River Memories # 1 - A Ferry Long Time Ago Traditional Cache
River Memories # 1 - A Ferry Long Time Ago
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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This is the first of a series of caches located in the Riverland designed to highlight some of the places that are worth a visit and our recollections of time spent there.
The Berri Ferries were the main road link between Berri and Loxton for many decades. Their end of days was on the drawing board many years before their actual removal date when plans for the new Berri Bridge (a few hundred metres downstream) were shown around the Riverland. The debates over where the bridge would be located and who was going to pay for it divided the Riverland. Everybody had an opinion and the ongoing discussions gave the ferries a stay of execution that lasted nearly 10 years. Eventually, the bridge was built where you see it now and the ferries were carted away.
We remember the tranquil ride that took around five minutes to complete the crossing. The kids would always have to get out and stand on the railings and wave at any passing boats or spectators on the shore. If you were coming back from Loxton after the Loxton Show or a Football Grand Final, the queue could stretch back as far as the hill behind you. It could take an hour just to get to the river. One of the ferries always managed to break down at the most inconveniently possible times but that was par for the course and everybody would be out of their cars having a chat until it was time to move up. The causeway to the hill went underwater in both 1974 and 1976.
The ferries aren't altogether gone though. If you would still like to experience a trip, take a ride 10km east to Lyrup and enjoy.
The cache should be in the first place you check satellites willing and there's a nice view of the Berri foreshore from the old ferry ramps.
A note on the cache container - The original container that we placed in 2005 went through a strange evolution in mid 2006. It turned ino a water bottle that we were intending to replace but it became a bit of a novelty so it has stayed on. At sometime in 2011, the original hide further up the tree was filled with rocks and dirt and no longer able to hide a cache and once again it devolved back into a Sistema container and the hide shifted to the base of the tree.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Va n ubyybj ng gur onfr bs n gerr.
Treasures
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