Wandering Wonnerup #3 Traditional Cache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(regular)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Naming & Altering the River In June 1801 Thomas 'Timothee' Vasse a sailor on Nicholas Baudin's scientific expedition became lost from the 'Geographe' off Wonnerup Beach. Vasse was a helmsman second class and, by all accounts, an excellent seaman. The Long Boat or Chaloupe was swamped by a wave during a storm, Vasse disappeared without trace and was presumed drowned. Baudin later revisited the area hoping to find trace of Vasse but missed the spot and sailed on. The Vasse River was named after him in 1801. In 1834 some Aborigines showed British settlers the grave of a white man who they said used to spend his days gazing out to sea waiting for his ship to return. It seems that this man was Vasse and he was waiting for the return of the Geographe. Both he and the Long Boat now rest somewhere beneath these sands. The construction of the Capel Cut in 1874 and the construction of the Vasse River diversion drain in 1907 to improve the agriculture potential of the area has reduced the natural out flow from the wetlands though the Vasse River considerably. Older locals will tell of times when boats could be sailed up the once deeper river. When the southern side of the mouth was a place for picnics and a Sunday outing. A few remaining boards on the banks of the river just east of the road bridge are remnants of berths from those days. The rail line to Yoganup used to run over the Ballarat Railway Bridge built in 1871 to a small jetty now no longer standing which was built off the beach directly opposite the western floodgates. Shallow draft boats took the timber to schooners anchored in Geographe Bay. In 1907 two sets of floodgates were built. In the 1920’s new sets of wooden floodgates were built and a sawmill, which operated for about 10 years was erected across the estuary at Wonnerup Beach. In 2004 new state of the art, concrete and steel floodgates were built and now serve to regulate the flow of water in the river. The Vasse will never operate as true estuary as before but still has many water birds and fish life. The cache is a PVC Tube. Take your binoculars and bathers in summer!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gur bayl gerr va gur fnaq