Grampians Secrets 4: The Forgotten Track Wonwondah East, Victoria, Australia
By HGCore on 06-Sep-08. Waypoint GC1G70V

After the leap of faith the only way was onwards. It was pretty smooth sailing after that. Completely misunderstood the hint and had to go through the annoying scruby thing like 3 times before we were on the right side and in the cave. Always scary relying on the brittle sandstone but no dramas climbing up or down. Cache was in good shape in its hidey hole. TFTC

What a mission. Was cutting it fine with the light, and went the length of the two fingers before realising where I needed to be and then how to get there. Thrilling adventure thank you

Due to unforeseen circumstances Mr Smokey Bear will no longer be a part of Team Smokey Bear and will continue his adventures as "SmokeyBearOG".

So I'm relogging all previous finds under my new account.
Unfortunately this log will not show the original logging date.

**Thanks to HGcore for this adventure, looking forward to many more.**

Adam
SmokeyBearOG

Another cache that I didn't get many years ago. This time McLookers and I were in the right place and it wasnt too hard to find.

After conquering Secrets 3 and The Leap of Faith, this was our next target. We were grateful for the relatively easy (compared to where we had been) trek across. Thankfully we approached from the right side and photos gave us the idea of where the cache was located. It was an easy find once inside. I left a trackable. Thanks HGCore, found today with Alansee and Muzza.

Another great location out in this area. Some adrenaline needed to make these finds out here. So excited to be back outside adventuring post lockdown. Legs a bit battered and bruised the next day from all the bouldering but loved every minute of being out here. Thanks for the great hide!

After making my way all the way up to leap of faith and being buggered it was nice to make an easy walk along the ridge line to this cache, on arrival I had the co ords on the other side of the valley so I had a look at previous images, luckily I was on the right side and made the short decent to this one, a pretty amazing spot here. Cache is all good
TFTC

Mr Morris headed over to Grampians for a few days of walking with 16 year old muggle Hugh. The two of them enjoyed their walks over a couple of days.
Wowsers!! I'd been here previously and had forgotten just how magnificent this end of the Grampians is.
The plan was to start at Hollow Mountain follow the ridges to Mount Stapleton and return to the car. Ahh the best laid plans of human EPIRBs and Geocachers

By the time we got to The Forgotten Track we had done Hollow Mountain, The Wind Tunnel and the Leap of Faith. As we left the Leap of Faith we continued along the ridge towards Mt Stapleton. We actually stopped at this cache and once sheltered from the wind had our lunch - peanut butter and jam bread rolls - again taking in yet another fantastic view. We even kept quiet as a few walkers went merrily chatting past us without seeing us. We continued on towards Mt Stapleton.

The Human EPIRB was agog with the views that we took in for the duration of the walk.
Thanks for contributing to the fun HGCore

Some of my family used to enjoy this track in the past, but I had never managed to get up the standard way to the top of Stapylton from the Mt Zero Carpark. It feels horribly exposed right near the top and I just wasn't comfortable with it.
I'd heard tell that there was a different way up one of the side gullies, so I went hunting for it. My hunt took right on top of this cache, which I wasn't expecting.
I then explored a little further along the ridge before returning and finding an easy way to get to the cache that I was pretty comfortable with.

It took a little longer and a bit of doubling back to find the way up Stapylton that I was comfortable with, but I eventually found myself opposite the cave, where one was supposed to view it first.

Thanks for the cache.

M had to come to Horsham for work so I figured I'd tag along and do some sightseeing while he toiled. I geocached my way around town yesterday so today I decided to head over to the Northern Grampians for a combined caching & bushwalking day.
By the time I reached the top of Mt Stapylton, it was pouring with rain, blowing a gale and visibility must have been down to 10m. I cast around a bit, sliding on my butt on the treacherous looking, and very wet, rocks but finally talked myself into conceding defeat. I'd come this far to prove to myself that I'm not the lily-livered, city girl watching my life go by while I sit there being 'safe' and it was a bitter pill to swallow but I shall return! Probably in better weather
Thanks for bringing me here and providing a challenge that I will one day overcome!

Lol this one was very cool little secret spot , stumbling on places like this makes me wanna camp up here for the night with a cozy fire Thanx for the Adventure

Now here's a spot to stop and have lunch! Shade from the sun, a view, and some ready made seats millions of years old! What an adventure it has been to get this far it has been for us middle aged men not acting our ages!.

