Stony Creek Damn Wall (Australia's first) Steiglitz, Victoria, Australia
By Jacko83 on 29-Apr-15. Waypoint GC5TF01

Hiked in to the dam wall and started searching the rusty machinery straight ahead. Found an empty snap lock container so was disappointed no log was in there to sign. When I checked the map again I realised this was not where it was hiding. This snap lock is a good decoy whether intended or not. Got to the actual locational and found quickly.

Quick find if u look in the right spot. Beautiful walk. Saw three snakes coming out of hibernation

Found it! FLL.

Wow that was a rough walk but we didn't exactly take the track fully. We were sceptical such a place could hold such a prestigious dam. Such a beautiful place. We wer celebrating my muggle mother's birthday. We decided to take a walk and decided to collect this one on the way tftc

Mr 3 found this one nice and quick. Good view of ressie wall.

This was an easy walk from the picnic ground and we enjoyed discovering the reservoir as well as some wildlife along the way. Bit out of practice with the geocache technique, but got there in the end. Tftc

Beautiful location all around on an overcast/rainy day, first time in this area (at least within my memory).
Started the Ted Errey Nature Circuit from Anakie Gorge carpark.
Quick find here. Nice quiet reservoir (ignoring the occasional traffic noises from nearby road) - and all the quieter because I saw no one at all on the entire circuit.
Interesting info about construction etc. here.

Thanks for the cache.

Great peaceful location with an easy find at a disused gate.

Lovely walk to find this easy one.

I have been here before however upon checking I found that it wasn't through caching. An easy find today, thanks Jacko83.

Nice little hike out here today.
Cache is all in good condition.
Soon found it and had it back in its hiding place.
TFTC

We left our gps at home but luckily the clue helped us out and we were able to find the cache. Nice walk on a sunny day SL TFTC

This was a great cache we were puzzled for a bit but then we found the rock.

Good find.

Thanks so much Shumba for the log change.

Tftc. Found hiking the Anakie gorge during the day. Quick find.

Will get to this one shortly.

Great view here! Found on a sunny afternoon walk with our borrowed geo kid twins.

Walked from the picnic ground up to look at the reservoir. Found the cache although the log is a small wet ball of mush. Sorry didn’t have a replacement with me. Thanks for placing this hide

Unfortunately the log needs replacing

Re-enabled at request of CO.

Disabled at the request of the CO, for the duration of the Covid-19 crisis.

Found the cache quickly, log is practically non existent so needs repair. Tftc

Log needs replacing

Nice quick find. I was not prepared with a pen, but it wouldn’t have helped if I was as the log sheet is a sodden mess.

Interesting spot.

Thanks for bringing me here

Started raining and getting hungry - will get you next time

I've spent a bit of time working in Warrnambool lately, and each return trip (when my time is my own) warrants a diversion for caching.
Walked here from the nearby picnic spot for a quick find. I'm always surprised by this level of infrastructure to be found in such out of the way locations..

A beautiful day out in the Brisbane Ranges to with Ausfox; and Neville_devil. After Neville had had an indecent taking a blow to the head from a large rock Ausfox; and myself were keeping a close eye on him during the walk along the wonderful trails.
Late in the day and of course the last couple of caches were not on as flat terrain as the earlier ones we had done. But still it wasn't too and we were up the hill and searching for the cache. The GPS took us on a bit of a dance if only we had read the hint we wouldn't have wasted the couple of minutes looking in the wrong spot.
Considering how long ago this Damn was built it is holding up pretty good.
Thank you Jacko83 for bringing us here.

It's great to see something that held great significance when it was built and the first of its kind in Australia but unfortunately is now hidden away in the bush.
With the sightseeing out the way, the cache was discovered.
Log signed and replaced as found.

Thanks for the cache Jacko83
#2,277

Nice find

Out with the Geokids.. TFTC

Found on our walk along the Ted Errey nature circuit. Lots of interesting history to discover. My partner was the first to discover this well placed cache.
"You mean you can buy these things?" she asked. "Clever."
Thanks for bringing us here. I learned quite a bit and enjoyed the search.
Thanks and cheers!

