Scytale West Ulverstone, Tasmania, Australia
By
2y'stassies on 29-Jan-17. Waypoint GA9730
Cache Details
| Difficulty: | |
| Terrain: | |
| Type: | Unknown or Mystery |
| Container: | Regular |
| Coordinates: | S41° 7.500' E146° 7.800' (WGS 84) |
| 55G 426969E 5447001N (UTM) | |
| Elevation: | 0 m |
/146.13,-41.125,14/400x200?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoiY2F1Z2h0YXR3b3JrIiwiYSI6ImNqa2l4ZzNzMDE5bjgzdm1sZGpuODF1Mm0ifQ.q8YMzVyzDJJlJHHV8EMjwQ)
Description
The Scytale was first used more than 2500 years ago and therefore it is the oldest known military ciphering method
The Scytale is a wooden staff, often with flat sides (eg hexagonal, octagonal), around which was wound a strip of leather or parchment. The sender wrote the message along the length of the scytale, rotating the staff to the next face at the end of each line. The leather or parchment strip was then unwould and given to a messenger. The strip was often disguised. For example, a leather strip was often disguised as a belt with the letters on the inside. When the messenger arrived at the destination, the strip was handed over and wound around another scytale of identical dimensions. The message was then read along the length of the scytale.
The Scytale was used by the Ancient Spartans. In the year 404 B.C. only one of five messengers survived the grueling march from Persia back to the Spartan general Lysander. The messenger gave Lysander his belt and Lysander wound this belt around his scytale. The message informed Lysander that the Persians planned an attack. Knowing their plans in advance, Lysander was able to prepare for the attack and defeated the enemy.
The following message, containing the coordinates for the cache, was prepared using the Scytale method. Your task is to decode the message and find the cache. As you will not have an identical scytale to that on which the message was prepared, you will need another tool. The GA Toolbox could be useful as it will generate a number of alternatives and you will need to select the one which makes sense.
gheensuoetrtohsofditetndyepntatoegoveeaseoimnorghneshnisinidstrteneudxenenloyeptmanfditeuouoeowisdoegtitotnsiontrrghwgek
You can check your solution using the Coordinate Checker
Good luck with solving the code and finding the cache.
This is a Terrain 3.5 cache. Careful preparation is essential for a successful assault on GZ. If you don't make the right (obvious) choices, it will be Terrain 5.
Hints
Chmmyr: Qb abg gel gb erglcr gur pbqr vagb gur gbby. Hfr pbcl naq cnfgr vafgrnq. . . . . . . . Pnpur: Arne gur gbc bs n fperr fybcr haqre n pbeern. |
|
Decode |
Logs
Tonight we went for a walk out to goat island to complete all the caches on the island. This one we have had solved for a while but never had time to go get it but tonight was the night, the walk over was slow n steady but we made it to ground zero and the cache was quickly located in its hiding place. We signed the log then off we went to check out the cave around the corner. TFTC 
Rated: for Overall Experience
Had the chance to visit an area near GZ today. Even though the terrain was pretty rough cache was found relatively quickly. Cache was signed and replaced as per hint. TFTC
Rated: for Overall Experience
So, I was grabbing a cache up on the roadway yesterday and notice it was low tide...so made a mental note that if I got back here tomorrow at the same time, I could probably make my first visit over to the island....
Parked in the parking area and started the walk. Always a bit of fun walking over this sort of 'ground', but slow and steady wins the race and I was soon at the island and heading for GZ. Once there, I realised where GZ was and set off to make the find. Once at GZ, it took a few minutes to spot the cache, but then all was good and my name was soon in the log book. Heading back down was a it of fun...but all was good and I live to tell the tale.
Thanks 2y'stassies....and enjoyable little cache. Recommended.
Parked in the parking area and started the walk. Always a bit of fun walking over this sort of 'ground', but slow and steady wins the race and I was soon at the island and heading for GZ. Once there, I realised where GZ was and set off to make the find. Once at GZ, it took a few minutes to spot the cache, but then all was good and my name was soon in the log book. Heading back down was a it of fun...but all was good and I live to tell the tale.
Thanks 2y'stassies....and enjoyable little cache. Recommended.
