Creepy Cawley Helensburgh, New South Wales, Australia
By Sky Dog on 23-Oct-04. Waypoint GCKWZM

I solved this multi from my desk a few years ago while planning a trip to find it, with a walk from Waterfall to Helensburgh. Some how, I'd managed to solve the coordinates while I was planning... I don't remember how, but I had some solved coords in my phone.Today, we came to Helensburgh to find this cache and check out some of the old train tunnels. Unfortunately, the Metropolitan Tunnel was too flooded after the recent rains, but that just means we'll need to come back! We found another cache and then walked up to the gate that leads to the Southern end of Cawley's tunnel. Hmm, closed and locked. So, we continued on, stopping to check out an old water tank and then on until we found a spot to loop back to GZ. A bit muddy here, but it was now pretty obvious that my coords were correct. Unfortunatly, we didn't manage to find the cache, it was quite wet so our searching was hampered and the tunnel called to us. So, in we went. Such a cool piece of history! The group decided to keep going instead of returning for another search. We followed the trail and train track back to the original locked gate, made our way over it and out.A really enjoyable experience and I look forward to coming back and making the find, maybe next time with the full walk from Waterfall, via the WPs. TFTC (even though we didn't find it)!!

Wow, this was a great adventure. So first off we parked and the location and got to WP1 with no trouble other than finding a good way to hold the gumboot bags. Got WP2 easily and we were onto it. When we arrived to the suspected train crossing we had realised it is flooded and I think it always is. We tried but it was getting too deep so we turned back and out full body waders on the Wishlist. I had found another way across as we werent too keen on running across active railway lines. After a short walk it revealed itself. Oh. Definitely not as grand as the first was but, no need for any wading here. Nice brick room in the middle. And we were across. Just 300M bushbashing to go! It wasnt toooo bad but a tad tricky. Nearing the coords we were confused as how there was supposed to be brickwork here but going down revealed itself. As for the damage year there were 2 but through common sense and local coords we deduced it was the higher one. Now I was farting around near WP2 for a solid 10 min as I had accidentally entered the coords wrong. Whoops. Anyways with the correct coords we bush bashed up top on the Used 2 B rail line back to our crossing and crossed back. After a bit of walking we found an in trail and followed it down and down. Spotted the entrance guarded by, you guessed it, delicious orange mud. One of us thought we could get through without gumboots, but that ended in a fashionable pair of orange shoes. With the gumboots it was an easy job. Had a Quick Look for the cache but didnt find and the tunnel was too tempting so we explored it and after we got back to GZ we found it. It was very tight in and required a belt to open. It smelled a bit inside and wet but still signable. Anyways replaced and back it was . An awesome cache and totally recommend to all!! TFTC and FP big time!

Cache was in good order.
We also did **[this video](https://youtu.be/GuUaFsHj3Rk)** that will show you what to expect.

Out chasing older hides we started our day with this cache,muppet and 154 stopped to show us the waypoints before heading down to GZ..Wow this place is really cool!
Here we lucky to find the cache first place we looked,you bewty nice size container too!
After the signing duties were complete we took a few happy snaps before heading back out.
A top way to start our day,well worth a fav!
Thanks Sky Dog for the cache

OCWF&F. Always fun caching in a group. It was a top caching day. Thank you to all the COs whose caches we found and adding to the enjoyment of this game. TFTC

Third attempt at Creepy Cawley.

Now that the Total Fire Ban has been lifted, we ventured back along Cawleys Road.
At Ground Zero, Bonfire7 managed to walk straight up to the cache within seconds! No idea how we overlooked this spot last time - I even stood up on the spot last visit!

Thanks For The Cache, Sky Dog.

I was asked to join a group of elite geocachers as they tackled some older caches today in the RNP area. I ended up basically being the chauffeur as the rest of these young blokes raced to each GZ. This was a very interesting multi with a surprisingly quick find at GZ. TFTC

I came back to Cawley with the intention of reattempting this cache.
Due to the Total Fire Ban, the tracks and trails in the area are closed.

Second attempt at Creepy Cawley.

The information at the Posted Coordinates was easily located. The information at Waypoint 2 was also efficiently calculated. However, Ground Zero proved to be challenging.

We searched and searched, before resorting to several PAF's. The search was refined after referring to photos in previous logs. After a solid hour of searching, we returned to the obvious (but empty) rock ledge that seemed reasonable/logical/suitable for a cache.

In the spirit of community maintenance, we hid a sistema under the strong assumption that the cache was no longer there. Upon reading PAF messages after leaving GZ, it is possible that the cache was/is in situ. As a result, I'm logging 'Write Note', with the intention of returning to GZ to have another attempt at finding the cache and to remove the replacement.

I'll be back.

OCW the Bebes, Brewmaker and Everest High. Enjoyed this one. We got to WP1 and found the numbers then noticed the comments about WP2. The use of ABCD got us a little confused but proceeded to WP2 location and it became clear what we had to do. After a quick calculation we headed over to GZ and after a little search we had CIH. Tftc

This was one of two target caches for me today. I had heard so many good reports about this old multi, and we weren't disappointed. Passing that trail often when heading south on the freeway, I often wondered where it went. Today I found out.

Found with The Bebes, PelDroedGwin and EverestHigh. Parked on the old hwy, and made the trek to WP1. Grabbed the info, then started working on WP2. Some confusion at first, but soon worked out what we needed to do. At the tunnel, TB volunteered to get wet feet so we could get the next lot of digits, while a train passed over us. Soon we had a GZ, and off we headed. After a short search it was EH who uncovered the cache. All good inside. Thanks to Sky Dog for maintaining this old one. I always enjoy a good walk in the bush and learning about these old villages that once existed. And those old tunnels are quite amazing pieces of engineering from an older time. Fortunately there was only a little bit of orange mud for us, so we managed to not get too dirty. Have a FP. TFTC

It was creepy , we crawled, got wet, got muddy and got the cache. The numbers were tricky, no thanks to the graffiti artists. No wait, they gave us numbers we needed. Quite an adventure. OCW Brewmaker, The Bebes and PelDroedGwin. Worth a favourite point. TFTC Sky Dog

OCW PelDroedGwin, Brewmaker and EverestHigh

This was a fun adventure in a very interesting area.

