Situated along the Mansfield‐Whitfield Road, Powers Lookout Scenic Reserve provides sweeping panoramas of the surrounding mountain and valley landscape. Just a short drive from Whitfield, the reserve is very popular for day-trippers. Visit for magnificent views, walks to suit all abilities and a unique link to Australian bush ranger history.
This rocky escarpment high above the King Valley was the hideout of Harry Power, a notorious but 'gentlemanly' bushranger of the 1860s. Power reputedly befriended a young Ned Kelly before leading him into a life of crime from which there appeared to be no turning back. On the run from the law for 8 years, Power used the reserve's location as a hideout and vantage point. Nevertheless, it was here that police eventually captured him.
The first lookout is located at the car park and is an all-accessible platform. From here, you can take in the breathtaking views over the Wobonga Plateau to the alpine peaks in the distance.
The second lookout is accessed via a short walk with a series of stairs and walkways that take you through caves and rocky formations to a viewing platform at the northernmost point of the outcrop, This is where you must go to answer the questions.
Geology
The rocks are of a sedimentary type known as "conglomerate". They consist of river-tumbled pebbles which were naturally cemented together some 350 million years ago. Over the years. Movement in the earth's crust has uplifted the conglomerate from the drainage basin where it was originally deposited. Tilting of the sediment layers and erosion by wind and water has left the rocky outcrop of Powers Lookout as it is today.
Conglomerate rock is a clastic sedimentary rock composed of rounded gravel and many boulder-sized clasts that are cemented together. The clasts can be made of any rock, whether it be sedimentary, metamorphic or igneous, but the clast cement is usually composed of calcite, silica or silt
Conglomerate rock formation begins with the weathering of existing rocks due to various processes like physical, chemical, or biological factors, causing them to break into smaller fragments. These fragments are then transported by natural agents such as rivers, streams, glaciers, wind, or gravity.
As these agents lose energy, they deposit the rock fragments in areas where the flow slows down, resulting in deposition sites like riverbeds, alluvial fans, or coastal regions. During deposition, the fragments are sorted based on size and weight, with larger ones settling at the bottom and smaller ones higher up in sediment layers. Over time, pressure from overlying layers compacts the sediment below, while groundwater carrying dissolved minerals infiltrates the sediment and acts as cement, binding the rock fragments together. This cementation process gradually solidifies the sediment into conglomerate sedimentary rock.
Conglomerates can be formed in a high or low energy environment, in high-energy environments, like beachfronts and flowing rivers, the inclusions are usually smooth and in no particular orders or layers. In low-energy environments, there is often layering present (larger and denser rocks lower, smaller and lighter rocks higher) along with more sharp and rough rocks.
Logging Requirements
To log this cache, you will need to answer some questions and take a photo for your online log. You may log your find immediately - we will reply to all messages and emails. If we do not receive your answers and photo within 10-14 days, your log will be deleted. You are welcome to include your photo in your log, just do not give away any of the answers
All questions can be answered from the posted coordinates, along with the photo taken there.
Question 1
Take a look around nearby and find some conglomerate- That shouldn't be too hard. Have a look at the inclusions, and describe the overall size, texture, colour and shape of said inclusions.
Question 2
Do you think this conglomerate formed in a low-energy or a high-energy environment? Justify your answer.
Photo Requirement
Post a photo of yourself, your GPSr, your caching name or one of your personal belongings at the lookout showing views out over the Kings Valley, example image below.