TNLN SL TFTC

We were both having a wow of a time making our way along the ridge line, and with this one fast approaching, so was lunch, so we started to look around for some shade to sit and eat..............right........
So we went and started looking for the cache first....hmmm.....
We were a bit confused with the directions describing the terrain on the cache page, until it dawned on us.....we were coming in from the OTHER way.....
OooKaay....
it was about then that we stood on the edge and looked over and down.....
So....we have to go into there...
Down we went into "there", and Wow!....just Wow.....
Well, this will do for a lunch stop.
So we sat and ate, and scribbled our names in the log book, and ooohed & aaahed at the cool sandstone formations, and took photos, and just generally chilled out for a bit.
Very cool.

As we had found Taipan View and with the weather being a mix of low cloud, wind gusts, sun patches and rain we headed around the loop anti clockwise to Mt Stapylton. A few Roos near the top just before the vegetation petered out after some emu's near the road.
An interesting slab incline and large cave on the way up to the end of the official track sign before the faint red markers to the summit took over. Some fleeting views as the wind and clouds circled plus some drizzle. Some careful points of grip need with the damp conditions. GZ took a bit to find and once we did it was a question of how to avoid getting any wetter to sign the log which we just managed. TFTC.
From here we pushed onto to Grampians Secrets No.4. We found a few cairns but at one point quested if we were on the right spur so we doubled back and despite the track map showing the route we had an interesting climb and early practice for the leap of faith but at least we got on the right rock crop for the cache. As we got close we realised there was still some terrain despite being very close to GZ. A route was spotted and we made our way to shelter and the old hide was soon found and signed. TFTC.
Next was Leap of Faith and some more drizzle and wind. The cairns came and went and the track route a little sketchy to follow on the GPSr. The hid certainly took a while to find and despite finding a spot lower down that was a good match to the co ords and hint description and elevation we made a small vertical shift in a round about way to come up with the goods thanks to some previous photos by lining up the horizon. TFTC.
Continuing on we were heading to the wind tunnel. The route on the GPSr was one way after the ravine while the cairns were heading off differently. We followed the GPSr around some exposed areas to start to get close to the wind tunnel just to see the horizon change in colour and the wind start to pick up so decided it was not the time to try for a climb so headed back the way we came. A leap of faith before the Leap of Faith and then the rain hit. Fortunately we were now back on the better part of the ridge and but did wonder about some the exposed parts of Mt Stapylton verses waiting out some time in one of the caves. We dropped into one of the gullies and realised it should get close to bypassing the exposed part of Mt Stapylton and we even found a faint track that did just that joining us to the main track just below the slab incline and large cave. This side was well sheltered and as we made our way down the rain had stopped and the clouds began to clear opening up some nice views. Back to car in a little over 4hrs.

Day 4 of our 8 nights in the Grampians. Today was the first day the Mrs ventured out exploring with me so we headed for the Mt Stapylton area of the park.
A fun filled day of bushwalking and rock scrambling/ climbing.

This was #3 on our way to the top. We took the scrambling route up from the wind tunnel to reach this cache, and the last few hundred meters were easy walking. Arriving at GZ I soon realized where I had to go.... initially I wasn't to enthusiastic about it as the rocks looked wet from the overnight rain still, but the path to the cache actually wasn't so bad. Two thumbs up for the placement, a very cool little shelter tucked away nicely here.
Logging duties were all finished in a jiffy and upward we continued from here!

TFTC!

For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to come up this way and try and chase a new first to find on the on the loop from Hollow Mountain carpark around Mount Stapylton down to Mt Zero carpark then along the road back to Mt Hollow carpark. So I gave Ausfox; and Neville_devil a call and they were both happy to join in on my lunacy.
We had just completed our main goal of the first to find for leap of faith but were struggling to find our way on top to get across to this cache. After a PAF we were finally on top of the world walking amost the rock pools with some great views.
Loved the placement of this one without a cache here you could walk past without even knowing it was here.

Thank you so much HGcore for bringing me here

Came up for the day with The Simsfamily and Neviile Devil to grab a few caches and explore but it soon turned into a day that took me out of my comfort zone walking around the circuit from Hollow Mountain carpark around Mount Stapylton down to Mt Zero carpark then along the road back to Mt Hollow carpark Which was full of rock hopping, crawling, sliding, climbing which was all worth it for spectacular views and experience with great company.

This was going to be our turn around point, but we decided to do the full circuit which I'm glad I did.
We spent a little time here hunting around until we spotted the way in. It can so easily be walked passed with out ever knowing its there. Once at GZ we made a quick find and spent a little time enjoying the location. Log signed and replaced as found.

