Much debate ensues about the legitimacy of the claim to the title bestowed upon the individual who becomes the centre piece of this cache. The cache is an easy multi which won't tax you too much.
Depending on what you believe it may be a little scary after dark...but it is easily done after dark. Placed for the High Country Peaks, Plains & Poetry 4wd Event in April 2006 I'll let you make up your own mind.
The starting point for this cache will find you at the entrance to the final resting place of Jack Riley. Much has already been mentioned of Jack in the cache notes for the event but to save some typing I will repeat it here.
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Jack Riley, an Irishman born in 1841 who sailed to the new colony as an assisted emigrant at age 13, worked in Omeo at the other end of our trip for a few years after his arrival as a tailor. With a long standing love of horses he moved to the Monaro district further north to pursue his love and to ride the Snowy Mountains.
One of his first deeds of heroic horsemanship involved a ride into remote country near Mt. Pilot to search for a missing cattleman who he found and safely returned to Moonbah Station. In 1884 he came to the district around Corryong and was employed by the station owner John Pierce, to look after Tom Groggin Station.
Living here for thirty years he was known locally for his hermit lifestyle. Banjo Patterson met Jack Riley at least twice, probably introduced by John Pierce Jnr. Stories were told by local cattlemen of a night spent with Banjo Patterson where Jack Riley entertained them with tales of adventures from here and the nearby Snowy River. Soon after his return to the city at the end of summer in 1890, Banjo Patterson penned what is now arguably Australia’s most famous bush ballad.
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Jack Riley at Tom Groggin Hut
"The Man from Snowy River"
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As a point of interest it has since been immortalised with Banjo Patterson in microprint as an anti-counterfeit measure on the Australian $10 note. Those without exceptional eyesight may need a magnifying glass but the poem is reproduced on the note as the very fine lines running horizontally into the images on Banjo’s side of the note. A $10 note in your wallet may assist you in completing this cache.
In 1914 thirty years of bush life took their toll and Jack fell ill. He was found by Will Findlay mustering cattle around the Tom Groggin area in a poor state and Will offered to take him the 60 odd kilometres to Corryong to seek medical attention. Jack refused. Will and a few others returned to Tom Groggin days later after mustering and with others later told that “We looked in, a few days later, and here is the poor old fellow lying on the floor just about at the end of his tether. So we knocked together a bit of a stretcher…and we set off to carry him to the doctor.”
Early on the 14th of July, in the grip of winter, they left Tom Groggin Hut carrying Riley on the stretcher, the men taking turns on the handles. The trip down the valley for 7 or 8 km proved not to be troublesome but the team struck trouble trying to climb out of the gorge over the Hermit Hill. The snow was thick and the crew sheltered at the junction of Hermit and Surveyors Creeks in a miners hut. Jack was reported to improve in spirit and they thought he’d now be okay, but as the fire warmed their weary bodies Jack Riley died.
The report of the rescue in the Corryong Courier concluded, “The bush asks big things of it’s men and they never fail to respond. Sometimes – as in this case – the task proves impossible and a higher power intervenes; but the credit of a galliant attempt is theirs – and there are some failures which are finer than many successes.” Jack was buried at Corryong Cemetery on 16th July, 1914.
The attempt to bring Riley to safety is now commemorated in the annual ride from Tom Groggin Station to Corryong in “Riley’s Ride”, as part of the Man from Snowy River Bush Festival.
Whether Riley was the Man from Snowy River, or whether it was Lachlan Cochrane of Adaminaby, or Jim Troy of Tumut, or maybe Hellfire Jack of Jindabyne is still a topic for local families and campfire discussion today. Make up your own mind or enjoy the folklore as you explore this magnificent country.
The starting coordinates for this cache will find you at the grave. On the way through the main gate in the entrance stands a shelter, and on the wall of the shelter is a more detailed version of Riley's life than you find here. The answers to the following questions about AB "Banjo" Paterson will give you the information you need to find the cache, located a short distance away.
The picture of AB "Banjo" Paterson used on the display board is the same as that used on the $10 note?
If TRUE, XXX = 436
If FALSE, XXX = 237
The description of AB "Banjo" Paterson lists how many occupations in the first sentence?
If FOUR, YYY = 362
If FIVE, YYY = 898
If SIX, YYY = 436
The final cache location can be found at
S36° 12.XXX
E147° 53.YYY