We quickly grabbed the numbers at WP1 then got a little confused about ABCD needed for Wp2 however after a re-think we were soon on our way. It's a nice walk.

After a little paddle we had spotted the info destroyed then provided by the destroyer and we plotted a likely GZ. WP2 is really location is beautiful, especially the floor!

Overshot the track in to GZ initially so after a back pedal we had the end in sight. This is a fabulous location (with little mud today).

Really enjoyed this walk and the history

Have a FP from me

At WP2 some vandals have sprayed graffiti over the beautiful brick work. Unfortunately the vast areas of paint they sprayed has obscured the numbers that were used for GZ. So I have updated the method of calculating GZ co-ords. It involves a simple addition.
Because of the drought, the creek is not flowing at the moment. I've never seen that before in the all the years that I've visited the area.
The upside is that the famous orange mud at GZ has also dried up.

Thanks for replacing the cache Sky Dog. Even though I'm pretty certain that the date at WP2 has disappeared, I used some local knowledge that knew where another one of these landmarks were and sure enough it matched up with the numbers that were known on the cache page. Even though it has been incredibly dry it is still damper than ever here and I had to use the man made objects to get through. Definitely don't want to wander straight from the road as it is a huge drop off. Pick the right spot and it is an easy stroll. Well worth the terrain rating all up though. What a beautiful area. TFTC.

Cache replaced with fresh goodies and note pad.

I just visited there to show a friend and found the cache to be a putrid mess.
It was full of water and the contents were disgusting.
I'll refresh it and put it out again shortly.

I think the date might have disappeared from WP2, had a good look all around WP2, but having read previous logs, and growing up around the area, and with the numbers you have given, I'm pretty confident of knowing where GZ is but I ran out of light today. Of all the years of riding Cawley Road, I never knew of those other tunnels a bit further away and being able to get under the railway line. Been a while since it's found but looking to get to GZ soon.

#4,910

This one was a combined effort. I didn't want to get my feet wet at WP2, so I waited with bikerbuddy while Canary took one for team. But I didn't mind getting my shoes a bit muddy at WP3. Bikerbuddy actually found the cache, while I was contemplating just how much mud was on my feet & lets.

This was a fun one. We took a walk through the tunnel after we found the cache. Great fun!

Thanks

After helping bikerbuddy and Toriaz complete their Sutherland Shire Challenge at Waterfall I got to choose the next destination. I always like a good Multi.

This was an adventure that went through wet places that required no shoes at times and special shoes at others. There was even I massive yabby that I nearly trod on in the first tunnel. I had a little trouble locating the WP2 information and needed help but GZ proved easier for bikerbuddy and Toriaz.

A great adventure!!!

TFTC.

This cache was Canary's pick after Toriaz and I complete a challenge cache in the Sutherland Shire. This was easily my favourite cache of the day. All of us made our own contribution to finding it. Canary's contribution was huge. When we found the tunnel it was completely filled with water. Neither Toriaz or I were eager to get our feet wet, but Canary was determined to find the cache. So, off came his shoes and he headed into the tunnel. He got to the other end, then he headed back. He decided he needed his GPS. Then he headed into the tunnel again.

Toriaz and I waited half an hour for him to return. We amused ourselves as best we could, and then Canary returned, defeated. He said the waypoint appeared to have been spray painted, so he made some phone calls and eventually we had some information that allowed us to proceed. Eventually, we found the next spot. Wow! I would have loved this for a cache I was setting up a few months ago. The ground here was very muddy, with a deep red colour you know is not going to come out if it gets in. It was now Toriaz's and my turn. We made our way towards the cache, trying to high-wire it across boards and tyres and other paraphernalia dumped there, but I slipped twice and ended up knee deep in the mud.

Thankfully, once we were there, the cache was an easy find. After that, we went off exploring while it was Canary's turn to wait for us. What a great location! Thanks for showing us.

And today was the day that I put the quest for this cache to rest.

Based on the notes written earlier, it starts in May 2015 with the visit and being turned back by the amount of water going through the tunnel. Then the second attempt got cut short (luckily) when GeoDirk and HanorahTLG nearly killed each other with the sticks found. And today at the third attempt I was well prepared with the right outfit (one size too big, but that's better than the other way around). When dragging the container from its hiding hole I heard a scary echo in the tunnel and was afraid that people were coming from the other side.....

Anyway, TFTC, it was a great trip! Dropped some goodies off in the box, but I don't think that many kids will come and get it... Have a FP!

Finally able to tick this one off the list. Had some free time today so I decided to tackle it. I approached wp1 from the Wilsons creek/train station way driving all the way up to wp1. The numbers were a quick find and off I went to wp2 after some car starting issues. Having been up here before I knew exactly how to get to wp2 once I was in the area. On the way the there, the etrex fell into the creek i was crossing at the time. Luckily after a quick dry, it booted straight back. Upon arrival of wp2 I knew roughly what I was looking for and sure enough, after some walking up and down, I came up with the coordinates to GZ. The final stretch of GZ was a very slow and careful walk after ditching the work boots for my runners after thinking to myself, "I won't need them, if there is orange mud I can just go around it", I soon found out I was very Wrong after misteping and sinking both my feet into the mud. After regathering myself the cache was in hand. Despite not being found for almost 6 months, the cache is still in good shape with only the insides being a little damp. Thanks for the adventure skydog

This one has been high on my to do list for sooooo long, so after roping in aries44 for the adventure off we went.

Have always wondered about that bridge as I drove under it, pretty impressive structure for a firetrail! Down into the creek to WP2 where a little cache blindness and a misplaced GPS made for a somewhat longer visit that we expected. Headed back upstream and made our way to the fantastic GZ where needless to say we managed to get ourselves somewhat muddy finding the final cache. The requisite explorations were then enjoyed and the pleasant walk back to where we had parked, stopping only to wash off the worst of the mud in the next available creek.

As always with a Skydog cache, a great experience.

