TEMPORARY NOTE: A FENCE HAS RECENTLY BEEN PLACED ACROSS ACCESS TO THIS CACHE. CACHE IS ON PUBLIC LAND SO WE ARE LEAVING IT IN PLACE AND ACTIVE FOR THE MOMENT BUT WILL CONSIDER MOVING WHEN WE GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FENCE. ADDITIONAL CAUTION WILL BE NEEDED WHEN GOING THROUGH THE FENCE.
*** SAFETY NOTE *** Access to the cache is under the railway line. Don't attempt to cross over the line.
In November 1878 a ballast train was travelling over the gully just to the west of Comet. At the same time, a crew was raising timber to erect a derrick to top the bridge when a crew member lost control of one of the guy ropes. The engine and first two wagons escaped the rope, but it then swept off most of the men on seven of the train’s wagons before being deflected by a water-butt on the last wagon.
Eyewitnesses report “… men being thrown in every direction, and a boy who was engaged to carry water to the workmen was pitched into the air like a cricket ball.”
In all, 5 men died and many more were injured. 4 of the dead were buried in the old Comet cemetery, located in Shakespeare Street.
The young lad escaped serious injury.
Although there was no actual murder, the location became known locally as Murdering Gully.
A new bridge crosses the gully now, but you can still see the remains of the old timber pylons in the gully, as well as some other remnants from more recent times.
There is plenty of space for parking, including vans and trailers, at the waypoint or if you have a high clearance vehicle you can drive down the track from the waypoint to get you closer to the cache.
The cache has plenty of room for travel bugs and swaps and is tethered for security in the event of high winds (possible) or floods (we dream of that much rain).