Totally Findable Tourist Caches
Welcome to Sydney
This series of geocaches is designed primarily with visitors to Sydney in mind who may have limited time and transport options and want a quick and easy find while out enjoying some sightseeing around this beautiful city.
All cache containers will be one of three types; a flat magnetic key case (MKC), a round film canister (FC or MFC for magnetic) or a fake rock (FR).
The hint will indicate the type of container used and will be very specific to help you find the cache easily. If you want a challenge to find this cache and don't wish to know exactly where it's hidden, do not look at the hint.
At each location you’ll be given some information about the site you are visiting.
Enjoy!
-------------------------------
Big Bang!
The gun at Camp Cove is an RML 9 inch 12 Ton Mark V Gun on Carriage Iron Sliding Dwarf on Slide D Pivot.
It was originally located at Hornby Battery on the seaward side of South Head. It formed part of the defence of Sydney particularly around the time of the Crimean War.
Its present location facing towards Sydney Harbour has nothing to do with the original use of the gun but is in a good location for visitors to inspect it. It is mounted on an original carriage that is missing the hydraulic gear used to prevent the gun moving back too far on firing and returning it to the ‘start’ position.
The gun in position at Hornby Battery, South Head
An interesting story about this gun occurred in 1975 when the Sydney Harbour National Park came into being.
An area 40m (44 yards) back from the waters edge was declared as National Park to provide public access to the headlands and foreshore around Sydney Harbour. The land at South Head was under Commonwealth control being used by the Defence Department.
As the gun stood on the land to be handed over to National Parks, the Army planned to move it back from the shoreline away from the National Park. The equipment required to move the gun had been delayed and had not arrived by the day the official handover of the land was to take place.
Not to delay the ceremony, it was decided to leave the gun and recover it following the ceremony. The day after the official handover, a crane arrived and preparation was begun to lift the gun. At that moment, the Park Ranger arrived and asked what was going on. The Ranger was told it had been the Army’s intention to move the gun before the handover and they were now here to do so. The Ranger informed them that as the handover had been concluded everything on the land now belonged to National Parks.
The matter was never raised again and here sits the gun for all of us to see.
An RML 9 inch gun and crew at Fort Scratchley, Newcastle
Source: The Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company
Images: https://jenikirbyhistory.getarchive.net/
---------------<<<000>>>---------------
This cache is placed with the permission of the NPWS.
Information about visiting NSW National Parks can be found at the following links:
Safety in NSW National Parks
Alerts for NSW National Parks
Information about NSW National Parks