We are often told (correctly, if somewhat ideologically), that geocaches should take us to somewhere "interesting", and not simply be placed just for the sake of it. The aim of this series is to try and adhere to this ideal by basing caches around details given on an Information Board about the area in which it is situated. By definition, it is hoped that this information will be "interesting", and will help the cacher discover things about the area that would often not be revealed by a traditional cache.Â
Between 1788 and 1868, about 162,000 convicts were transported by the British government to various penal colonies in Australia.
The British government began transporting convicts overseas to American colonies in the early 17th century. When transportation ended with the start of the American Revolution, an alternative site was needed to relieve further overcrowding of British prisons and hulks. Earlier in 1770, James Cook charted and claimed possession of the east coast of Australia for Britain. Seeking to pre-empt the French colonial empire from expanding into the region, Britain chose Australia as the site of a penal colony, and in 1787, the First Fleet of eleven convict ships set sail for Botany Bay, arriving on 20 January 1788 to found Sydney, New South Wales, the first European settlement on the continent. Other penal colonies were later established in Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) in 1803 and Queensland in 1824, while Western Australia, founded in 1829 as a free colony, received convicts from 1850. Victoria and South Australia remained free colonies. Penal transportation to Australia peaked in the 1830s and dropped off significantly the following decade. The last convict ship arrived in Western Australia on 10 January 1868.
Many convicts were transported for petty crimes, while a significant number were political prisoners. More serious crimes, such as rape and murder, were punishable by death, and therefore not transportable offences. Once emancipated, most ex-convicts stayed in Australia and joined the free settlers, with some rising to prominent positions in Australian society. However, convictism carried a social stigma, and for some later Australians, convict origins would be a source of shame. Attitudes became more accepting in the 20th century and it is now considered by many Australians to be a cause for celebration to have a convict in one's lineage. Around 20% of modern Australians are descended from transported convicts. The convict era has inspired famous novels, films, and other cultural works, and the extent to which it has shaped Australia's national character has been studied by many writers and historians.
At the headline co-ordinates, you will find a plaque commemerating the transportation of a young woman from the village of Belbroughton, as part of the first fleet.
Using this plaque and other nearby plaques and notice boards, answer the following questions in order to locate the cache:
A = Number of letters in the first name of the young woman transported minus 1
BC = Probable age of the young woman multiplyed by 4
D = This hammer was made by CC Bradley & Sons of Syracuse USA c18D7
E = Number of letters in the first name of the ship that the young woman was transported to Australia on
F =Â the second number in the day of May minus the first number in the day in May when the plaque was erected.
Cache can then be found at N52 23.ABCÂ W002 06.DEF
I hope that you find this an interesting variation on the caching experience. If you would like to add to the series, please contact the CO, Airtomoreira, by emailing him at fyigeocaching@outlook.com. He will allocate a series number to you, and give you some general guidance for placing your cache. If you already have a cache based on an Information Board, and would like to add it to the series, that would be no problem, again, please contact him for a series number.