Welcome to the Adelaide underground! Please print out these instructions for use during your upcoming journey...
First some safety information:
- DO NOT attempt this cache if it is, or has been raining.
- DO NOT attempt this cache if you see water flowing in the creek at the start location.
- DO NOT attempt this cache without at least two torches, and backup batteries.
- DO NOT attempt this cache by yourself. Take a buddy.
- DO NOT attempt this cache if you are claustrophobic.
- DO allow approximately 1-2 hours for this cache.
- DO let someone else know what you are doing, and let them know your expected exit time.
- DO wear clothes/shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty or wet. You will get muddy.
- DO bring drinking water.
- DO attempt this cache in the daytime, if you can. The experience is far better!
- DO bring a camera. It’s worth it!
This multi-cache will take you along the meandering path of First Creek.
First Creek begins at the Waterfall Gully, snaking it’s way throughout the eastern suburbs of Adelaide before reaching Norwood, where it goes underground and re-emerges in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens.
The initial coordinates are those of the entrance to the drain, and we advise the use of EXTREME STEALTH when entering. We find casually wandering about on the bridge and then darting down the embankment when the coast is clear usually works well.
As you walk through the drain, be cautious of the following things:
Cockroaches, spiders, rats, broken glass, other litter, snakes , holes in the floor (especially in the first hundred metres).
You may come across other humans. They are usually friendly.
Starting from the entrance, you will need to walk approximately 1km before coming across the entrance to the final cache location. You will encounter the following (in approximate order):
- A very old stone bridge (archway). This is the original Hackney road bridge. Note the red-brick floor.
- A high and narrow section with grates in the roof. If you do this cache in the daytime, this section provides some great photo opportunities.
- A low stone bridge. This is North Terrace, Kent Town.
- A long, bendy, rectangular section. There is lots of artwork on the walls in this section. At the bends there is writing on the walls showing which street you are underneath.
- A message-board! It’s quite full, but you might be able to squeeze your nickname on somewhere.
- A ‘V’ shaped section. The roof looks a bit concerning, but is safe.
- Another bridge, with a large metal grate. This is Rundle Street, Kent Town.
- A short, low section. This ends in a large room with some nice artwork of a bird on the walls.
- After the large room, the drain turns back into a low concrete tunnel. This where you need to start paying attention.
- You will see a covered over pipe on the left side of the tunnel. This used to lead to an interesting side-tunnel, but sadly it has been filled in.
- You will see another large pipe on the right side of the tunnel, at a bend in the main drain. Again, this leads to an interesting (albeit rather difficult) side-tunnel, but the cache is not down here.
- You are looking for a round concrete pipe on the right side of the tunnel. It is approximately 60cm in diameter, and will have a marking written above it. The cache is in this side-tunnel. Watch your head when exiting the pipe! The 'roof' is made of corrugated iron, and while stable, there are some loose sections which could cut you.
- Once you’ve found the cache go back to the main tunnel via the pipe, then you have two choices. You can either go back the way you came, or continue along the tunnel. If you continue, you will re-emerge in a culvert in Norwood.
- If you chose to continue on to the culvert, there are a few ways to get out.
- You can jump up the side of the culvert, jump a fence, and get onto a road.
- You can continue along the creek bed for a few hundred metres and end up at a small park, where you can exit.
- There are also numerous other exits throughout the drain. These mostly come out at gutter-boxes, which can be tricky to open. Use these exits with great care.
Have fun!
19/10/2021: This cache has been adopted by Uni and Medusa