Thanks for the cache HGCore
#3,121

Nice find

I got a call from Jack83 asking what am I doing on Good Friday, my reply was family stuff, what about you Jacko, his reply was going on an awesome adventure, I soon forgot about those family plans and joined him.
We made our way here form The Wind Tunnel, and what a crazy adventure that way, lots of rock scrambling and rock hopping and jumping over a 20 meter gorge oh and did i mention jumping over a 20 meter gorge, now that was a crazy bit of fun making this an unforgettable experience, and one we wound have never experienced if not for caching, and finishing with an awesome spot.
Thanks HGcore for the fantastic adventure, a huge Favourite point headed your way.

Bucket list - TICK!

This cache has long been on my to do list since visiting the Wind Tunnel years back. I did that cache solo, and had haunted memories of that ledge. For years after I have tried to get people to come do the cache - always too far, or too sketchy. I wasn't keen at all to do it solo. I obtained a copy of 'Daywalks around Victoria' by Glenn Tempest - which had this walk as 'Stapylyon Ampitheatre'. It has it as Victorias best short hike, and noted leaping across a ravine as part of the trail. I spent nights reading logs and looking at Google Earth trying to work out the route. It vaguely made sense, however the logs didn't match up with the hike.

Fast forward to today. I have completed all of the Grampians Secrets series, minus the 1 archived cache. I have become a lot more experienced in off trail hiking and Grampians wilderness. I met up early with one half of The Tritonz in the AM and set off from the carpark. We made our way to the Wind Tunnel - much easier this time. From there it was in the wind caves, through the roof, up a scary as hell slope with no hand holds to the roof. From there it was a scramble across the ridgeline for 170 metres navigating sandstone. Then came the leap of faith - man that was hairy. Soon enough we were at GZ, and much much easier than I expected, no hanging off cliff faces. We signed both caches, and stopped and had lunch. From the previous logs, it appears half have done the route we have, the other from Mt Stapylton which would be a lot easier.

An epic adventure and a huge fave from me!

After completing the Grampians Secrets series, a massive thank you is needed from me to HGCORE. I have been taken to some absolutely epic locations, have tested my fears, fitness and abilities. I have been from the South, Central to North, tackling all kinds of terrain. Without HGCORE I wouldn't have found half these spots. I wish I could have found the info inside these caches how these places were found - these containers have unfortunately been muggled and ransacked over the years. May these caches live as long as the game, and consider me happy to help anytime with any maintenance requests.

Cheers and many thanks!

Jacko83

Found with Beaker

Third cache of the weekend. Found after heading up and over Mt Stayplton to Hollow Mountain.
What an adventure that turned out to be!! Took over 8 hours to complete the traverse as we couldn't locate the connector path between the two mountains. We met up with another few folks and together worked it out. An epic day with some rather hair raising moments thrown in for good measure!!
Found with Goitzy
Took Red Lizard TB LNSL
TFTC
TTFN
Beaker

What can I say? This one was the most intrepid (almost rites-of-passagey) cache or indeed quest I have encountered with caches to date. The terrifying wedged rock, the teasing window, the seemingly endless canyon... Eventually reaching it was a classic triumph over adversity tale. I loved it )
Found 20•3•2016

Wow, what a cache! Conquered the walk to Stapylton easy enough, then off to find the forgotten track.. The scariest part of this cache was the wedged Boulder and gaining the courage to jump onto it. Then there was the cache, staring, laughing at us! Took a little while to figure out how to retrieve it, including an email to the cache owner. Left looked impossible, right looked like there was no end. After some more hunting around right turned out to be right and soon enough the cache was in our hands. We found what looked like an old cache about 5m from the replaced cache, complete with logbook, bandage, tallyhos and some change. We weren't sure what the deal was with this so we left it next to the replaced cache. Took nothing, left a travel bug. Thanks for an amazing adventure and thanks for getting back to us quickly even though we ended up not needing help after all

Knew exactly where this one should be by the description. Found while on walk with friends - doing the Stapylton traverse. Always a great walk! TFTC

Day 2 of our ‘Grampians not Glampians’ weekend.

The Fading Four of Freddo, Malco!, Brad&Janet and I set about to conquer the North West, with no less than 3 summit assaults planned.This was cache 6 from 6.

The sun was high by the time we made our final assault and the temperature was nudging 30C. I suspected the last few 100m would be difficult but to my surprise everything went pretty smoothly all the way to the point where the GPS told us 9m to go.
A few discussions ensued but after reading the cache page we had a fair idea where the cache could be. Malco! was the first to step down and woo hoo! spotted the cache. Mission accomplished.

