#5 in the Newport Canal series
Heron Canal gives water access to residents of odd numbered houses on Reliance Court and even numbers on Ranger Crt. Only small power boats here, a far cry from the America's Cup yachts that the streets are named after.
Reliance was the successful New York Yacht Club defender of the 1903 America's Cup. It was reportedly the largest gaff-rigged cutter ever built, taking advantage of a loophole in the Seawanhaka 90 foot rating rule to produce a racing yacht with long overhangs at each end, so when heeled over, the waterline length and therefore speed increased dramatically. Reliance was the first racing yacht to be fitted with winches, in an era when competitors relied on sheer man-power. Despite this, she carried a crew of 64 due to the large sail plan. From the tip of her bowspit to the end of her 108-foot (33 m) boom, Reliance measured 201 feet (61 m), and the tip of her mast was 199 feet (61 m) above the water (the height of a 20-story building). Everything else was to an equally gargantuan scale; her spinnaker pole was 84 feet (26 m) long, and her total sail area of 1,501 m2 (16,160 sq ft) was the equivalent of eight 12m class yachts. Her very successful career was shortlived, however, and Reliance was sold for scrap in 1913.
Herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds. They are mostly solitary feeders, patiently stalking their prey and then stabbing them with their sharp serrated bills. Common herons in SE Qld include the White-faced heron and Striated heron.The White-faced Heron is particularly versatile. It can be seen in many different wetland habitats: they occur on reefs, in rock pools and mudflats by the coast, in estuaries and saltmarsh, swamps, rivers, drains and at farm dams; they even occur in pasture and hypersaline wetlands. There they can be seen foraging for a wide range of prey, mostly small aquatic creatures, using various methods, including standing and waiting for their prey, slowly stalking it, frantically dashing after it, or disturbing it by stirring the water with their feet.
The cache is in a small park at the end of Heron canal along Griffith Road, with a handy seat and information sign. As this canal is fairly close to Seagull canal where #4 cache in the series resides, this cache is at the far eastern end of the park, closest to Reliance Court. You are looking for a tiny magnetic nano close to but not on the neighbour's fence.
Congratulations to Brislions for FTF!!