X marks the what? Springwood, New South Wales, Australia
By
jonnosan on 20-Dec-12. Waypoint GA5813
Cache Details
| Difficulty: | |
| Terrain: | |
| Type: | Traditional |
| Container: | Small |
| Coordinates: | S33° 42.556' E150° 33.145' (WGS 84) |
| 56H 273177E 6267389N (UTM) | |
| Elevation: | 273 m |
| Local Government Area: | Blue Mountains City |
/150.552417,-33.709267,14/400x200?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoiY2F1Z2h0YXR3b3JrIiwiYSI6ImNqa2l4ZzNzMDE5bjgzdm1sZGpuODF1Mm0ifQ.q8YMzVyzDJJlJHHV8EMjwQ)
Description
Somewhere between Davies Park and the Sassafras Gully Track, is a small clearing in which stones have been laid out in the shape of a large cross. I do not know who made this, nor when, nor why – but I would be pleased to hear any facts, theories or rumours.
The descent down from the end the fire trail at the end of Davies Avenue is a little scrubby in parts but the small cliff lines are easily traversable – I took this route when I originally discovered the area. However the quickest and easiest way would be to follow the track from Sassafras Gully Road, till you reach a spot where your GPS shows you are about 100M of GZ, and there is an old dry creek bed cutting the track, with a couple of big overhangs on the right hand (North Eastern) side. Follow this creek bed up, sticking to the right hand side, and you will eventually reach a small gully where the creek descends a (dry) waterfall / overhang, and there are some rocks that have fortuitously been weathered, or deliberately placed, into steps up the side of the gully. At the top of the gully you need to push through some sword grass before finally reaching the clearing with the cross.
The cache is a small plastic container, with a logbook + pen only
Please do not disturb any of the stones making up the cross – the cache is definitely not hidden there!
Hints
haqre fznyy pnvea oruvaq n gerr |
|
Decode |
Logs
The mystery of the cross explained:
https://www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au/story/5623580/mystery-of-stone-cross-is-solved/
https://www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au/story/5623580/mystery-of-stone-cross-is-solved/
This is my closest unfound cache to home and it has been on my radar for over 4 years. My original plan was to head out to Gladesville for a CITO event, but I only got as far as Warrimoo when I realised that my heart just wasn't into the trip. So i turned around and went home and got the coordinates and notes for this one and headed out solo. Halfway down I realised that I had left the replacement log and zip-lock bag in the car.
The notes in the description are very good and it was just a case of taking the path up of least resistance. The cross itself is not Stonehenge, but it is quite impressive. You have to give credit for the effort put into it. I will come back with that replacement log, as I know my kids will want to have a look at it.
The notes in the description are very good and it was just a case of taking the path up of least resistance. The cross itself is not Stonehenge, but it is quite impressive. You have to give credit for the effort put into it. I will come back with that replacement log, as I know my kids will want to have a look at it.
Rated: for Overall Experience
We only needed an X cache to fill the requirements for the Abecedarian Award. Looked through the few "X" caches and noticed this one the closest to home. We headed up this morning and I did a mystery near the carpark while MrT headed down the track. He located the creek that was dry and headed around the overhang to get access to the creek. Then followed the creek to GZ. Looked around and didn't spot the cairn. However saw the "cross" so knew he was in the right area. The local Bushwalking club had talked recently about this cross and were trying to find out the history of it! I had printed out the cache pages and when MrT couldn't find anything obvious he looked at the last logs. Saw that this cache hasn't been found for nearly 5 years!!! Realising he would have to do a more thorough search. He looked under 5 years of leaflitter add finally found the container. Container was full of water and the log wet. He managed to put our name on the log. Having done that he returned it as found. Then headed back the way he had come. TFTC
Rated: for Overall Experience
A DNF but not to fear, the closest I got was 70m away. I REALLY wanted to push on but I had Gatherer Hade with me who is not a GCA cacher so after finding Roger's cache nearby I could only take a token look at this one. I think I spotted the way up as described in the cache info but it was going to be a bush bash I didnt have time for so sadly it will have to wait for another day 
I came in via the dry creek and went straight up the cliff area instead of going to the left. This was a good move as later I discovered something not quite right because of it. Made it to the top and had 65 metre bash to the cleared area. Yes it is definitely a worshipping cross. The area had been cleared. While bush bashing to the clearing I noticed a blue peg and another at the clearing. Then I could hear a bower bird working in the shrubby area just near by. Took a few photos after locating the cache. Then I decided to leave. I noticed a track when I left "X marks the what?" today. It is definitely been put there by the worshippers. When I exited via the creek, I went via the creek channel until I hit the waterfall area. I had to go down via the left and down a steep ravine (which I discovered is the entry used by the worshippers). At the bottom of ravine I noticed the track going next to the creek from that point. I assume the track had been made by the worshippers. They then would follow the ravine and go straight up to the clearing rather than via the dry creek. The top track is probably overgrown by now. I definitely could see that the worshippers used this way of entering the location by all the stones that made it look like a track. The question is who are they and how often did they visit this place and why. I could have a guess. They were trying to get closer to god via there very big cross. Thanks for placing this cache jonnosan. I would of never ventured to this place otherwise.
