The cache is not at the published coordinates!
Lake Mac Heritage Series
How to get there: From Morisset, head towards Cooranbong along Martinsville Road, and turn left into Watagans Road. Continue uphill to Watagans Forest Road towards the series.
Road Use and Quality: The roads in the Watagan and Onley State parks are accessible by 2WD in dry conditions only. 4WD should be used at all other times. However, in some circumstances, the best way to approach these caches is on foot, especially on the narrower tracks. Common sense prevails!
The Lake Mac Heritage Series was placed to pay homage to the people, places and events that contributed to building and pioneering the Lake Macquarie region. The pick and shovel were chosen in this geoart series to symbolise the hard work the people of Lake Macquarie put forth into the region.
James Thomas Morisset
James Thomas Morisset was a captain in the 48th Regiment when he arrived in Sydney in 1817. He was appointed to the role of Commandant of Newcastle in December 1818, relieving Captain James Wallis. He was also appointed as magistrate and soon after in 1819, was promoted to major. At that time, Newcastle was a penal settlement with over 1,000 convicts. Morisset served as the Commandant of Newcastle until November 1823, when he was appointed to the role of Commandant of Bathurst. During his time as Commandant of Newcastle he was well regarded for improving the breakwater, building roads and barracks. He was responsible for the construction of the Commandant's Baths, since expanded and more commonly known as the Bogey Hole. Governor Lachlan Macquarie named Morisset's Lagoon in 1821 in recognition of his service. He was praised by Commissioner John Thomas Bigge for his work with convicts, adapting punishment to the individuals and for his administration of the public works. Morisset made the first overland trip from Newcastle to Sydney in 1823, camping under a tree on the western side of Lake Macquarie, near the current Morisset railway station. That tree is marked as a historic site and it is believed this led to the naming of the town of Morisset. The overland trip to Sydney took several days and was at times strenuous, but paved the way for the construction of the inland route between Newcastle and Sydney. Morisset was later to serve as the Norfolk Island Commandant and eventually returned to Bathurst as police magistrate and in 1841 as commissioner of the Court of Requests. At the conclusion of his military career he had attained the rank of lieutenant-colonel. Morisset married Emily Vaux on the Isle of Wight in 1826. They had 5 sons and 6 daughters. He died on 17th August, 1852 and is buried in the old Kelso churchyard.
The puzzle
All historical and heritage information courtesy of Lake Mac Libraries
Any questions regarding this puzzle cache or the LMHS geoart series will be answered by clicking HERE
*** The LMHS geoart was placed in conjunction with the OzGeoMuster 2018 mega event. The OzGeoMuster 2018 committee would like to thank the following people for their contribution to this series. ahomburg, day1976, sedgwickDave, The Morris, bobbiesgirl, and the_garbageman.***
Enjoy!
Marcus Vitruvius