TFTC

"Creepy Cawley" ? said Mr D in a message last night. Checked with Mrs A and got the all clear. With wellies old clothes and Aerogard in anticipation of some heavy work ahead.
Pleasant day and a pleasant walk. Got the details at WP1 so onward with a bit of "creek work" on the way to WP2. It must have been the heat or the leech I found on my leg or something because we both took a while to find the clue. A bit of help and there it was as plain as day.
Found the access to GZ and shortly encountered the infamous yellow ooze. The GPSr was telling me a place where the ooze came halfway up my wellies. I was thinking how was I going to check that crevice out when I heard the familiar cry from Mr D.
Hmm coords were a bit out today. We did the necessary paperwork and headed through the tunnel to the other end for a look see. Visited a TB. Most enjoyable cache and a favourite from me. TFTC Sky Dog.

Officially DNF!

Loved the tunnels, didn't get my feet dirty because my GPS was constant telling me that I didn't need to go in. And I was too chicken for it

I was rescued by a "GeoDirk and HanorahTLG were going to kill each other if I didn't go back to the road and confiscate the pieces of wood and metal they had found on their way here." moment. Thanks kids!

After a Terrible start to my day, I needed a good Cache fix. I choose this very wisely.
What a GREAT adventure, from the Pot Smoking Muggle, to the Bush walking, Bridges, Tunnels, Icy cold water, the cache itself, but my favourite would undoubtably be the Orange Mud. ALL locations make for some great photo opportunities, which I took. This made the trek take 2.5hrs. But well worth it.
Cords were bouncing everywhere, but have faith in your GeoInstincts and let the sprits guide you to the cache...

My bad morning blues have now disappeared, and I feel wonderful.

Favorite point for the entire Experience this Cache gave me. It makes me wish I had done a YouTube Vlog on this one, maybe next time. Check out my YouTube Page - User - Seemy Shell.

Didn't make it across the tunnel. I will try again in summer when there is less water and we have water-friendly shoes with us.

It was difficult to decide where to go caching after work today, but I soon found myself near this one and so the choice was made.
It certainly was a journey between waypoints. I only had issues at Wp2, where my gps was pointing away from where I wanted to look, but in the end I trusted my instincts and found the scribings. At first what I found looked warn and difficult to read, but it didn't give reasonable coordinates for gz, and thus the search continued until I noticed what was right under my nose.
The final leg to gz sure was a splash. It's in situations like this when you realize that the waterproof boots you swear by are not really waterproof, well not "orange mud and water" proof. Most of it was rinsed off in the creek crossings on the return trip.
Left my path-tag.
Thanks for the adventure!

Finally, after about two years since I visited WP1, I managed to finish this one off! Out with the Sutherland Bushwalking Club we set out from Waterfall station and detoured to the magnificent brick culverts where I discovered WP2 then it was off to the GZ. We came prepared for the orange mud with plastic shopping bags for the feet. They work really well unless there happens to be holes in the bags which makes them pretty well useless! Found the cache and it was in good order with the log book only slightly damp. TNLN. Thanks Skydog for a great cache. I'm giving it a fave point.

This entry was edited by The Skink on Saturday, 21 June 2014 at 09:57:36 UTC.

After finding "Yello" I thought it would be a good idea to find "Creepy Cawley". On foot. Turned out to be a bit longer walk than I expected to WP1! We got the numbers for WP2 and headed off. Man. The bush is dense. The whole time I was just thinking, this can't be the right track! Lucky the photos from previous logs reassured me I was on the right track. Okay. Shoes off and through the water. That was clever. Walking on the rocks after in thongs. Not so clever. Changed back to shoes and was really doubting myself when WP2 finally appeared. Okay, good stuff, this matches the photos, now where is the clue?! Got there after a few minutes of searching. Now, do we follow the old rail path or not? Sure let's do that! I think that made the cache a lot harder then it needed to be - though it was pretty cool to see parts of the old rail line. Finally we stumbled upon GZ, but totally at the wrong level so back we went where we saw a nice cairn and down to GZ proper. The orange goop negotiated cache was signed and replaced. Geodad and I climbed out and decided to have lunch on the road above. Halfway through my sandwich I thought I heard a car, surely not, yikes! I barely scrambled off the road as a lady in her lexus whizzed past. Surely she was lost. I mean what the?! We decided to follow the Cawley management trail back to Waterfall where we'd left our car. It was quite a hike, but a pleasant one. We did see Mrs. Lexus soon after heading back in the direction she'd come from. What an odd sight.

Thanks for the creepy cawley culvert circuit

Finally after many years I have got around to finish this one off. Thought we were going to be stymied again but fortunately the Hazard Reduction Burns and the wind all played the game.

All the WPs are in good condition, the cache itself was a little damp, (we dried it out and added some extra swaps.)

Thanks for a great adventure......... even the legendary red mud was not a problem.

Cheers
Odlid Dave

Had been here a few years ago when the cache was MIA.........glad to record a find today with the Odlids. Was prepared too, which made the whole experience very enjoyable and interesting.

Washed our feet in the creek on the way out and spotted the biggest tadpoles we have ever seen!

A favourite from me!

Fantastic Saturday adventure. For myself some new orange feet. Yew

Well today was the day I finally finished Creepy Cawley. As from the log below, I attempted this great multi 2 Years and 8 Months ago.
So this time it was a walk straight in from the Old Princes Highway and being properly prepared, had packed my gumboots.
Found the Cache very quickly and after signing the log (and reading past logs) wandered into the spooky tunnel. [8)] What a massive job this would have been only to be used for a relatively short time.

On the way out I slipped off one of the old rail timbers...the gumboot stayed in the orange goop and the foot withdrew... it was funny hopping around trying to retrieve the boot but manged to slip the foot back in and extricated wholly.

