GCVW8G Sleeping Beauty (Traditional Cache) in New South Wales, Australia created by La Perouse -Adopted by Geomatica then Akkatracker

This cache has been archived.

inspicio: As there has been either no response from the cache owner, no cache to find or log to sign, or it has been a number of months since the last owner note I am archiving this cache to keep from continually showing up in search lists and to prevent it from blocking other cache placements.

If you wish to repair/replace/make available the cache sometime in the near future (next 30 days), just contact a reviewer (by email), and assuming it meets the current guidelines, the reviewer will be happy to unarchive it.

Should you replace the cache after 30 days has passed please create a new cache listing so it can be reviewed as a new cache.

GCVW8G ▼

A cache by La Perouse -Adopted by Geomatica then Akkatracker Message this owner

Hidden : 5/5/2006

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

I (Akkatracker) Have now adopted this cache from Geomatica.

The sat coords were very consistent over 15 minutes although only 4 sats were acquired. Please report DNFs. The grounds were empty on a week day at lunchtime, although it is only 400 metres (as the crow flies) from North Sydney station. Starbrand muggle rating 2/5. I’ve lived around this area for over 30 years – and I never knew it existed. Safe place for geokiddies, but no swings. Sorry.

La Perouse was a strong fighter in the Graythwaite Case and has written the following paragraph, all I can say is that the Shore School have now bought the land but the bamboo which the cache is hidden in is heritage listed and is unlikely to get moved, as with the entrance to the land