On the way down the heat was taking its toll though and both my Vastus Medialis started to cramp which made for a slightly uncomfortable descend. Still we got back down safely. 15km completed, lunch consumed and it was on to the bee hive falls and McKenzie falls.

Thanks again HGcore!

On a camping weekend with *Cache or Check*, Brad&Janet & Freddo.

Our earlier attempt to find the Forgotten Track was unsuccessful - we had forgotten that it was forgotten and tried to follow the arrows. After a bit of meandering, we went to Plan B which was to come in from the south. This was a much better plan with better arrows to follow.

We reach GZ and were a little fearful that the 8m final distance meant leaping across a fairly wide chasm. Reading some more of the hints calmed our fears and after a little bit of exploring a tiny glimpse of a container was spotted. Popped into the cave and easily retrieved the cache for the others to sign.

Having achieved our goals we descended back to our car and a well deserved lunch break.

Thanks for the cache, HGcore. Loved it!

Found on our big weekend caching trip involving the Little a Desert, the Arapiles, and the Grampians with Freddo, Malco!, and *Cache_or_Check*
Day 2
The first hike for the day involved three peak ascents, Mt Zero, Mt Hollow, and Mt Staplyton and 6 caches out of 6 attempts.
This was the last cache for the day. Unloved since March. 3rd climb of this walk.
And I can understand why.
I repeat from another cache from this trip - I am used to cache locations where a fall will kill you being rated as T5.
We got close after a fair bit of effort. Two of the group cramping intermittently.
As we arrived in the vicinity of GZ there was some discussion about whether we were on the correct side. I was close to an edge and identified a possible location. Malco! decided he could see a safe way to get there. He was correct and located the cache!
4 more names in a log and a cache that is off the unloved list at least for a while.
Time to struggle back down.
A 15.2 km round trip with thre peak ascents.
TNLNSL
TFTC HGcore

Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Another impressive cache location. Hard work got us there in the end. We tried to find the old north trail but our maps do not seem to agree with the current status of the track. Coords are spot on. Trust you GPSr. Remember gravity sucks.
-------------------------------------------------------------
This cache was found using a Garmin GPSr, Montana 650t, Oregon 550 or Dakota 20. Waypoints and paperless geocaching downloaded via GSAK 8.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Note that the area is currently closed due to bushfire damage.

Back in the Grampians after 12 years. On my first trip to Australia I drove to the Grampians for some walking, but I wanted to see the Great Ocean Road in the same weekend, so I did not spent a lot of time to really enjoy the forests.

Today its more relaxing, the weather is great and the Grampians still look great too!

This track was something I planned before leaving home, and I was very pleased we came to this 'unknown' part of the Grampians.

We parked and walked up the yellow markers, then the last part I did by my self. First I walked Mount Stapylton and then continued to the cache. Not easy indeed, but very rewarding.

I'll remember this one for some time! One of my favorites.

This entry was edited by geonauten on Thursday, 11 April 2013 at 01:12:15 UTC.

Found on a hike with the Bloo Rovers through the Grampians. I'd planned on doing the fortress circuit the weekend, however that was on fire, so I looked for a back up plan, and the forgotten track, then Mt Difficult it was.

We made it here without too much difficulty, and eventually got into the the cache, which turned out to be easier than expected. We enjoyed the great views on the way there, one of the most spectacular day walks I've done (all bit is really really scary and difficulty). We actually found 2 caches in the cave, so I made sure to sign both.

The 300 or so meters onto the wind tunnel were fantastic walking, but very, very hard to navigate, and I was rather worried for the group I was walking with. Only about 30m from the end we came to what appeared to be an impassable section, with drops I was unable to free climb in all directions. We were low on water, and it was rather hot, so I was getting pretty worried but eventually we found a way down. I taught my group a bit about free climbing on the way down, which they all seemed to enjoy.

All in all, a great cache, great views and a fun walk, just wish the weather god had been a bit nicer, and I had found a better way down.