Thanks for the adventure and interesting history on this one, Sky Dog.
______________________________________________________________________________
Didn't find it
08/28/2010

Left this far too late in the afternoon. Took the goewife on this one as she wanted to get a walk in for today. I enjoyed this one and was interesting to see the area that I knew nothing about.
I didn't mind getting the feet wet at on the way to WP2 but the wife was not so impressed. Do you know how long it has been since I have given anyone a piggyback??? It was a hoot.
Decided to backtrack to the road but was a little confused near WP3 until it clicked. Headed back down the road and into the culvert. GPS kept sending me into the orange mud and I was not keen nor appropriatley shod to head further into it. The hint kept me looking further back up the track but was too far from the GZ pointer.
Run out of daylight but will be back (with gumboots - LOL). I would be very interested in exploring the nearby tunnel.
Thanks Skydog - I will be back.

Great adventure was had as we wandered through tunnels and culverts.

Back again a few days later for a third attempt, after my last attempt a few days ago & posting a DNF the cache owner very kindly contacted me via email & gave me some very helpful suggestions as to where I may have gone wrong (without giving away the location of wp2 or GZ.........it was up to me to find them).
Down the hill I went again with the co-ords for wp2 punched in, this time though I had a far better idea of where to turn off the bitumen without ending up on the rail corridor & this time success was at hand........followed the track & went through the first tunnel confident of finding wp2, shortly afterwards the second tunnel came into view heightening my confidence in my maths. Now to find when Mr. Walker visited Helensburgh.........I was expecting a plaque or similar but got a surprise when I found the date I needed.............not what I was expecting but I now had the numbers for GZ, a check of the map on the GPSr showed that I was probably on the right track but given our sometimes dubious success with multi caches I wasn`t going to get too excited until I saw the thick, goooey red mud. Back onto the bitumen & off to wp3 with a bit more confidence, GZ was getting closer & closer but peering over the edge I was disheartened, a very big drop awaited an exit off the bitumen here so back tracked a little & spied a track that seemed to go off in the right direction, followed the track for a little while not yet sure if I had indeed found the right path when in front of me I spied the dreaded red mud...............I have never before been so happy to see such sloppy red goop, at least I had worn my most worn out, smelly, disgusting shoes, you know the sort......they should have been thrown out years ago but you hang onto to them:
1. because you`re a bloke.
2. because one day a cache will take you to an area filled with sloppy red mud/goop.
3. because the shoes will still be o.k after a good scrub & fit for another adventure through sloppy red goop!!!!

Through the cutting & red mud I went, GPSr was all over the place, checked the hint & went through more red mud & hey presto.............what`s this.............it`s the cache that`s what it is...............finally I had the cache in hand & the previous 2 attempts all seemed worthwhile. The cache was indeed in good order, log was a little damp but I dried it out as best I could, not bad considering that this cache hasn`t been found for eight months. I spent a little while reading through the old logs & enjoying a break in a peaceful spot, signed the log & put everything back into the cache, re-hid it well & went for a walk through the tunnel, a rather eery & spooky experience but it certainly felt like "a walk back in time"
After enjoying the solitude I headed back to the bitumen & thence the up hill slog to the car, whilst at GZ & wp2 I took some photos but other cachers before me have posted similar photos although nothing can prepare you for the mud.............and I did this cache after a very dry spell, anyone who does this cache after a rainy spell is going to end up being absolutely covered in goop.............but don`t let that stop you, wear the gumboots & find a cache in a spectacular spot as well as enjoy some fascinating history...............going through those tunnels & culverts you can almost feel the presence of the ghosts from years gone by.
Thankyou Sky Dog for bringing me here, after 2 attempts I was tempted not to bother again but your kind assistance made the third attempt a success, a wonderful cache & it was great to see & feel the history of the area.
TNLN,SL TFTC

P.S now i`m home I have to try & get the mud out of the shoes............it may take a while, LOL.
Cheers from CATONY & tnx for such agreat adventure. A favourite point from us.

Tried again today, parked on the old princes highway, grabbed the numbers on the bridge for wp2 & headed off, GPSR got me as close as about 280 metres to wp2 but every road off the bitumen lead to the rail corridor, I gave up after going up hill & down dale & just getting further & further away from wp2, maybe I should have kept following the bitumen & if I did maybe i`d have found the red mud.......tried to do this cache today because it`s been so dry for so long & figured the red mud would be more manageable but didn`t get to find out. Sadly I headed back up the hill with no enthusiasm to come back anytime soon, don`t know what i`m doing wrong but this cache has eluded us again. Nice history lesson though.

Found with "The Neighbs". Fair bit of bush bashing required. The first tunnel had 300mm of water through it. The last 60m to GZ was a mud filled hell hole full of leaches. I would highly recommend future cachers bring their gumboots - I wish I did. See photo of what joggers look like after visit to GZ. TFTC Skydog

Found with geohubby (SESBLOCKER). The last 60m to GZ is a swamp of orange, greasy mud. Not a great place after rain. Glad to have this one ticked off! TFTC

I can't really say that this one has been on the to-do list but it has been not that far from home ever since I started caching. It always looked as though it might have been a bit tricky, always came up on the radar on the F6 and I just never quite got there.

With the cache thinning out in an arc from home it was back on the radar. Last night I did some research based on everything on the cache page and came up with a quite likely GZ. So today, armed with map rather than GPSr I set off.

A nice little walk and soon came across a big clue, and then to what I thought was GZ. Didn't take long to find the cache- just squelching through all the mud was the worst! So, this one is thankfully finally off the list. TFTC!

Don't think anyone will visit here for the next month before I head to Tas. Dropped off TB - temporarily. Will pick it up later.

Paul at cache

Dad filling in the log.

Great Walk Loved The Cache Only A Bit Tricky But Got The Hang Of It.

We always like to do a better than average cache for our milestone caches & given that no 900 was looming, and there was an anxious CO keen to go for a walk and do a spot of maintenance on a particular cache, we thought we would join him on his walk and tick off a cache we had been wanting to do for quite a while.

So this morning Mr Us. Little Miss Us & the CO set off for a bit of an adventure & to explore an area that sounded like it was full of history & interest. Well, we were not disappointed - fantastic scenery, wonderful history & some fantastic old engineering structures that have handled the test of time so much better than some of the stuff we build these days.