Rated: for Overall Experience
We'd worked out the coordinates for this one some time ago but hadn't made the expedition to GZ. With today's event there was a perfect opportunity to give this one a go. The cache was found and logbook signed while some other members of the group scaled the heights to get information for the next cache. Thanks for this cache and it's puzzle and for the opportunity to visit a spot we've driven past so many times but never ventured out to before
Hello 2y'stassies thank you for the cache.
As I was coming up to your Goat Island Event I thought I should work out the solution to the puzzle to this cache so I could find it after the event.
Had a Great day
TFTC
As I was coming up to your Goat Island Event I thought I should work out the solution to the puzzle to this cache so I could find it after the event.
Had a Great day
TFTC
For us, today was all about the two (originally 5/5) events on the coast, that was the reason for our trip up. While we were up there we planned to find a few other caches to top up our meagre contribution to the States of the Nation Game. We managed a handful on the coast and one or two more on the Highlands Lakes Road, finding all but one (I need to check my cords on that one).
My apologies for the copy and paste log but if I have any hope of finishing and claiming some scavenges, it’s my only hope.
We found all containers in good condition and really enjoyed our time at the events this morning and our various finds during the rest of the day.
Thanks to the various cache owners of our finds today (mainly Tassie Trekkers and 2y’stassies).
My apologies for the copy and paste log but if I have any hope of finishing and claiming some scavenges, it’s my only hope.
We found all containers in good condition and really enjoyed our time at the events this morning and our various finds during the rest of the day.
Thanks to the various cache owners of our finds today (mainly Tassie Trekkers and 2y’stassies).
Rated: for Overall Experience
Worked out the coordinates some time ago but needed the right time to get to GZ and today was the day. Out geocaching with several other geocachers on the last day of the State of the Nation competition. TFTC 2y’stassies
We'd solved this one yonks ago and spotted the cache in its hide on one of our frequent walks. Can't rush these things. Anyway in company with visiting Tronador (on her last day here) we thought we'd head here and actually open the cache and sign the log. Which we did. Quite warm this arvo and if we hadn't already had a dip at Narawantapu we might have been tempted. Thanks 2y'stassies.
Another well set out puzzle which I enjoyed solving. GZ is a cracker. Loved this place. Found today with Altaire as we made a trip to this special place.
Rated: for Overall Experience
We spent some time nutting out some puzzles a couple of nights ago and decided to spend a couple of days in the Ulverstone region and see what we could find - and hopefully add to the Tasmanian cause for the States Of The Nation summer 2017/18 game. Thanks so much 2y'stassies for your efforts in providing so many great and varied puzzles to solve and then hiding and maintaining such well stocked caches. Awesome effort by you guys and we had a great couple of days.
We headed out for a day of caching with Tassie Trekkers and targeted Ulverstone and surrounds and this was one we found after solving it sometime ago when it was first published. We were driving past GZ and realised it was a perfect time to retrieve the cache and perhaps another one that we had logged a DNF on a few years ago. Mrs W volunteered Mr W for the trip to GZ. Cache was located and signed and Mr W also found the other cache as well.
We are currently doing a virtual trophy for verbosity, hence the long logs! We are enjoying participating in the States of the Nation games which are currently running from 16 December 2017 until 21 January 2018.
States of the Nation is a real and virtual geocaching scavenger hunt where your home state will compete against other Australian states to find and hide geocaches. Over the 5 week course of the game there will be hundreds of scavenges that you can track down, find and convert into points for your state. Some scavenges will be easy. Some scavenges will be tough. Some scavenges may be impossible. Don't despair. You are not competing just for yourself; you are competing as a state.
There will be a number of scavenges released on a weekly basis but each scavenge will remain until the end of the game. This means even if you decide to join the game part way through, the early scavenges are still available for you to claim. Scavenges will require you to find a geocache, hide a geocache, attend an event or do something else completely different. The game focuses on all aspects of geocaching and so all cache types, sizes, terrain and difficulty will be up for scavenging. TrigPoints, Events, History, Virtual, Webcam, Podcache and Locationless geocaches are all scavengable, so you're not just looking for a box under a bush. Each week there will be a mix of physical, non-physical and locationless geocaches so even if you are not in a geocache rich area, use the locationless component of scavenger series to get out, find something to log and gain points for your state. If you watch the scavenges as they are released you might also spot the 'not so hidden' patterns and plan for future weeks of the series.