Catching up on on a few hundred missed logs
Found with bucketeer
Thanks for the hunt

25/09/2012 11:57
What an adventure this was!
We set off from the Hollow Mountain car park and came up past the wind tunnel and scrabbled across the ridge to the cache. This was definitely the most challenging 'walk' I have ever done and made all the more difficult by having an 8 year old in tow. Luckily though she is fearless and loves climbing, but that didn't stop me from having several nervous moments as we negotiated some of the trickier more exposed sections. We finally got the cache and managed the find without too much trouble and headed off the summit of Mt Stapylton which I thought would be apiece of cake after where we'd just been but turned out to be a bit of a challenge as well.
Then it was the slog back to the car via flat rock and the Mt Zero picnic area, stopping for quite a while to watch climbers going up the Taipan wall.
In all just shy of a 9km round trip in just under 5 hours with plenty of stops to sit back and take in the majestic scenery, catch skinks and feed our faces. We all just loved it.
Many thanks.

Out and about with the gang for the weekend.. Today only took in 3 caches, they were each amazing though in their own ways.. We made our way accross this one directly from the Wind Tunnel, I don't recommend it for the faint harted.. although we possibly made it harder than we needed to.. We had a blast and really enjoyed each metre of the 480 odd m we travelled.. quite a bit of doubling back was required.. Fun to the max.. Thanks H G Core for the cache..

Uploaded a number of photos that take in our exciting trip.. and favourited.. it'll take a bit to top this one..

The weekend turned up about 40 caches for me, including the last required DT combo for my Project 81.. Thanks to the various owners along the way, and appologies for the generic copy and paste logging.. We mixed it up with quite a few multis and some really fun bushwalks into the Grampians to take in the stunning views.. Weather for the weekend was awesome. Cheers to the cache owners for the caches.. Find #2970 TFTC. Dipped various TB's and GC's to mark the occasion.

After finding the Wind Tunnel our group of 4 split into 2 with 2 of us driving around to the Mt Stapylton car park and 2 making their way over the top. I was in the first group and enjoyed the walk up to the top having previously done it at night in an unsuccessful attempt. By the time I got to the top I had dropped off the other member of my party and the other 2 had already found the cache. I could hear them and see them and they misguided me somewhat as to how I should get across to them. Eventually they joined us back near the top and we started heading down then realised that there was an easier way to get to the cache so we dashed back along the well trodden path that leaves the Mt Stapylton path just near the huge rock with 2 arrows. I was lucky because drjim7 hadn't read the cache notes very well and told me he had hidden the cache away a bit better so I hid it a little bit less well again. This is a great spot for a cache and despite the warnings that the last bit was a bit hairy it wasn't difficult to make the move. I have driven past these peaks so many times coming to work in Horsham a few times per year I so really happy to be up here exploring them at last. And I wasn't disappointed. TFTC.

Finding a route across from Grampians Secrets 3 was a tough challenge. Occasional cairns did little to help but satellite imagery was very helpful. Spladem and I walked over GZ before the hint led us back to the cool secret location. Someone has had a campfire up here. I wouldn't do that.

Got within 35m but as a solo adventurer decided not to make a particular move near the end. Maybe next time. Thanks for the challenge. I had never summated Stapylton before.

Great spot stumbled on it by chance apparently that track has been closed now since the mid 90's

I discovered this cave by looking at an EveryTrail map and saw a hiker/climber (DragonFrey) writing their comment in a geocache book??? I had no idea what it was at the time, but I was just keen to find a decent sized cave in the area to take my son and friends to. When we found it we discovered the geocache and then realized just what this is all about.
All I can say is that I'm glad I found it, because I love the grampians and finding new places there. Now I know more I'll be sure to plan my next visits to the Grampians via this site.
We searched the 8 level wind cave for Grampians Secrets 3 but were unsuccessful there sadly. Definately thrilled my 5 year old boy though, going on a treasure hunt. He's been climbing for a year now and loves it, but the thrill of doing it to find "treasure" has just heightened his desire now, Thanks!!!
Next person to find the geocache may like to lie down for a rest??!!??!! My son hid it!!!
P.S. After reading the other logs for this area, I thought it best to mention my son climbs the dangerous cliffs with a harness and rope, properly set up and belayed by me!!! (Responsible father here!)

All the best. ROCK ON!

This entry was edited by BearWeggs on Sunday, 21 November 2010 at 02:57:52.

This entry was edited by BearWeggs on Sunday, 21 November 2010 at 03:06:19.

This entry was edited by BearWeggs on Sunday, 21 November 2010 at 03:06:43.

Headed across from the Wind Tunnel. Forgotten Track indeed. I've done it numerous times in the past but still had to backtrack occasionally. Seems to be a lot fewer cairns than there used to be and certainly, any arrows that were there when I first went through in the 80's are no longer to be seen. The GPS took me right onto the spot and it was just a matter of working out the best way to access the cache, which I managed quite easily. Great little spot for it. It's in need on maintenance at the moment, as the lid is very cracked and will not last much longer. After signing the log, I completed the circuit, via Mt Zero and back to the Hollow Mountain carpark. Many thanks HGCore, for another enjoyable journey and a chance to rewind the clock.

