A small cache with enough room for the log, pencil, and a couple of small trackables.
The Hume Highway is an 840km link between Melbourne and Sydney and is named after Australian explorer and pioneer Hamilton Hume (1797-1873) who, along with William Hovell (1786-1875) made the first overland journey from Sydney to Port Phillip. The route of the modern highway roughly follows the original route they took.
The name of this cache 'Hume Highway Terminus: Sydney' refers to the T-intersection of Liverpool Rd meeting Parramatta Rd that the cache is hidden next to. Liverpool Rd is the final section of the Hume Highway and it all ends here.
The Hume Highway passes through or close to the towns and cities of Campbelltown, Camden, Picton, Mittagong, Berrima, Marulan, Goulburn, Gunning, Yass, Bowning, Bookham, Jugiong, Coolac, Gundagai, Tarcutta, Holbrook, Woomargama, Albury, Wodonga, Chiltern, Wanaratta, Benalla, Euroa, Violet Town, Seymour, Broadford, Craigieburn.
In the early years of European settlement in Sydney little exploration of the area south and west of Sydney was performed due to the difficulties the terrain presented.
A 1798 expedition reached the area now occupied by the town of Moss Vale. Over the next 20 years further overland expeditions were made to the Goulburn Plains which lead to Governor Macquarie granting land to settlers in the area and ordering the creation of the Great South Road in 1818.
Following Hume and Hovell's 1824 journey from Sydney to Port Phillip, Surveyor-General Thomas Mitchell re-routed a long section of the Great South Road between Goulburn and Yanderra in 1833. Over the next 30 years Mitchell would be responsible for overseeing the extension and upgrading of the road through Gundagai and on to Albury.
It wasn't until 1928 that its name was changed from the Great South Road to the Hume Highway and not until 1940 that the last section of the Highway was fully sealed.
Since the 1960s the Highway has undergone significant development and along with bypasses of all of the major towns it once went through is now has duel carriageway along its entire length.
Noted first journeys:
1824: first overland journey from Sydney the Victorian coast near Geelong on foot by Hamilton Hume and William Hovell.
1884: first journey by bicycle from Sydney to Melbourne by Mr A. Edward.
1900: first journey by motor vehicle from Sydney to Melbourne by mechanic Herbert Thomson.
FTF: JordsAU (in 44 minutes from time of publication)