Made a short detour to see the reservoir to notice there was a geocache close by. Thank goodness I could get a bit of connection to the internet near the bench. Really liked the container. Almost missed it. Tftc

Found with georocks101. After reaching the bottom of the dam we realised we couldn't access the cache from here so had to backtrack a bit. Once at the right place cache was found quickly, nice container and nice view! Thanks Jacko83

Found with JelenaGreenleaf. Very frustrating to see what we were on the 'wrong' side and couldnt just take the 'shortcut'... easy find once we reached GZ. Tftc!

I walked with PacGirl from the Anakie Gorge picnic ground to the dam wall - a wonderful stroll on a clear sunny day. I was still 50m from the cache and tried a short-cut when I realized this wasn't a T5. So we backtracked a little and soon were at GZ seeing the dam from a different perspective.
With accurate co-ords and a good hint it was a quick find.
Thanks, Jacko.

On a wander around the Ted Errey Nature Circuit in a clockwise direction. Well not exactly the Ted Errey Nature Circuit now, but had to do the short detour to grab this one. We must say, thanks, we have learnt a little bit more of our backyard. First concrete dam in Australia and 3rd in the world. We climbed out of the base and traveled across where you shouldn't. It was a different perspective.

Thanks Jacko for this cache and bringing us to this spot. Fav for us.

Found by Team Justice #1457

A day trip out to the Brisbane Ranges was the plan. We expected it to be chilly, but we did not expect the shrieking gales that came close to blowing us off the ridgelines of the ranges throughout the day and the passing drizzle-patches. However, in spite of the weather, we had a great day and visited some excellent caches. A big plus, was that any snakes worth their salt would be shivering away under their rocks.

Having completed the main targets for the day at the end of the rainbow over yonder, I checked the map and found this one that sounded interesting. We parked up at the picnic area and off we set, following the creek. A while later, out we popped to be suprised by the sudden appearance of the wall.

We admired the structure, before realising that we'd made a mistake..yep..50m horizontally thataway..a scramble later, puffing and panting, we arrived at GZ and made the quick find.

Really enjoyed the history and the walk and the fact we barely saw a person all day, although I'm sure that's not always the case.

Thanks for the cache Jacko83 and highlighting yet another hidden gem.

Out and about with the bushwalking club in the Anakie gorge picking up a few caches on the way.
Having a group of 15 people with you does limit what you can get, but we did what we could without too many problems.
This one seemed to impress the crowd.
TFTC

So... if you don't read the cache description carefully, and you don't check the clue before you go, and you just take co-ords for your GPS written on a piece of paper, you can't blame anyone but yourself when it all goes wrong. There's a fantastic little hiding spot about 6m W of the real GZ that looks quite convincing as a cache spot, and the GPS was quite insistent that I walk further up the hill. Oh well... the view was nice, and I was quite surprised at the location, as I helped SueHut find one on the other side of the dam a couple of years ago. I'll know better for next time. Thanks heaps, Jacko!

A sneaky cache. I visited this place as a muggle a few years ago and the Dam was full of water, Its Practically dry now. First time I have seen this type of cache in my short caching career. Great hide and great spot to visit. TFTC.

Walking the Burchell Trail with friends. The clue didn't leave much doubt as to the location, but the camo was great - very natural looking! When it came to signing the log, I found my trusty pen was missing, and neither of my friends had either pen or pencil. (Might have to visit this one again with a writing implement!) As luck would have it, a passing tourist wandered past, and had amongst his stuff a tiny pencil which he lent to me. Whew! Very nice location and hide. I had not seen the dam empty before. It looks a bit sad with only mud and a few pools. I hope the Parks people can do something interesting and useful with it in future.

Wonderful walk to GZ. The uphill parts got some blood pumping; showing me how unfit I currently am, a journey of a 1000 steps and all that
In any event although this was technically my 400th find you'll understand if I bestowed that honour on the FlightA127 Wherigo.
I even used the same methodology and tool that you used Jacko (and credit you appropriately in my log) so I'm going to take the opportunity to thank you here as well.
This particular cache took longer than I wanted primarily because a group of teens was on the opposite bank kicking stuff(?) into the water and I didn't want to give GZ away, especially as this cache needs more visits!
Thanks for the history lesson and the walk.