Hiding geocaches will also be a large part of the scavenger series, but please remember this is a game of geocaching and geocaches that you hide should be long lasting, be of good quality and you should be proud of what you hide. Please avoid hiding a geocache just for the day so your state can find it before you archive it. Geocaches that exist for a short period of time may result in any claims on that geocache being disqualified. Play creatively, but also play fairly. More geocachers hiding more geocaches makes for more geocaching fun.
We are currently doing a virtual trophy for verbosity, hence the long logs! We are enjoying participating in the States of the Nation games which are currently running from 16 December 2017 until 21 January 2018.
States of the Nation is a real and virtual geocaching scavenger hunt where your home state will compete against other Australian states to find and hide geocaches. Over the 5 week course of the game there will be hundreds of scavenges that you can track down, find and convert into points for your state. Some scavenges will be easy. Some scavenges will be tough. Some scavenges may be impossible. Don't despair. You are not competing just for yourself; you are competing as a state.
There will be a number of scavenges released on a weekly basis but each scavenge will remain until the end of the game. This means even if you decide to join the game part way through, the early scavenges are still available for you to claim. Scavenges will require you to find a geocache, hide a geocache, attend an event or do something else completely different. The game focuses on all aspects of geocaching and so all cache types, sizes, terrain and difficulty will be up for scavenging. TrigPoints, Events, History, Virtual, Webcam, Podcache and Locationless geocaches are all scavengable, so you're not just looking for a box under a bush. Each week there will be a mix of physical, non-physical and locationless geocaches so even if you are not in a geocache rich area, use the locationless component of scavenger series to get out, find something to log and gain points for your state. If you watch the scavenges as they are released you might also spot the 'not so hidden' patterns and plan for future weeks of the series.
Hiding geocaches will also be a large part of the scavenger series, but please remember this is a game of geocaching and geocaches that you hide should be long lasting, be of good quality and you should be proud of what you hide. Please avoid hiding a geocache just for the day so your state can find it before you archive it. Geocaches that exist for a short period of time may result in any claims on that geocache being disqualified. Play creatively, but also play fairly. More geocachers hiding more geocaches makes for more geocaching fun.
Rated: for Overall Experience
Had this one solved just after being published but was saving for an anniversary date cache...but missed the day anyhow.
Coords led me a merry dance so went with hint...after finding the phone then said less than 1m....pity it didn't hone in sooner..lol. Great day for a stroll out here plus a chance to replace wpt1 for 'Acting the Goat' cache.
A very enjoyable cache by 2y'stassies....very much appreciated for all your caches during the Scavenger series. TFTEC...cheers Sirius Tas.
Coords led me a merry dance so went with hint...after finding the phone then said less than 1m....pity it didn't hone in sooner..lol. Great day for a stroll out here plus a chance to replace wpt1 for 'Acting the Goat' cache.
A very enjoyable cache by 2y'stassies....very much appreciated for all your caches during the Scavenger series. TFTEC...cheers Sirius Tas.
Rated: for Overall Experience
Came a little better prepared today with no dogs [not allowed anyway] and better footwear. Wandered out to GZ and climbed much higher than we needed to! Cache was eventually located by sound rather than sight.
Always enjoy a trip out here and this one wasn't as scary as a multi we tackled out here a few years ago.
Thanks.
Always enjoy a trip out here and this one wasn't as scary as a multi we tackled out here a few years ago.
Thanks.
Out and about for the Summer Scavenger Series 2016/17 and needed this one to tick off one of the challenges.
Solved the puzzle which was interesting using a tool not used before. Had to wait till late in the day to make our assault on this one and enjoyed the walk to GZ. Took a few moments for the cache to reveal itself and finding a blank logbook, we will claim [*FTF*] @ 19.15 hrs.
Many thanks 2y'stassies for another cache we can claim for the games, the amount of time and effort gone into creating these caches has been appreciated. We have enjoyed solving the puzzles and now know our way to Ulverstone blindfolded.
Summer Scavenger Series 2016/17 and needed this one to tick off one of the challenges.Solved the puzzle which was interesting using a tool not used before. Had to wait till late in the day to make our assault on this one and enjoyed the walk to GZ. Took a few moments for the cache to reveal itself and finding a blank logbook, we will claim [*FTF*] @ 19.15 hrs.
Many thanks 2y'stassies for another cache we can claim for the games, the amount of time and effort gone into creating these caches has been appreciated. We have enjoyed solving the puzzles and now know our way to Ulverstone blindfolded.
Rated: for Overall Experience