WP1 was easily dealt with & we were son on the way to WP2, where the first couple of tunnels were found & the brickwork on these is fantastic. With the info required found easily, we decided to do the bush bask along the old railway alignment & that proved to be a very interesting walk too. We did not have to dart across the railway line at the end though, as we used the drainage pipe instead - again finding some brilliant old brickwork.

From here is was down to the GZ & this is were things turned from just a little damp to a bit muddy & dirty. Oh well was the call - dirty now, it doesn't matter, so on we soldiered. Soon we were at GZ & the now typical but excellent Sky Dog cache container presented itself & the duties were completed.

From here we continued on to do a bit more exploring & enjoyed the area a little more.

An excellent cache & a brilliant way to bring up No. 900. A fantastic morning which we thoroughly enjoyed. The whole adventure took around 2 1/2 hours & I would not like to rush it any more than that, as you might miss some of the adventure if you did. Thanks for the adventure and joining us for a morning out Sky Dog!

TFTC
Cheers.

What a great cache. after getting the co-ords for Wp2 we decided to wade the water to get to WP2. WP3 was found after a little period of indecision as how to approach the mud.

Great cache

Azzo89

another awesome skydog cache. headed out with wizman88 and Measton42, we originally planned to do a few caches at the nearby woronora dam but it was closed so we headed to the bext closest cache which turned out to be this one. one of my favourite caches so far and managed to keep our shoes dry (by taking them off) until we reached the dreaded red mud, found the cache signed the log and walked through the tunnel. TFTC

Awesome adventure. After WP2 went bush and took the old train tracks, after misreading the description. Gained several leeches as a result. Finally made our way back to the road after crossing some land we weren't meant too <_< >_>
GZ was defiantly muddy. Bring a change of shoes.
Took the TB
awesome cache.

TFTC

After a dry spell from caching came down today with Bushy2233 and Chedent for a great afternoon multi. Walked in as they have blocked the secondary access with boulders and was unable to get the car through.
Found WP1 nice and easy then off to get our feet wet at WP2, The water was a bit cold but we weren't turning back. Found WP2 and off to GZ were Bushy2233 wanted to go straight down to GZ, But Chedent and I decided to go in the easy route then Busy2233 also decided that was a good idea as well, Found the cache after deciding I was going to have to get my brand new boots covered in red mud. As Bushy2233 said we dried the cache out and signed the log (which was still dry). All in all a great afternoons cache which took a bit more than an hour but who cares when your out in the bush. PS Bring some gum boots.

What a great way to spend an afternoon with two of my boys (in spite of the cold water and filthy red mud) exactly a year ago today I was fighting for my life in the back of an ambulance having a heart attack so a bonus year and another day out in the bush with my boys is absolute gold.
Thanks to some of the earlier logs I went prepared with an old pair of Bushy's work boots and would have taken gum boots if I could have found them so my joggers survived the day but I still had to suffer cold feet through the creek.
Took TB left TB and made a few visits of TB's and geocoins that are just passing through town. TFTC.

I finally organised a day to come and do this one which has been on the cards since it was back on line and as Chedent was in town we teamed up with taje00 and we headed off on our afternoon adventure. We walked in and head bush after spotting a little brown snake then we headed up creek which was a little fresh at this time of year, found wp2 no probs then stopped and checked out the yabbies on the way back then it was off to GZ and after a little searching taje00 had the goods in hand and as the cache was a little damp inside we cleaned it out and dried it out all in all this was a fun afternoon and great cache well done skydog good work. dropped off Tbug

Left this far too late in the afternoon. Took the goewife on this one as she wanted to get a walk in for today. I enjoyed this one and was interesting to see the area that I knew nothing about.
I didn't mind getting the feet wet at on the way to WP2 but the wife was not so impressed. Do you know how long it has been since I have given anyone a piggyback??? It was a hoot.
Decided to backtrack to the road but was a little confused near WP3 until it clicked. Headed back down the road and into the culvert. GPS kept sending me into the orange mud and I was not keen nor appropriatley shod to head further into it. The hint kept me looking further back up the track but was too far from the GZ pointer.
Run out of daylight but will be back (with gumboots - LOL). I would be very interested in exploring the nearby tunnel.
Thanks Skydog - I will be back.

Second time lucky!

After a bit of a hint from Sky Dog, we were confident at trying this one again. Ethel, Snooty, and Da Schmoags went from the Wilsons Creek end straight to WP2, and lo! there was Mr Walker. Not at all what we were expecting, and far less interesting.

Back onto the road, belting over the hill, and down to GZ. We flipped a coin to choose which of two equally enticing locations to search, and Snooty's location turned out to be gold. Signed the log, swapped some Uno for a spiffing gold koala badge, and took a walk through the tunnel to check out the ruins and glow worms.

Great day, thanks Sky Dog.

Aaah, the bliss of temporary unemployment -- caching during the week. The Snooty Fox did this one solo, starting from the southern end of Cawley Road at the train station. The long haul over to the bridge was enjoyable with a gentle breeze, and I headed back with WP2 firmly in my sights. Stopping at the creek near the old picnic area for a brew, I checked the GPS and it said "straight down the creek" -- hmm, I thought it would have been a bit further on. I wandered down the creek a bit, before coming back to my tea. I then realised that there's a whole other track you could drive down right next to it. Jeez I'm glad I noticed *that* before trying to slog down the creekside...

At WP2, the wheels fell off. I scoured the whole area but didn't find anything that could possibly have been a monument or other source of information on Mr Walker. At one point, the GPS said I was right on top of it, with an accuracy of 4m, and not a thing to be seen. Admittedly, the whole area could do with a napalm strike, because it's nearly impenetrable in places, but I'm fairly confident I was able to lay eyes on everything in the area. I'll see if anyone else manages to find WP2 before I declare it muggled, but the thought lingers in my mind... on the upside, there's a really nice viaduct there that I had a nice time examining.

I decided to move on to GZ anyway, since I know the area fairly well and was confident I knew where I was going ("orange mud" and "bring a torch" made it fairly clear). However, when I got to where I thought it was, I didn't see anything relevant, and some deduction with the GZ hint put everything 500m away. I did see some rubble on the way in that would be in about the right place, but if that's where the cache is, what's the torch for? At any rate, I was running out of time and evaced for another day.

