Shades of Miss Havisham? Traditional Cache
Pip & Robbie: Time to close this cache down. Thank you to all who hunted for this cache and enjoyed the park.
Happy Caching Everyone!
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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"In an armchair, with an elbow resting on the table and her head
leaning on that hand, sat the strangest lady I have ever seen, or
shall ever see." From Charles Dickens 1861 novel "Great
Expectations", Chapter 8.
Camperdown Lodge (also known as Cambridge House and Cambridge
Hall), once stood approximately 195 m Northwest of this cache site.
It was on the corner of the "busy" street (originally called
Bulanaming Rd). This home was once owned by the retired East India
Company Judge, James Donnithorne. His daughter Eliza Emily never
married, and inherited most of her father's estate. She lived at
Camperdown Lodge from the age of 10 in 1836, to her death in 1886.
She is buried in her father's plot in a nearby churchyard. Was
Eliza really the inspiration for Miss Havisham in "Great
Expectations" as so many believed, or was it just coincidence?
Actual records of the time don't support many of the stories. It is
true Eliza's Mother died early in her life. It is true Eliza was
reclusive and received few guests - her father raised her this way.
It is true she dressed in white or cream laced gowns - this was the
fashion of the time. Eliza was well off, and she and her home were
attended to by servants. The dining table was said to be cleared
after each meal, a new setting placed, and a cloth was draped over
all. This may have been misinterpreted by others who didn't
practice this custom, and gave rise to the rumor of the abandoned
wedding feast. Eliza's front door was said to have always been left
ajar with a chain attached for security, but this seems to have
been common practice at the time. As romantic as the thought of
Emily's life actually inspiring Dickens, it may only be a tale.
It's possible that after reading Great Expectations the
similarities between Miss Havisham and Emily were noticed, and with
time the stories were told as truth. We may never really know.
Camperdown Lodge in it's Cambridge Hall incarnation was used as a
school. It was demolished in 1907 to make way for a stadium, which
burned down in the 1920's. This cache is located on a small block
of land steeped in N.S.W's early history. It's named after an MLA
who was an advocate of trade unionism. Once part of various land
grants in the 18th century, in 1779 it was included in the 210
acres set aside by Governor Phillip for the support of the colony's
schoolmaster. The land wasn't used however, and reverted to the
Crown. In 1801, it was part of the land granted to the Trustees of
the Female Orphan Institution. Just five years later, in lieu of
this land, the Trustees were granted 1,000 acres in Bathurst. That
same year, prior to his becoming the 4th Governor of N.S.W., the
land was granted to Captain William Bligh. A portion of this
property was bought from Bligh's heirs in 1834 by Magistrate John
Kettle. Kettle's son-in-law George Brock built the houses that look
directly down on the cache site in 1885. The actual cache site land
was resumed in 1892, and leased in 1911 to the municipality for a
playground, of which a small portion is used for this purpose to
this very day. The mature fig trees are a favourite haunt of bats,
and both Geokids and Geodogs will enjoy this area as well. Parking
is at a premium, so you may wish to use either the nearby train
station or one of the close bus stops instead. This cache has a log
and pencil only, but please bring your own pen/pencil just in case.
The cache site is wheelchair accessible. No toilet facilities. At
the bottom of the cache site across the street, there is a
convenience store and a cafe. If you walk up the small street that
borders the North/East side, there's another cafe that opens early
for breakfast.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Fvg nebhaq naq rawbl gur pnyz bs guvf yvggyr bnfvf.
Treasures
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