Kaffee Kache - a cache to celebrate when we have shared a chat over coffee with fellow geocachers.
Preliminaries:
- No cache is hidden at the posted coordinates, but you must start there.
- There is no need to enter any commercial premises for any part of this cache!
- Please use the roadside footpaths where possible, and take care in crossing any roads.
- Park responsibly!
Location:
Nerang is a town and suburb in the LGA of the Gold Coast. The Nerang River flows through the locality from south to east, passing through the town, which has a small town centre in which banking and a range of other commercial and retail services are available. Of more prominence within the Division, is the development of a series of light industrial parks which house a diverse range of small and large business operations providing services such as panel beating, motor vehicle wrecking, a wide range of trades, printing and equipment hire services. Administration offices of the Gold Coast City Council are also located at Nerang including Council functions such as finance, town planning and building services.
The town takes its name from the river which, in turn, is reportedly a word from the Yugambeh language meaning small river or the Bundjalung language meaning shovel nosed shark. Before British colonisation the area was inhabited by the Kombumerri clan and the Wanggeriburra clan of the Yugambeh people.
A not so pretty history followed. Raids by the Native Police in the 1850s extinguished most of the Aboriginal population from the area. In one operation conducted along the Nerang River in 1857 by Sub-Inspector Frederick Wheeler, an Aboriginal camp was fired upon and dispersed, with a blind man named Nyajum being executed in front of his female relatives.
Growth soon followed. With an abundant supply of red cedar amongst other tree species, the first industry to flourish in the area was timber cutting. Although the economic focus of the Gold Coast today is tourism, in the 19th century the South Coast (as it was then known) was an agricultural area. Sugar and maize were grown by farmers along the upper reaches of the Nerang River. At that time, Nerang was the one of those townships in the Gold Coast hinterland that reflected that the economic focus of the area was agriculture. The South Coast railway arrived in Nerang in 1887 with the town being serviced by the old Nerang railway station. The railway linked these rural towns together and gave impetus to their development. It was not until the mid 20th century that the beaches of the South Coast attracted significant interest as a holiday destination, which led to the coining of the name Gold Coast where tourism became the dominant sector of the economy. For further historical interest, vsit "Nerang Walkabout - Nerang History" GCAA21E.
The three major schools are Nerang State School, the Nerang State High School and St Brigid's Catholic Primary School.
There are a number of heritage-listed sites, including the Nerang Police Lock-up (Old Nerang Gaol) in the fabulous 'Country Paradise Parklands' (GCA3YQG), Nerang Hall (formerly Nerang School of Arts), and in Bischof Pioneer Park are Maid of Sker (GCA67ET), Ceramic House, and Preece House.
Technical details:
This Kaffee Kache is an interactive mystery geocache. It requires a smartphone. It is a unique way of stringing together virtual and physical waypoints. Thus, it is part virtual cache, part multicache, part puzzle cache, and part adventure lab. What more could one want?
A Kaffee Kache does not require any specific hardware or software - just internet access and a browser. There is no need to download any Cartridge or App.
A Kaffee Kache also has a Teamwork attribute. Because an Intercache works live across web-based activities, having a friend or two could save you the intricacies of internet drop-out or phone freeze should such happen in low-signal areas.
Starting.
Start with this Intercache Link. Kaffee Kache Nerang
Follow the directions given and the cache coordinates will be revealed.