Rob and I had read the cache notes and knew we were in for a challenge here.
We had left our car in the Mt Zero carpark so this was the second cache completed on our circuit.
Quite a warm climb up under the Taipan wall and then steepening up around the summit of Mt Stapylton.
I have walked up here a few times before so had some idea where we should best approach the cache from.
It was easy when we got close how the yawning chasm could come between you and the cache but we got lucky and in between wind gusts I carefully lowered myself into the cave.
The cache was wonderfully sited, taunting those not so lucky.
Thank you for placing these.
TNLN

We left the car at the Mt Zero carpark, after doing the warmup on Zero. Feathertop hadn't done the View or Daze, so we decided to make a loop of them all.
Loved the bird rock on the way up Stapylton, such an unlikely shape. Took a few photos of the residence lizard underneath.
Near the top, we had to battle through all the trees that have been blown down into the gorge. Forgotten track indeed!
We had arrived on the other side, and Feathertop scramble down to make the find.
Great views from here.
Thanks, Robmc.

found at 11.40 am
Aptly named, as it turned out.I haven't been here for quite some time and while I can remember most of this walk, the order seems to be jumbled up in my head.I found myself thinking "Is this the part that you jump over or the one with the log in it or the one you need to walk around or the one with the boulder jammed in it?"At one stage when I thought I had found the cache, I crossed the ravine to the spot only to find that it was still 25m away, over the next gully.Dissapointment was short lived as I could then see the cache itself from this point, now I had only to find a way to get there!Thankfully the last few feet were not as treacherous as they appeared and the cache was soon in hand.
If you are thinking of trying this one I would suggest a small pair of binoculars might be handy, and if you have the choice, don't do it on a wet day, like I did!
This track ( the Hollow Mountain - Mt Stapylton walk) is still the best "short" walk in Australia (Tyrone Thomas 1980) despite the fact some would rather it forgotten.If you think this is a tall order for a walk that only lasts a few hours, try it and see.Most old guide books describe this walk clockwise, but to follow the instructions given, and to view the cache as intended, it is best to travel anti clockwise, possibly because HG, as I do, thinks it is more impressive viewed this way.
Thanks HG for an excuse to jog my memory on the forgotten track.
TNLNSL
PS as another cacher has already said, if you need a guide I'm happy to help, any excuse!

Found with Dazz of Razz'l'Dazz'n'Co. and F&S who acted as our guides today having done the Hollow Mt to Stapylton traverse before. We started at the Hollow Mt carpark after dropping a bike at the Mt Zero carpark. We first climbed up to the top of Hollow Mt along the marked route just for the views and to explore the other caves up there and then we returned down to the Hollow Mt Block windcaves to find the first cache. Unfortunately/fortunately we didn't read the description until we had climbed too high along the ridge through the busy caves and decided it would be easier to come back with the kids for that bit another day. We continued up the ridge toward Stapylton which involved some scary exposed areas for the non climbers in our group and some route finding for the climbers. Once we crossed or bypassed a few bottomless ravines the rest of the traverse was easy going and we quickly closed the distance to gz. The new coordinates were very good and after a bit of a look around we found the easy route into the cave and quickly spotted the cache in the showcase. Excellent spot.

We then finished up the adventure by working our way across the ravines and up to the top of Stapylton for some amazing views. We came down the old walking track which was nearly as frightening as the traverse from Hollow Mt but easier to follow and then found the end of the offical track. On the way down we stopped in at our 10th cave of the day and then Frank noticed the ramp that we had climbed up earlier thereby showing us the shortcut we had come back around to. A few photos of bird rock, Taipan wall, and over flat rock and we were back at the bike a mere five hours after we had started with plenty of breaks for food and gawking included.

Thanks for the excellent cache.

Found this one again with our Friend, Dragonfreys along with F&S who guided us along. While I love the outdoors, hiking, hunting, caching and work on a daily basis in the Grampian's, this trek from Hollow Mountain along the ridge to the summit of Mount Stapylton definitely extended beyond my comfort zone in some areas, although I was glad to have done it. There are so many more examples of natures wonders along this route it would take a book to do it justice.
If you are going for this one and you are like me a little shy of hights and climbing experience, I strongly suggest you team with someone who has the experience to help you through. While it is not extreme climbing by any means there are plenty of spots were you could test your nerves or hurt yourself if you make a mistake. Certainly this walk should not be done alone! Also certain, this walk is not for small geo-cachers.
I am very grateful for the help and patience of F&S, of which if I didn't have, I doubt I would have completed this trek.
Thanks for the cache, helping to extend myself, and for taking me to this excellent place in the Grampians.