In 1872, the previous owner being in dire financial straits, a three story stone house known as “Euroka” on the heights of North Sydney, about two blocks from the Post Office, was sold to George Dibbs. He subsequently became State Treasurer and in this role he stopped the then practice of selling off Crown land to balance the State's books. He won public esteem when jailed for a year 1880 - 1881 for refusing on principle to pay £2000 damages for slander. Dibbs went on to serve several terms as Premier of New South Wales. George Dibbs set about turning the 7.5 acres (3 hectares) grounds near the house into a spacious parkland. Substantial plantings of figs, pines and other trees were undertaken. In 1882 he renamed the property “Graythwaite” after the ancestral home of his wife. Graythwaite's gardens have had 130 years to mature and it shows. In particular the estate features over forty mature Morton Bay, Port Jackson and Small Fruited Figs under whose canopy a rainforest has been gradually evolving from seed brought in by birds and bats. A significant number of young native rainforest trees are now on the rise. In 1915, Sir Thomas Dibbs (George Dibbs' brother) lost his only two grandsons at Gallipoli. In their ANZAC memory, he offered the property to the State of New South Wales as "a Convalescent Home for our Sick and Wounded Soldiers and Sailors and when not required for that purpose as a Convalescent Home in perpetuity for distressed subjects of the British Empire regardless of Sect or Creed". The NSW Premier accepted the property as ”A gift for all time…” and in 1916, after significant building work, the convalescent home was opened under the control of the Red Cross. In 1978 “Graythwaite” was placed on the Register of the National Estate, the only comparable site in Sydney being Government House, with its setting on Sydney Harbour more or less opposite (from the South) and a garden area of comparable size - 5 hectares. However, in 1980 management responsibility for the property passed from the Red Cross to the NSW Department of Health. The property has steadily deteriorated since, and after two decades of almost total neglect by NSW Health, the State of NSW has twice tried to gain Supreme Court approval to "separate the property from the trust" and to sell it. No one would think of building medium density housing and allowing commercial development in the grounds of Government House, but that is precisely what the Health Department envisages for Graythwaite. North Sydney Council has made an offer to the NSW Government to buy “Graythwaite” to retain the land in public ownership, create a CBD park and ensure the restoration of the historic mansion to its former splendour. Currently the grounds are maintained by volunteers, and essential works are financed ex gratia by North Sydney Council, awaiting the State Government’s decision. A great garden does not happen overnight. It takes time, lots of it and one of the major features of Graythwaite is its gardens. You’ll find some postcards in the cache. If you think “Graythwaite” should not be sacrificed and turned into million dollar luxury apartments, please take one and post it to the current Premier. UPDATE May, 2008: The good news is that the 2008 Federal Budget allocates $20 million to “securing the future” of Graythwaite over the next 3 years. This is $5 million less than Kevin Rudd's election promise, but $20 million more than suggested after his Labor government’s review of the John Howard's Government's election spending promises. The less good news is that the Commonwealth has now effectively distanced itself from the issue, leaving it up to the RSL to battle the New South Wales State Government. (The Returned Services League is the Australian veterans' organization established in Australia in 1916 to provide help for former members of the armed forces and their families) The previous proposal had been for the Commonwealth to become the Trustee of the Graythwaite Trust, which would have given the Supreme Court confidence in the future of the Trust should it decide to remove the State Government as Trustee. The current proposal is for the RSL to become the Trustee, supported by the $20 million provided by the Commonwealth. This money both has to provide for the restoration of the property and provide an income for a range of RSL welfare services provided to veterans. This leaves the RSL with the obligation to finding a self funding use for the Graythwaite house itself. The gardens would be maintained by North Sydney Council. The RSL is actively looking for partners to assist it in finding a viable use for the house, most preferably a use related to health care. There is at least one good possibility and hopefully this can be developed prior to the next round of Supreme Court hearings in June, 2008. Update 10-07-08: The Mater Hospital has been actively looking at locating a convalescent facility at Graythwaite, and will join with the RSL in putting a proposal to the Supreme Court on July 14th. This will very substantially strengthen the RSL's case and make it much more difficult for the State to argue that their proposal is the best use of the Trust. Update 23-10-08: All the evidence has been heard. NSW Health proposed the sale of Graythwaite, the proceeds to be used for a rehabilitation facility at Ryde Hospital to replace an existing facility at Greenwich. This proposal would create not a single additional rehabilitation bed. It is simply a grab for cash. The other proposal, by the Australian Government and the RSL, proposed that the full purpose and spirit of the Graythwaite Trust be fulfilled by the grant by the Commonwealth of $15 million to the RSL for use for the provision of care services to veterans, that the grounds of Graythwaite be leased for a peppercorn rental to North Sydney Council for use as a regional park for the North Sydney CBD, that the Commonwealth provide $5 million for the restoration of the Graythwaite mansion and that St Vincents and the Mater Hospitals construct a new rehabilitation facility adjacent to the Graythwaite mansion and the adaptive reuse of the mansion as part of this facility. This proposal was supported by the RSL, the Commonwealth, North Sydney Council, St Vincents and the Mater Hospitals and the Friends of Graythwaite. All that has to happen now is for the Judge to choose the best case. However, the State Government/ NSW Health is going to court this Friday 24th October to try to defer the Graythwaite hearings set down for October 30 and 31. They suggest that the matter be stood over for a further directions hearing (not hearing of the evidence ) on December 5. Given that all of the evidence is now in and that the current Judge is retiring at the end of November, this suggests either that NSW Health realise that they have no chance of winning or that they want a new judge to hear the case some time in 2009. So, if you think the referee might rule against you - try and change the referee! Update 20 November 2008: The Court found in favour of the scheme proposed by NSW Health solely on the basis that it would help more 'distressed' citizens than the proposed Mater facility. This was despite the fact that the Mater's beds would be in addition to all existing beds, whereas the NSW Health scheme would merely replace existing beds without a single new bed being created to treat 'distressed' citizens! The Court's decision ignored the spirit and intent of Sir Thomas Dibbs's gift of Graythwaite and his obvious concern for the welfare of veterans, and focused solely on a narrow interpretation of just one sentence in his Deed of Gift. I understand the Court's decsion will be appealed. The cache is a 1 litre “sistema” box, with geokiddie goodies, the log and a 27 litre rubbish bag. Feel free to use the bag and take out any garbage you see around. If you do, record it when you log your find, and the next cacher will know to bring in a replacement. It is a pretty clean site - but we’d like to keep it that way! First To Find may get $50,000 - we’ve left a “scratchie” for you. Please replace the cache precisely as you found it - otherwise it will get muggled.
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Because of the water, ensure the log bag is put inside the zip slide bag. Oh and BTW If you spot a Garmin Oregon 300 laying around, its mine- I lost it here :(

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Guvax yvxr n uhatel ryrcunag. Npprff Pyhr: Vg'f n Jbeyq va _______

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)

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Sleeping Beauty Traditional Cache

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