This collection of caches has nothing to do with the Church Micro series in the UK. Given that the Australian 2016 census indicates that No Religion and Jedi Knight are the fastest increasing classifications of the optional religion question "What is the person's religion?" it is not surprising that there is surfeit of empty churches that have been repurposed.
The original Methodist church was built in Devonport in 1889 on the land where the current hall complex is. The present church building was opened on March 12th 1932 and the previous church was used as a Sunday School. The total cost of the church was £3,462. The stained glass windows were put in place at a cost of 8 shillings and six pence per square foot. The interior was completed with the installation of the Fincham pipe organ in 1938. In 1958 the old church building was demolished and the present hall was erected in its place.
With maintenance costs outstripping the capacity of the less than 50 members of the congregation, sadly in July 2018 the last service was held in the church and the church and hall were sold.
The church and adjacent hall were purchased by television chef Ben Milbourne and wife Sally who have transformed the site into the base for their production company. Ben's achievements include
- very successful in Masterchef Season 4 in 2013 (second last eliminated, fifth overall)
- in TV show 'Ben's Menu' airing on channel 10 for 3 seasons
- featured in SBS Food Network's 'Andy and Ben Eat Australia'
- hosted Food Lab aired on network 10 in 2017, and
- produced and hosted 65 episodes of Food Lab series 2 which aired recently on SBS Food Network over 13 weeks,
Ben uses part of the former Uniting Church buildings as his test and teaching kitchen, the remaining areas being used to develop other aspects of Ben's passion for the preparation and presentation of food. A part of the church has also been sublet for a community wellness centre.
The Cache
The foundation stone of the building faces Steele Street and is visible from the footpath.
The Foundation Stone was laid by Rev. W. H. E. Abbey on
June AB, CDEF
The cache is located at S41 10.(A+B)(E-A)A E146 21. (E+F)(B+F)(E-F)
Checksums: South=18 East=28
Background to the "Used 2B a Church Micro" series
The "Used 2B a Church Micro" series is the brainchild of Freddo, a very experienced cacher in South Australia. With over 100 caches in the series published in that state, the placement of caches is being extended to other parts of Australia with Freddo maintaining management of the series.