11:55
An intrepid team consisting of Acts2youthgroup, pprass, macamob, Ian & Penny and of course Phetlern set off to tackle the fourth in the Grampians Secrets series, having claimed Grampians Secrets 5 yesterday afternoon. Parking one vehicle at Hollow Mountain car park, in case we decided to do a round trip, we all set off from the Stapleton car park. Initial walking, although up hill across a rock face, was easy enough. The track then wound its way through pleasant undergrowth and then up another rock face to an interesting rock feature (see pics) where a rest break was taken. Onward and upward we progressed following the trail and climbing up through a crevice between the rocky outcrops and ridge lines. Having reached a saddle containing a camping area it was decided a scouting party should forge ahead to check out which rocky ridge we were on. Whoops, wrong one - we could see the cache on the next ridge to the north of the one we were on, so back to the saddle and with the help of a fallen tree up onto the rocky outcrop and then an easy walk down the rocky ridge to the vicinity of the cache. Pprass "volunteered" to extend himself and very quickly had the cache recovered. Another rewarding cache, and for those used to hiking the challenging section would be the recovery of the cache. Then a big decision had to be made, but to read more about that you will need to read the log for Grampians Secrets 3: The Wind Tunnel.

TNLN .. SL .. TFTH HGCore.
PS: Mr P is available as a guide for future cachers!






[This entry was edited by Phetlern on Friday, January 23, 2009 at 3:17:06 AM.]

Found at 11.55am GAFF3. Our 2nd cache of the Secrets series on “The Grampians Secrets group expedition weekendâ€. We were with a great group – Acts2youthgroup, Ian & Penny, maccamob and Phetlern. Started off at the Mt. Stapylton car park after Phetlern left their car at the Mt. Hollow car park, just in case some of us wanted to do the circuit walk. Headed off at a brisk pace and we were soon at our first rest stop near the foot of The Taipan wall watching some very courageous climbers way up the face! With some information provided to us by Alansee we then proceeded to find the short cut – and if that was the short cut we were sure glad we didn’t go the long way! There was a bit of confusion as to which ridge we were on, but in the end we were on the right ridge according to HGCore – that is the ridge that they intended cachers to first go on which is actually the wrong ridge – if you know what I mean. The cache was spotted from that ridge and then a relay message sent back to the others to stop where they were and go back to go on the right/wrong ridge. The cache was then quickly retrieved and it was amazing to see that a couple of muggles – one from Western Australia and the other from New York had recently found the cache on the same day.
What next took place was an interesting piece of group dynamics as we then split up. More on that in The Wind Tunnel!
Thanks HGCore – we enjoyed this cache the most out of the 5 we did.

Found by Mary & David at 1155, in company with pprass, Phetlern, Ian & Penny, and Acts2YG. After completing an Earthcache earlier this morning, it was down to the more serious terrain. As before, Mary and some of the other ladies decided to relax at camp. We'd all decided to pre-position a vehicle at the Hollow Mountain carpark in case we decided to attempt the two "Grampians Secrets" caches in a loop. We set off along the trail and took our first rest break at the top of the first climb while as some of the group detoured the short distance to log the "Taipan View" cache. Descending into a shallow valley, we then found ourselves walking through a lovely shady glade with a cool breeze to refresh us before the next climb. We rested briefly again Alansee's "Bird Rock", which some of our group thought looked more like a camel. From there we could see a group of three climbers on the taipan wall above us. Very impressed by the obvious skill of the lead climber, who was well above the other two. We also managed to spot a number of carabiners that previous climbers had left in situ. Following the track towards the top, we turned off towards GZ and found ourselves on the ridge next to GZ. Not long afterwards, pprass spotted the cache and we backtracked to a spot where we could cross over to the correct ridge. As had happened yesterday, pprass was the most daring and retrieved the cache, while the rest of the group rested nearby and took in the spectacular views. With the formalities done, and pprass safely back on flatter ground, the next decision was which way to go to get to Hollow Mountain. The route looked quite forbidding from where we sat, but pprass and Phetlern, after some further exploration, thought it could be done. In the end, David, Acts2YG and Penny opted to return to the car park while pprass, Phetlern and Ian went 'cross-country'. On the way down, we again saw the Taipan climbers, but now they were descending. Much easier abseiling down than climbing up! Our thanks again to HGCore for this challenge, and to the rest of the team for making it so enjoyable. We wouldn't have dared it alone.