[This entry was edited by The Wild Life on Wednesday, February 17, 2010 at 2:12:06 AM.]

Super!! What an adventure I had on this one. Went there a cuople of weeks ago on bike, wich brings you almost to WP2 very fast, for GZ you have to be really fit(for the return home too!). Not able to find WP2 I returned home dissapointed but gave the whole thing a second look and worked out some coords wich seemed logical.
Today I went again, on foot this time, and went straight for GZ. All fine so far, everybody would say, but hang on the story only starts here! Arriving at what I thought would be GZ I was puzzled, is it left or right? Both options didn't look inviting so I started to doubt my maths. As I remembered I took along the new instructions for WP2 I decided to go a step back and put in the new coords for WP2. Only 350 meters! that looks great, but I didn´t want to take the long way over the hills again and decided to go for the shortcut, bad, very bad, idea!! After 200 meters I feld like an experienced bushwalker after a 2 days walk! But I managed to get to WP2 and actually it was good to find this time! Not wanting to busbash back I searched for the main road wich took a while because I had no idea how I made my approach. GZ only to discover it was exactly where I was the first time. With only 15 m to go I was stock again, but now sure the coords where right I went for the direct approach again, wrong again!! Made a fall of 2 meters only to reach a path wich I didn´t find before! Bleeding, sweating and full of bruses I went for the last few meters, wich could be hard anymore? wrong again, at least if you are wearing brand new shoes as I did! New or not, I had to get to GZ now! With the GPS playing crazy on me I saw a likely spot about 17 meters of due to the GPS, but at least for once today I was right! Suddenly all the pain was gone and i went home happy with the idea I did a adventurous cache with a terrainrating of 6 the way I did it:
TFTC Wilbert67

Fantastic! What a super cache and one that the whole family really enjoyed doing.
Admittedly, shortly after reading the previous finder's logs, we worked out where the final location was using the clues on the cache page and a topo map, just in case we ended up having difficulty when the time came. However, we've noticed now that the error has been rectified and we wanted to do it all properly anyway as we'd have really missed out.
There's some amazing locations on the way and the lush green bushland around here is stunning, especially around WP2. We decided to go barefooted and dodge the many yabbies that we spotted (and also hoped that no brown snakes were swimming around now that it's warming up!). There were loads of lizards out and about too and just short of WP2 a beautiful bright green tree frog swam alongside us in the creek.
It was then back to the disused road and on to the final location. It took a little while to locate how to get to it but we found a way in and it soon became obvious we were in the right spot. The orange mud was very distinct and did a great job of colouring our shoes! Some of those rocks we stood on turned out to be just chunks of polystyrene that were really not much use at all for standing on! After locating the cache we then went for a brief exploration of this fascinating area before heading back to the car.
We'd had our eye on this cache since it was enabled and it's one that we'd planned on doing with Usat31, but the temptation today was too much to leave it as we were so close, and we fancied a good walk in the bush. Guess we're gonna have to come back and do it again then!
Thanks Sky Dog for an excellent cache!

My apologies to Tronador and Altaire, I needed glasses at WP1 which meant that two digits were wrong at WP2. I went down there today and found that WP2 was only 50m out but the undergrowth is very thick in that vicinity and you can't see more than 20m. Anyway it's all fixed now and I think WP2 co-ords are also more accurate.

It really is a fascinating area, so I hope you enjoy it there as much as I do.

What an excellent cache this was. On a lovely warm spring morning we rendezvoused with Tronador at a suitable location on the Princes Highway. From here we set off down the old bitumen road - thankfully it appears closed to vehicles. Certainly it was nice and peaceful today as we traipsed along in the warming day. Before long we were at the old bridge over the freeway where we gathered the required information as the traffic hummed along below us. With the next waypoint loaded we carried on down the old road whereupon, after circumventing the railway obstacle we were soon searching midst the scrub for WP2. Alas after about 45mins or so we had failed to find anything at all relating to a certain Mr Walker. Discouraged we prepared to set off back to the car whereupon Tronador - who I might add, has been to university - had a brainwave.

Studying the format of the information we were supposed to find at WP2 & how it was meant to be used she deduced a possible GZ area. There was obviously a fair margin of error involved however the area we found ourselves in seemed to have distinct possibilities. Within a very old disused railway cutting we came upon a pile of rubble which (considering the clue) got us excited however after a bit of a scour nowt could we find. Searching further down the old railway route however we came upon a structure which raised our hopes once more. Together with the orange muck we were doing our best not to slip into and the obvious requirement for a torch to continue on our way we felt we may well be on to something. Something indeed! Something very much like a cache forsooth! Well done Tronador – did I mention that she’s been to university?

So it was that we were soon conducting the cache duties rather than logging a DNF later on. Just as we were about to restore the cache to it’s hiding place we suddenly espied a large group of muggles coming along the track – the lead elements already in plain view of us. Too late to restore the cache we stuffed it inside a pack. Turns out they were a group of walkers checking out the historical aspect of the forlorn & forgotten railway infrastructure that seemed to abound in these parts. We set off through the tunnel to check out the far end leaving them to flounder in the orange ooze. We actually got reasonably close to Dub Side of the Moon before returning in the face of some heavy looking scrub in a rather deep gully. Time then to head back whence we came - restoring the cache enroute - and then to the car with a glorious find snatched from the jaws of failure. However we are left to wonder about WP2. Early logs seemed to indicate not much difficulty about it so perhaps we simply missed it. Who knows. Regardless this was a top cache!

