Rocky V
After gaining permanent brain damage fighting Ivan Drago, Rocky Balboa (Stallone) is finally forced to retire from the sport of boxing. But it doesn't stop him from coaching an up-and-coming boxer named Tommy Gunn (Morrison). Then, when Tommy decides that Rocky isn't moving him up quickly, he soon leaves Rocky and begins his new training from Duke. Tommy wins the title he wants, but still does not gain the respect he want. He wants to take out his anger in a fight with Rocky, but as Rocky is now retired from the ring, a street fight would have to do for Tommy. A street fight which could risk Rocky's life. He's lifted himself before and now he has to again. Under great pressure, can Rocky lift himself back up again?
The Lerderderg Gorge
Roughly 400-500 million years ago, the sea covered the area, allowing sand and mud to be deposited. After the sea withdrew, uplifting occurred, forming north-south running mountain ranges. This was followed by a long period of erosion. Approximately 250 million years ago, glaciers formed and as they moved over the land they exposed large granitic rocks. Rubble was deposited in the valleys and conglomerates and sandstone were deposited in the lakes and rivers that were created as the glaciers melted. These are some of the earliest glacial deposits known to exist in the world, adding to the geological significance of the Bacchus Marsh area (Lubczenko 1994)[2].
Following movements of the Rowsley Fault approximately 1-2 million years ago, deep gorges formed along the Werribee River, Lerderderg River and Parwan Creek. The youngest geological materials are alluvial and colluvial fan deposits and confined floodplain deposits. Sandy fans have been built along the Rowsley Fault escarpment and Greendale Fault and alluvial terraces have developed in the valleys of the Werribee and Lerderderg Rivers (Rosengren 1986)[1] & (NRE Flora & Fauna Port Phillip Region 2002)[3].
The Lerderderg Gorge is the valley deeply incised by the Lerderderg River into the fault blocks upthrown by movement of the Rowsley, Greendale and Coimadai Faults. The gorge is over 300 m deep with valley-side slopes commonly of 35o to 40o and near-vertical rocky cliffs to 60 m high. The topography of the area is dominated by long narrow ridges and steep secondary spurs, with a high degree of rock outcrop on ridge crests, slopes and stream channels. The geology is dominantly of folded Lower Ordovician sandstones and mudstones intruded by numerous small quartz veins and several larger and longer acid dykes. There are excellent exposures of the Ordovician sediments displaying bedding, depositional structures, fracturing and folding at many localities along the gorge. Although some sectors of stream channel are strike-aligned, the general trends of the valley is oblique to the direction of the strike of the Ordovician rocks. The stream gradient is steep, has a coarse bouldery load and the river follows a tortuous course with several deeply incised gooseneck meanders. In places narrow boulder terraces grading into finer grained sediments flank the channel and occur at least three levels.
http://vro.agriculture.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/portregn.nsf/pages/port_lf_sig_sites_bu6
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[1] Rosengren, N. J. (1986)
Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance in the Western Region of Melbourne.
Prepared by the Department of Geography, University of Melbourne for the Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands, Victoria.
[2] Lubczenko, V. (1994)
From Land Despair to Landcare. ‘Reading the Land’ around Bacchus Marsh.
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Victoria and the Geography Teachers’ Association of Victoria.
[3] NRE Flora & Fauna Port Phillip Region (2002)
A Strategy for conserving biodiversity in the Central Victorian
That brings us to the Earthcache:
Like Rocky, you will have to battle the terrain to achieve success. When at the posted coordinates look directly to the East. At about 50 metres you will see a prominent geological feature. To log this cache please use the information in the listing to answer the following:
1. Describe the prominent geological feature to the east of the posted coordinates.
Move to the base of the feature for stage 2 and describe the following:
2. What is the type of stone that you are looking at and what are its colours?
3. What is the approximate angle, from vertical, of the main feature?
4. How old do you estimate this feature to be?
Please feel free to log this earthcache, once you have sent me the answers. I will respond within a day or so. Logs without emailed answers within a week will be deleted.
I have found that the shortest route to this location is to park in the parking area where Square Bottle Track meets Mt Blackwood Road. From there walk a short way along Square Bottle Track before turning along Razorback Track. After a stout walk that will take you past Razorback Track North, continue to the end of the vehicular track, then down a foot pad that is fairly clear to see. When you get to within about 150 metres of GZ, you will need to leave the track off into the bush on your left. Try to pick a route with the least gradient, making your way down into the gorge to your left, taking great care not to slip or fall. Expect some difficult rock scrambling.Once down into the gorge, pick your way to the posted coordinates. An alternative to this route is to follow East Walk from O'Briens Crossing. This roughly follows the river for about 11.5 km, making it a 23 km round trip. It is quite a bit longer and also involves some rock scrambling. Other routes are available, but are comparable to the East Walk option.
Which ever route you choose to take will require some physical exertion and will have risks associated with rock scrambling in a reasonably remote location. Please enjoy this wonderful place and the adventure to get in (and out of) here. Come well prepared, come with company and take all safety precautions, as per the previous Rocky caches. I recommend bringing at least 3 litres of water, some food, a first aid kit and a PLB. This can be dangerous terrain. If it is wet from rain or rain is predicted, leave it for another day. The slippery rocks can be treacherous, and the gorge is known to experience flash flooding. Don't risk it all like Rocky, because no cache is worth dying or being injured for.