Due to the huge success of our initial First Fleeters Series, we have decided to continue with part 2. As always take extra care when geocaching and even though these roads are quiet they are still thoroghfares for many vehecles each day. We have combined our love of geocaching with our love of Australian history and found some very inetresting stories for you.
It is a simple park and grab power trail series which can include tree fishing (please be very careful gaining the log out and returning), suitable for beginners and for those that wish to boost the old Smilies tally for others. Please read each caches attributes. Please be very mindful of how busy this country road can be at times. All care has been taken to only place these caches were safe parking is available.
In regards to the tree fishing caches, IT IS YOUR CHOICE IF YOU UTILISE A TOTT, OR YOUR OWN EQUIPMENT, OR JUST SIMPLY CLIMB THE TREE, IT IS YOUR DECISION. THE TERRAIN RATING IS A GUIDE ONLY.
Please note: These caches have been placed in a rural or country area and as such the road verges may not be manicured and may have thorns, thistles, burrs and most probably overgrown grass. If in summer there is a high chance for reptiles including snakes, lizards and monitors to be active and there will be lots of spiders.
Since this is a power trail containing a lot of caches we DO NOT expect a hundred find blurbs, a simple TYFTC or F (ound) is accepted and preferred. There is no need to send us a big blurb for each one that contains the same message. However if there is a genuine story to tell please share.
The devices we use to determine the GPS Co ords are a garmin Quintrex (which uses 1 satellite) and a mobile device with a an app that uses up to 40 satellites. But we are human and mistakes can be made, and we always provide a hint. This is geocaching and you are looking for a cache so at some point you just have to trust your geosenses.
GEOCACHING IS A FAMILY OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENT FOR US, SO PLEASE KIND AND CONSIDERATE WITH YOUR COMMENTS IN YOUR LOG. HAPPY CACHING!
Thomas Barrett (c. 1758 – 27 February 1788) was a convict transported on the First Fleet to the colony of NSW. He created Australia's first colonial art work, the Charlotte Medal which depicts the arrival of "Charlotte" at Botany Bay. He was also the first person to be executed in the new colony
A few days into the voyage a group of convicts, including Barrett, mutinied and took control of the ship. Bad weather forced them to return to England, where they abandoned the ship and fled, before being recaptured. Barrett was again sentenced to death, and again he was reprieved; during the mutiny he had intervened to save the life of Mercury's steward, and to prevent the captain's ear being cut off, and so his death sentence was commuted to transportation. Once again he was sent to a prison ship, this time in Plymouth, until 1787 when he was included in the first group of convicts to be sent to Britain's new penal colony in NSW.
The First Fleet left England in May 1787, with Barrett aboard the convict transport ship "Charlotte". En route, the fleet stopped at Rio, where Barrett was caught buying food from local boatmen with forged coins, which he had made from belt buckles, buttons and spoons. According to the ship's surgeon John White, the workmanship was of high quality and the forgery was only detected because of the poor quality of the metal.
Charlotte arrived at Botany Bay on 20 January 1788, but the convicts remained onboard until the fleet sailed to Port Jackson six days later. It was during this time that Barrett created the Charlotte Medal as a memento of their arrival, at the request of White, from a silver kidney dish and using tools provided by White. The medal is considered to be the first work of Australian colonial art. He also created a smaller and less elaborate copper version of the medal for White's servant, William Broughton.
Within a month of disembarking at Port Jackson, Barrett was in trouble with the law again. He and three other convicts were tried and found guilty of the organised theft of rations from the stores. Conditions in the new colony were harsh, food was scarce, and Governor Arthur Phillip had previously warned the convicts that stealing would be punished by death. Barrett and two of his co-conspirators were sentenced to execution; the other two were subsequently reprieved, but Barrett was hanged on 27 February 1788, becoming the first person executed in the new colony.The body was left to hang for an hour, then buried nearby. The area became known as Hangman's Hill; it is in the locality of what is now known as The Rocks. A plaque on the corner of Essex and Harrington Streets marks the approximate location
Information gained from the Collection and reserach webpage NSW State archives under convict index