Oh, where do I start? This was a most excellent adventure and another cache to add to one of the most memorable ever done. This cache was recommended to me by the owner at the last event, so I mentioned it to Altaire. At wpt 1,the required info was spotted immediately and without further ado a new set of coords were punched into the GPS. Soon we were off track and bush bashing amongst the gymea lilies and angophoras looking for good old Mr Walker. We looked and we looked and we looked some more. He certainly was elusive. Not really knowing what we were looking for, we searched rocks, trees and still nothing, nada, zilch. Mr Walker had disappeared. This was like looking for a needle in a haystack. So where ever Mr Walker had stopped to rest we could no longer find him. I gave up and had resigned myself to a DNF, disappointed at not being able to even have a crack at GZ. While Altaire searched some more I stood amongst the leeches and worked on a plan that was formulating in my brain. I checked and rechecked the possibility of my plan working and thought yep it's possible, so when Altaire finally admitted defeat as well, I let them in on it. Now what happened next was shear ingenuity and luck, neither of us had been to this area before and we had no idea what treasures lay hidden in the bush. With my scientifically, logical brain I had managed to deduce a set of coordinates for GZ. So we gave it a go. I punched in the coords for my assumed GZ and all looked good on the map. It was time to become Indiana Jones. We delved into the jungle and found a huge pile of rubble. Oh I was so delighted, this was looking good but things were not perfect. Something wasn't quite right. I made a few adjustments to my calculations. Sir Altaire with his keen insight, went off exploring in the direction I pointed. Not long after a marvellous sight beckoned us. A lost world, hidden for a hundred years.I was becoming increasingly excited because this was even more promising than before and then I saw the glorious orange mud and knew we had hit the jackpot.We were almost certain we had found GZ and on a hunch. Trying desperately not to fall into the orange mud, we made it across the bog.I noticed Sir Altaire standing stock still at the entrance to the temple and the Lost City. Now Sir Altaire never stays still this is most peculiar. I walk over to find him guarding the cache with his legs, having plucked it from it's hidey hole while Lady Altaire and I were battling to keep our shoes dry in the bog. Sneaky ,sneaky, sneaky, he took great delight in our feeble efforts and disappointment at not finding the cache then listened to the optimism in our voices as we discussed other possibilities. We were absolutely thrilled to have found the cache and took some time in this wonderful location. We found a rather strange log entry on the first page. A list of companies or something like that. Just as we were about to return the cache and head off into the realms of darkness, we turned in horror to the sound of voices. We were stunned, people were coming towards us. Sir Altaire shoved the cache into Lady Altaires pack and we took off into the Lost World, until Sir Altaire realised that he had left his GPS hanging on a tree. so we went back and confronted the crowd to find out that they were friends out with a history buff to explore the area until we saw two of their members get swallowed up by the orange mud. We left them to wallow in disgust and continued on our exploration. In fact we were having such a good time we kept walking and walking until we almost walked to Dub side of the Moon but the forest proved impenetrable 400m from the cache so we returned hoping that the intruders had left and we would be able to return the cache. Yep the coast was clear, it seems the orange mud had defeated them. We re-hid the cache took some photos and walked back to the cars some 3 hours after we had left. Yep we certainly had an adventure and enjoyed every minute.

Back in business after a long period of being archived.
GZ is not in the same place as the original.
Enjoy the orange mud!!

Fixed up

The option, IMHO, is to place a new cache somewhere else.

And after 15 months - any thoughts or should it be retired?

Looks like they've reamed the place so there is no easy spot to hide a cache. I'll have to consider the options for this one.

Veruca Salt & I went looking for this, our 2nd Cache search ever. Found WP1 OK. Found WP2 OK. The clue at WP2 is very hard to read and after trying a few combinations, the maths just didn't add up? The clue is really too hard to read maybe due to aging?) Then the GPS batteries started going flat and the day was getting late so we decided to head home and try another day.

But was all great fun.

Returned to WP3 after confirming details with Skydog. It appears the cache has been muggled. But a top hike around some great spots. Advised Skydog of muggling.

[This entry was edited by Zongo on Sunday, April 01, 2007 at 1:02:43 AM.]

[This entry was edited by Zongo on Wednesday, April 11, 2007 at 11:29:42 PM.]

Wow! This was a great cache to do with the kids, they are especially useful to retrieve objects above! No luck with finding Hoojar's gloves though, so keep looking folks (also not sure how he reached the cache either!).

A great way to see some of the local history around the Helensburgh area.

TNLN, thanks for the cache Sky Dog!
best wishes,
Wal

Our very first cache! Sky Dog had to replace the container so we tagged along. He let us do the calcs ourselves.
We were amazed at what we found when we got past WP3. A couple of the younger ones were a bit scared at GZ but excited by the find.
TNLN. Thanks.

This was a really cool cache.
Uncle Sky Dog was going to replace the container and invited a few of us along, however he made us figure out where it was. I was blown away at WP3 when i opened the door and stepped into...

Finally got around to replacing the container and restocking it. Be careful not to drop it!

I was keen for a ride this afternoon, and this seemed like the perfect place. I left my bike in the bushes at S 34° 09.874 E 150° 59.316 between WP1 and WP2. I managed to leave my riding gloves there. If anyone would be so kind as to collect them for me I would be greatly appreciated.

I stumbled around on foot for a while and wished I had the forethought of wearing long pants! The final WP was in the style that I suspected, and the cache revealed itself to me without any drama.

Obtaining the cache however required some lateral thinking for someone as vertically challenged as myself.

All things said and done, a very enjoyable cache!

Cheers,
W-L
1ARC

thanks sky dog, lot of work done on this cache and I really enjoyed it seeing I came from the area and never knew about Cawley. Oh and at the creepy part, I heard voices and was really worried until i realised it was me talking to myself trying to reassure that everything was gunna be alright.
took JD sign for the bar and left roll of electrical tape
cheers
Belabb

As you suggested Sky Dog THIS WAS a great follow up to Dark Side of the Moon. Fantastic adventure had by all. A much cleener tunnel than the others but also much shorter. Took TB and thanks for giving us the chance to come and experience this breathtaking cache.

What a great adventure and history lesson this cache is
Many thanks Sky Dog for your cache, we had a lots of fun with this one.
Cheers

An interesting way to introduce some new people to geocaching. This was the first time I had done this cache in the proper waypoint order and it's much harder this way. Realised when I checked the log that my first visit was on Remembrance Day last year - 1 year and 2 days ago.