This was the third cache of 5 for the day. This was a group effort, we had teamed up with pprass, Ian & Penny, maccamob and Phetlern to take on the Grampians Secret caches. As we parked in the car park below the area look familiar and then I remembered I had done the taipan cache near by, we stopped on our way up while some of the others made there way over to find it,the walk to GZ had lots to see and there were some crazy climbers going up a vertical rock wall, I wished we had some of there gear for these caches as I would have felt much safer. We arrived close to GZ and made a decision to take one ridge, it turned out to be the wrong one as we could see the cache but could not retrieve it from this ridge we back tracked and thanks to a fallen tree made our way up on to the correct ridge where we were soon above the cache, pprass once again went over the edge, I sure was nervous and was glad when he was back on top. Parting of the ways happened here, pprass was sure we could make it across country to the next one, I did not like our chances and mccamob agreed, so the others went cross country and we headed back the way we had come taking penny with us, check out #3 to find out what happened next. My thanks to HGCore for the cache.

1st find of the day and 1742nd total find

We're doing a 'Grampians Secrets' cache raid with pprass, maccamob, Acts2 pheltern & this cache was our second in the series. We made our approach, as intended, from the picnic area and travelled to the top via Taipan Views. Whilst it wasn't an easy trip it wasn't too difficult for us either, although Penny wasn't too sure during the latter part of the trip. Initially we traversed the wrong ridge, but that was soon corrected when the cache was spotted from the other side.The view from the top is really spectacular, & pprass was the one to have the cache in hand first - it must be something to do with his long legs.

From here, our group split in two: ian, pprass & pheltern decided to do the short distance ove rthe top to the wind tunnel, whilst penny, maccamob and Acts2 decided to return to the car park and attempt it via the traditional (intended) route.

Took: Nothing
Left: Screwdriver
Thanks HGCore for the cache.
Ian and Penny

The trickiest cache so far but the views are great

After a failure at #3, and Alansee's DNF, I wondered what my chances were. Still,even if I didn't find it, it would be an enjoyable walk with some spectacular views. It would be worth it find or no find.

I followed the path to the top, passing some school kids near the top. At the top, there were even more kids, so I just kept on moving, following the instructions provided. I crossed the first crack without difficulty, but once at the 2nd, I realised why it was 4 1/2 Star terrain level and not just 4.

I dumped my backpack and gear at this point, and then headed off for a reconnoitre, looking for a possible crossing point. There were some dangerous possiblilities, but I wouldn't have been able to get back. However, persistance paid off and I was able to make it to GZ and grab the cache. Thankfully, there were no previous finders and I happily claimed the First to Find.

In finding my way to GZ, I also found the quick way back. I think HGCore is purposely giving us instructions to get to GZ via a challenging and spectacular route. This was noticed when I did #2. There is a very easy way to GZ. If you would like to know it, please phone or email me.

This type of cache is the sort I really like. It has a great walk, requires some effort and rewards you with some spectacular views. Thanks to HGCore for this entire series of caches. I've attempted 4 and found 3. Will I attempt #5? We'll have to see.

PS I took the travel bug.

Well this is the first cache that I could actually see but couldn't work out how to get at it. (so near yet so very very far!) All a bit exposed for me in places. That balancing rock near GZ (across the first chasm) is amazing.
Don't even think about this one in the wet!

** Coordinates Changed From **
S 36° 53.747 E 142° 23.189
Distance From Old: 11.4 feet
Visited the cache today and got a (hopefully) better coordinate reading. No log entries yet, so looks like nobody has found this one, even accidentally.

Well, I didn't expect this one to be easy! Having been to this mount several times I knew it was full of surprises. By sheer coincidence a visit with my bushwalking club coincided with this cache. Having arrived from a third direction (down the valley) I decided to take the short cut. I very pleasingly got to gz fairly quickly and then it went haywire. From the information, I had to get across a deep chasm, which I duly did after a side trip of 2-300 metres. I then had another chasm, lots and lots of possible hiding places, and a GPS which was putting me on the other side of the first chasm, somewhat at odds with the information. I spent a half hour looking in all sorts of places and in the end had to return to the group before they got too anxious. Hopefully the next searcher will have better luck.

Published

The High Lizzard travel bug started its life in this cache.