Location:
The Sturt Street Gardens is a central reservation running along Sturt Street, one of the main thoroughfares of Ballarat. The formal gardens span 13 city blocks from Grenville Street in the east to Pleasant Street in the west, are 20 metres wide and cover an area of 2.87 hectares running east–west.
The historic gardens are the main gardens of Ballarat's Central Business District and significant for their heritage features including significant statues, bandstands, memorials and trees. Three of the reserve's monuments are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register and the entire gardens are listed as a heritage precinct by the City of Ballarat. The gardens are important to the culture of Ballarat.
This conflict based multi will take you on a short walk of 2 blocks of the Sturt Street gardens and highlight some of the significant monuments.
GZ S 37° 33.ABC E 143° 51.DEF
Visit the waypoints to answer each question.
WP1 William Dunstan VC
William Dunstan, VC was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces.
A = The last number of William's death year minus 1.
WP2 Pompey Elliot
This statue commemorating the life and career of Australian war hero Major Harold 'Pompey' Elliott was unveiled as part of Heritage Weekend in Ballarat. The service recognised Pompey's bravery and his contribution to Australia's military history.
B = The number of plaques in the surrounding garden bed minus 5.
WP3 Albert Coates
Sir Albert Ernest Coates OBE, FRCS was an Australian surgeon and soldier. He served as a medical orderly in World War I serving on Gallipoli, and as a senior surgeon for the Australian Army Medical Corps in World War II in Malaya.
C = The number of surgical instruments in the container at Alberts feet.
WP4 Korean, Borneo, Malayan, Vietnam War Memorial
The Borneo, Malaya, Korea & Vietnam War Memorial is part of a series of monuments located in the centre of Sturt Street Ballarat. The memorial was dedicated on Remembrance Day (11th November) 2000 by Michael Ronaldson M.H.R. The memorial features a large grey granite cross featuring the words "Lest We Forget" leaning against a wall displaying plaques to the four conflicts that the memorial commemorates. A plaque was added in 2006 by the Victorian Vietnam Veterans Community in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan. The memorials located along Sturt St offer fascinating insights into the military history of the Ballarat region.
D = The number of white stone slabs making up the cross minus 1.
WP5 Peter Lalor
The statue is said to be a striking likeness of the best remembered leader of the Eureka Stockade, Peter Lalor.
It is 3 metres high mounted on a pedestal of polished Aberdeen granite, decorated with 4 bronze relief panels depicting Lalor`s involvement at Eureka and in Parliament, where he served as the Speaker of the House.
The sculpture was presented to the city on Foundation Day, 26-January-1893 by James Oddie, a friend of a Lalor`s and first Chairman of the Municipality. The statue was unveiled by a former mining mate of Lalor`s, who at the time of unveiling was Premier, the Honourable Duncan Gillies.
E = The day in December the rebellion took place plus 2.
WP6 The Eternal Flame
This memorial, erected in the year of the 50th anniversary of the conclusion of World War II honours the sons and daughters of Australia who served our country during those years of hostilities on the ground, in the air and at sea. Many rest forever in foreign lands. They fought in Europe, North Africa, the Mediterranean, South East Asia and the Pacific in the brave and selfless tradition established by the ANZACs in World War I.
We acknowledge our debt to them and recognise those who as civilians worked tirelessly in the factories, on the land or from home to support them.
Lest We Forget.
F = The number of darker stone pieces making up the arrow on the ground that points west toward the Cenotaph minus 2.
Checksum = 50
Ballarat GeoTour:
This cache is placed as part of the Ballarat GeoTour. This GeoTour was made possible after receiving a grant from VicHealth as part of their Reimagining Health grants in 2020. To discover more caches in the Ballarat GeoTour please visit: https://geocachingvictoria.com.au/ballarat-geotour