 hour a day, 365 day a year job, between opening in 1926 and ending in 1959, only 3 gate keepers held the position on the Top Gate. By 1959, the gates were abolished and two-way traffic operated on a restricted basis. ‘It has been stated that anyone missing the gate by just a few minutes could sometimes be allowed by the gatekeeper to continue, especially if a little present should change hands. During the 1926 to 1959 period, everyone on the Tableland knew what catching the gate, or missing the gate meant.’ This cache is too small for swaps but does have a FTF trophy. Enjoy! For more information, read ‘A bend too many’, produced by the Eacham historical Society. Congratulations on FTF to Danielc.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
PVGB
Treasures
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