The following has been reproduced from an information sign located outside the Wilmot Museum (see Waypoint for coordinates).
Middlesex Post Office Tree
Travel in the high country of North West Tasmania from the 1840's through to 1914 was mostly on foot or horseback. Local timber-cutters, cattle farmers, miners, snarers and Gustav Weindorfer left mail at the Middlesex Post Office Tree.
On horseback, the postman travelled from Liena through to Lorinna, then up the Five Mile Rise, along the van Diemen's Land (VDL) track, en route to Emu Bay - now known as Burnie. As he stopped at the giant stringly bark gum tree, known as the Post Office Tree, he would drop-off and pick-up letters and packages.
After the service discontinued in 1914, locals for many years still left letters in the tree. Passers-by, heading for town, would collect and deliver them to the nearest post office.
This route intersected with traditional pathways used for thousands of years by the Aboriginal Tommeginna language group, walking to the high country for summer hunting and ceremonies. The Middlesex area lies on the boundary between the North and the Big River Aboriginal nations.
The Post Office Tree is a local icon and has been chosen for this Virtual cache because of its regional historical significance.
On 20 February 2026 we were advised that one of the two numbers may be missing. Until we can get there to check things out, the logging quirements have been chnaged.
There are two requirements for logging this cache:
- A photo of you or a personal sign at the Post Office Tree marker
- If you choose to include a sign, you need to write your caching name on the sign and it must be placed against the base of the white background of the marker. Your caching name must be clearly visible in your photo.
- The photo must be included when you log your find.
- Within 15m of the Post Office Tree are two four digit numbers, one on a letter box, the other on a gate post at the entrance to private property. You need to send the ONE OF THE TWO numbers to the COs - this number is NOT to be included in your log.
If both requirements are not met within fourteen days of logging a find, your log will be deleted.
Thank you for visiting this historic landmark. If you have the opportunity, a visit to the Wilmost Museum is recommended.
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.