The kids had a great time.

Left a TB

Thanks SWAG agg for an excellent cache. We're happy to have this one count as our 100th find. The sighting of a large rat as we approached GZ put the jitters into Mrs Dingbat however she was not perturbed.

Another Swag cache that I'd started some months ago finally finished off today. Did my homework, a bit of guess work, some old maps and a bit of local knowledge and thus I was able to go straight to WP3 today.
Had no problems getting to GZ only that I'd miss counted my chains and was one out. Eventually the cache was mine. Swapped a small scale for a ring puzzle. Thanks for a top cache and great location.

Didn't read the hint about bringing a light so all we had was a mini LED keyring and the light from a mobile phone between the 2 of us.
I would have liked to spend more time exploring the area but someone else prefers to just do what we came for then go back to the car...
Definitely a great adventure and an interesting bit of history.

Tide now a little lower (see Bigmickb's photo) my quest was now on track. Take the chairman's advice or jump to the occasion, for in the end I was close to blowing a fuse. Interesting area, one of many to be found around there. Thanks SWAG agg for the adventure. Took a crab, left a triangular bandage.

First 2 WPs no problem to find ...Steve's visit is a little obscure and fading...took what I could read of the date and headed off to WP3...Came to a likely spot, but without gum boots wasn't going through that brown stuff! Shall return one day.

What an adventure. This saga began on Friday afternoon on my way to God's own country, Wollongong. Stopped in to attempt this one on the advice of Swag Agg himself. So I parked the car and set off on foot. WP1 revealed itself without too much drama, however the real action started as I realised I needed to find away over the obvious impedment between myself and WP2. Heeding the advice in the clues and not wanting to put myself in any undue danger I fereted around on the assumption, "Well if I can't go over it...". Sure enough I had to take my boots off, but the passage is passable.

That out of the way, and boots back on my feet, WP2 was quite easy to find, although it sure did look out of place. With some quick maths, I was off to WP3. I'm not sure I was meant to go directly to WP3, but there is a direct route without having to cross over any impedments. It's not designed with tall people in mind, but I still got through. I must have taken the same path as Tangles as gaiters would have been real handy!

On to WP3 which again revealed itself without drama. At this point I figured I was only a few hundred metres from the final stash, however I was forced to abandon the search due to failing light, and retreat back to the car. I returned this afternoon with the proper saftey gear and two companions. This time the stash was found within a few minutes of our arrival at GZ. Unlike GEK, I had no trouble retreiving the container (I don't see what the problem was?!), however I can see why Tangles recomends against doing this alone. Sound advice.

We signed the log, took a Circle of Willis CD, left a small karabiner and some bubble stuff. Thanks Swag Agg, this was a top cache that clearly shows a bit of thought, planning and research. I loved it!

I started this one last week but I was beaten by time and the weather (and an aversion to wading knee-deep through a rain-swollen creek).

Returned on Rememberance Day and being familiar with the probable location of the cache I decided to take the Southern route. I can heartily recommend this for anyone who has no aversion to signs which read "Keep Out", "Trespassers will be prosecuted" and "Private Property - Enter at your own risk". I looked at my watch and realised it was 11:00 am. Obviously any local security guards would be busy observing a minute's silence so I slipped past the signs unnoticed.

Found the cache quickly but then realised why doing this on your own is not a good idea, particularly for those of us who are vertically challenged. A quick scout around revealed the necessary tools and the cache was mine. Getting it back was another matter and unfortunately the lid suffered some damage in the process. Future visitors should take care retrieving the cache as the lid may not be as secure as it should be.

Took pliers, left CD.

Great fun!

GEK

The problem with mutli caches is that they can take you to really interesting places but you can’t show any of your snaps or mention any of features or some smart bugger will work it out and just go to the end.
To be truthful we could have just gone straight to the cache (you lot think we are joking when we mention steam trains and old rail lines, silly people)
But not wanting to miss out on an adventure we set off into the unknown that always seemed a little familiar. Take WP1 little know fact that the DMR had to bring in to Australia the biggest ever dozer to work on the Freeway (we have photos if you really want to see them)
WP2 was rather exciting as we come face to face or rather face to beak with a Grey Goshawk sitting on a rock. Who stared at us and we stared at him while reaching for the camera but he soon got over the shock and flew up into the trees. The Grey Goshawk is an uncommon bird so keep your eyes open for it.

Another aspect of the Cawley section of line was the Cawley crossing loop. A crossing loop allows trains to pass one another on a single-track line. This section used the tablet system of safe working to prevent trains from coming to an abrupt stop against each other.
If you are really keen on learning about this stuff, sorry historical information you should see if you can get hold of a book called Ghost Train Walk by John Oakes. It has lots of pretty pictures and really useful maps and all sorts of information.
I just realized something Ghost train walk Creepy Cawley is it Halloween today?
If any of those kids come near our place we sic Geopup onto them.

The cache, all I can say is I am glad I include squats in my work out and it bought back memories of a recovery technique used for another cache but in the city this time and one of us was wearing a dress.

Great adventure but I think I would wear long pants or gaiters next time rather than the boardies (we where on the way to the beach) and I am very glad I did not do this one solo.

After inspecting some disused machinery about 450m from wp3 we returned to the cache which I must have looked at and not seen.
Fortunate for us Pete was able to retrieve the cache.
Took a mini crab dont recall what I left.
For those having difficulty retrieving the cache sit down and think about it.
Thanks SWAG agg.
Squarewheels with Ruffnut and Pete.

First to find woohoo!
Followed the clues with Squarewheels and our mate Pete and enjoyed the look around. We were reminded to never assume when we found we hadn't measured the 20 chains correctly.
An interesting location for a cache. Took a mini carabeener and left a Jack Daniels sticker.

[This entry was edited by Ruffnut on Saturday, October 30, 2004 at 11:39:56 PM.]

This is a WIP cache. I'd just completed the nearby cache as the heavens opened up. So with a terrified mini-rat screaming in the car we had time to stop under WP1, grab the vital clue and then continue on home.... We'll be back in the near future. Thanks Agg.