A Walk Around The Park - The Cannon Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
By icybeetas on 14-Apr-22. Waypoint GA26732

This is one of two caches I propose to publish to encourage visitors to wander around the Launceston City Park to enjoy the historical items to be found there.

The Sebastopol cannon is located in the Launceston City Park just below where the original Government Cottage once stood.  After the Crimean War ended in 1856 numerous cannon were captured during the seige of Sebastopol and taken back to England. Some were used to make Victoria Cross Medals and memorial statues. Many were offered to cities throughout England, Ireland and the colonies.

Queen Victoria had set up a Patriotic Fund to assist the widows and orphans resulting from the war. Recognizing the the Launceston Ladies Partiotic Fund Committee had raised more than a quarter of the 25,000 pounds raised in Tasmania the Launceston Mayor Henry Dowling wrote a letter dated August 9, 1858 requesting that one of the victory trophies be sent to Launceston. Two trophy guns arrived in Hobart in January 1860 but the Hobart Mayor Alderman Liscombe was upset that one was to be sent to Launceston and maintained that Hobart should keep the two. Eventually one was sent to Launceston in April 1860 and was placed in the middle of Cameron Street and St John Street intersection. It was removed from this inconvenient location in 1862 and placed in storage before eventually being placed in its current location.

While near the cannon take the opportunity to look at the tree which is to the right about 20 metres away. This Napoleon pear tree was planted in 1846 and still bears fruit.

To log this cache you must visit the cannon and answer the following questions.

1. In what year was the cannon cast ?

2. In what factory was it cast ?

3. What is the cannon's serial number ?

4. What two letters are at the rear on the breech of the cannon ?

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