GCYCHM Grey Grotto (Traditional Cache) in New South Wales, Australia created by ozjeeper

GCYCHM ▼

A cache by ozjeeper Message this owner

Hidden : 9/17/2006

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:

Visit the grotto in Yaralla Estate to find this easy cache. Take the opportunity to explore other features of the estate including gardens, a fountain, the mansion (which is now used as a hospital) and other surrounding buildings.

The Estate	Yaralla Estate, dating back to 1797, is one of Sydney's last remaining suburban 19th century estates. Within its boundaries lies Isaac Nichols' original 1797 land grant. It progressed from a farm to a Victorian estate, to an early twentieth century Edwardian estate and later to a mid twentieth century institution facility. Following Isaac Nichols' death, the estate passed to his family who built a small wooden cottage "Woodbine" in the early 1830s. It still stands (although much altered) in the grounds of the estate.

The Walkers	An important nineteenth century merchant and philanthropist, Thomas Walker migrated to Australia from Scotland in 1822 and began acquiring land in the Concord area. By the late 1860s his estate of 124 hectares occupied a large portion of the present Municipality of Concord. In 1860 he married Jane Hart, their daughter Eadith Campbell Walker being born a year later. Jane passed away in 1870 and her husband Thomas in 1886, aged 82. In a codicil to his will, he expressed a wish that money be set aside for the building of a convalescent hospital on twelve acres of the estate. Their daughter Eadith (photo opposite) continued the philanthropic activities began by her father.

Yaralla	Edmund Blacket and John Sulman, two of Australia's major nineteenth century architects were commissioned in the 1860s to design a "cottage" on the low rise adjacent to the Parramatta River. Eadith Walker made extensive alterations in 1893-99 using the services of John Sulman, who also designed several of the estate's outbuildings, most notably the stables and the dairy. The house played an important part in the social and cultural life of Sydney in the early twentieth century. Following Dame Eadith Walker's death, the land comprising the Dame Edith Walker Convalescent Hospital became vested in the Crown under the Walker Trusts Act 1938.

	The Rose Garden The Carriage House The Bamboo Grove
	The Four Winds fountain restoration was made possible by the generous bequest of the late Liane Poulton a long-time resident of Concord who passionately advocated the preservation and maintenance of Yaralla for the benefit of all. The Concord Heritage Society are currently (2006) working on the restoration of Australia's first squash court. They hold periodic "open days" at the estate with the opportunity to tour the mansion. Use this map to explore the estate.	Mangroves at the river's edge

The Cache	The cache is near the grotto that once overlooked a swimming pool. The pool has long-ago been filled in and all that remains of it is the large rectangular lawned area between the grotto and the river. The Summer House (see photo opposite) at the Northern end of the pool still remains. Sitting in the Grotto, it's easy to imagine the pool being used as a focal point for summer parties, with other guests perhaps playing tennis or croquet on the adjacent courts or even testing their skills on the rifle range nearby.



The Foreshore Trail Yaralla Estate lies on the Foreshore Trail that stretches from The Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway in Concord and follows the water around to Birkenhead Point at Drumoyne.		Check-out some of our other nearby caches: Kokoda Watergate