Rated: for Overall Experience
This cache was one of four I logged today, while on an expedition in the lower Blue Mountains with the senior member of Team Canary . . . We had a great time and escaped the fog and rain so prevalent in the upper mountains . . .
Following the familiar Victoria Track, we almost overshot the so-called 'dry' creek bed. Maybe we shouldn't have turned there, or maybe we left the creek bed at the wrong place. But we sure did our full measure of 100 metres of bush bashing before we reached the unusual site.
So what is it? TC thought perhaps a helicopter once photographed it (when the area was newly cleared) for some kind of promotion or celebration.
Anyhow, found the cairn and cache easily and it was in good shape. Joint 3TF!
Had a bit of a snoop around the rocks but could see no easy explanation regarding the formation, which is as FTF rogerw3 described it in his log.
We thought we'd found an easier way back to the track, but bush bashing seemed to be our lot on this one!
Many thanks to jonnosan. Nice adventure! (Four thumbs up.)
Following the familiar Victoria Track, we almost overshot the so-called 'dry' creek bed. Maybe we shouldn't have turned there, or maybe we left the creek bed at the wrong place. But we sure did our full measure of 100 metres of bush bashing before we reached the unusual site.
So what is it? TC thought perhaps a helicopter once photographed it (when the area was newly cleared) for some kind of promotion or celebration.
Anyhow, found the cairn and cache easily and it was in good shape. Joint 3TF!
Had a bit of a snoop around the rocks but could see no easy explanation regarding the formation, which is as FTF rogerw3 described it in his log.
We thought we'd found an easier way back to the track, but bush bashing seemed to be our lot on this one!
Many thanks to jonnosan. Nice adventure! (Four thumbs up.)
Rated: for Overall Experience
I think pjmpjm and I turned off too early, but caching is an adventure and we made getting to GZ one. Once we were there it was an easy find and I wondered if the cross was made visible from the sky for a photograph of the clearing from a plane!?! We made the way back even more of an adventure and returned to the car covered in dirt.
TFTC.
TFTC.
Rated: for Overall Experience
This is quite an amazing find by jonnosan. Lots to wonder why it is there. Enjoyed the walk along the creeks and a reasonably quicker bash to gz than I was expected. A great find. Thanks for bringing me here. TFTC.
After all this time I can't quite believe that this is still there for FTF.
No matter, I decided to hop on the train and get off at Springwood, I know the track since I have a cache so close to GZ that you could throw a rock down on some cacher you did not like!
I made my way up the hill, not by the Jonnosan approved route
but by guesswork and it worked out fine, found the cross and the cache without turning the GPSr on.
Amazing place, I am not quite sure what to make of it, but here are some thoughts:
1] This is not a natural clearing.
2] All the growth here is about the same age 3-4 years at most.
3] The cross is the correct proportions for a Christian Cross.
4] The stones seem weathered and embedded enough to be more than 5 years old.
I can only think that this has some religious meaning to somebody, or perhaps something happened here. It would seem that the area has been cleared in the past several times.
I returned to the track below using the Jonnosan approved way!
Perhaps marginally better than my improvised scramble/ climb.
In any case the walk down the Sassafras Gully Track (aka Victoria Track) is worth the trip, I have never seen so many Lyre Birds in one place before, I spotted over 14 of them, mostly females but 3 males along the hill sides were scratching and singing trying to woo a willing female.
All in all Thanks Jonnosan for the great place.
No matter, I decided to hop on the train and get off at Springwood, I know the track since I have a cache so close to GZ that you could throw a rock down on some cacher you did not like!
I made my way up the hill, not by the Jonnosan approved route
but by guesswork and it worked out fine, found the cross and the cache without turning the GPSr on.Amazing place, I am not quite sure what to make of it, but here are some thoughts:
1] This is not a natural clearing.
2] All the growth here is about the same age 3-4 years at most.
3] The cross is the correct proportions for a Christian Cross.
4] The stones seem weathered and embedded enough to be more than 5 years old.
I can only think that this has some religious meaning to somebody, or perhaps something happened here. It would seem that the area has been cleared in the past several times.
I returned to the track below using the Jonnosan approved way!
Perhaps marginally better than my improvised scramble/ climb.In any case the walk down the Sassafras Gully Track (aka Victoria Track) is worth the trip, I have never seen so many Lyre Birds in one place before, I spotted over 14 of them, mostly females but 3 males along the hill sides were scratching and singing trying to woo a willing female.
All in all Thanks Jonnosan for the great place.
Rated: for Overall Experience