After the local Flash Mob Event in town and managing to get ourselves out of "the Escape Room" we headed out to The Brisbane Ranges to pick up the 2 new caches out here, despite the miserable weather. As we headed back towards town we made a late decision to inspect the Dam wall and locate this cache. With its impressive history its a pity there isn't any water still here , only what looks like some very green algae. Thanks Jacko83 for showing us this structure as we had no idea it was here.

Found today at the end of a drive through the Brisbane Ranges... What a bit of history!!! Left mini scissors and 'Scruff' mini Thomas engine. Took tree and thunderball figure. TFTC!

## This isn't the Victorian High Country !!!! ##

We were supposed to be joining friends at Craig's Hut today before venturing deeper in to the Alpine Region. Unfortunately when switching the camping fridge from 240v to 12v it decided it did not want to play the game. With next to no shops open there was no chance of a quick fix so we had 24hrs up our sleeves; what to do? Go caching of course!

Today has proven to be an outstanding one weather wise to go caching. We arrived at the popular picnic ground just before lunch so decided to collect this cache before consuming our sustenance. A quick find to geoP whilst geoD still had his nose buried in the GPSr.

TNLN SL TFTC

Brilliant walk!! With Abrahamwilliam!!

took the low way and then the highway which was again the wrong way, after skirting the dam and crossing the mud patch of despair we were 5 m off GZ then a read of the clue made things a bit better .
now its my time to have a winge. . The cache was found with no log, so i happily replaced the log with a spare log sheet that i always carry. why can't other geocachers do this?? i just think it is rude, they are happy to take from the game but not give anything in return... sorry for the moan

Thank you. Excellent find overlooking a dry dry reservoir. Lovely summer day

11:49
A Friday spent in the beautiful Brisbane Ranges, gave us the opportunity to visit this amazing historical site. Finding the cache probably took us longer than it should have! Yes Dog-gone, it is still there waiting for you to sign.

[u]Feedback to CO[/u]: The current log is all but full - future seekers would appreciate space to record their visit. Sorry we didn't have a temporary one with us.

Our thanks to Jacko83 for bringing us here.
13742

Found on a walk up the Anakie Gorge and around the Ted Errery Circuit. It was my first time walking the Anakie Gorge and it was perfect weather, great day to be out on the trail finding some easy caches.

Quick and easy find
Cache was not exactly what I was looking for, but I still found it nevertheless!

Log page is almost full

Thanks for bringing me here
TFTC

Oh Dear. Another dnf.
A great walk from bottom car park with the kids and the dog.
Thanks for bringing us here Jacko83.
A nice day out.
Unfortunately we couldn't find the cache. We did take a photo of GZ though.
Cheers
21/06/2015 13:39 Find #1114

On scout camp and stumbled on this cache, nice surprise after a hard couple of days hiking

This was a comedy of errors for me.
Having trusted my escort to get me here I wondered about my ability to scale the dam wall. OK there was a creek crossing that was easily managed but the cliffs - not so sure.
Bogonghazy took off like a mountain goat and encouraged me to do the same. I baulked a little and sent him ahead while I scrambled back down to safety. Bottom gear is always a good fall back.
Of course there is an easier way - one I should have known about as I have walked here a few years ago with the bushwalking club. I enjoyed revisiting the dam wall and all its history .
In the end both B and I walked along the road just to keep me happy. I searched for the cache before we came back down to complete the circuit.
Won't forget this place in a hurry.
TFTC Jacko83

This entry was edited by 6Hinemoa2 on Tuesday, 19 May 2015 at 08:40:36 UTC.

This entry was edited by 6Hinemoa2 on Saturday, 06 June 2015 at 09:15:07 UTC.

Decided it was far too long between visits to this great area , and a phonecall from 6Hinemoa2 prompted me into action. She kindly had the driving duties today, and although the persistant rain got heavier the closer we got to the park, we knew it wouldn't dampen our enthusiasm.
This was the third for us, and we really made hard work of it after walking to the base of the wall, and thinking we had to scramble up the steep bank to get to it. It was only AFTER we made the find and descended, that we realised the road was possibly a slightly easier option. When will we learn??? LOL
Thanks again Jacko83, never need much of an excuse to head out bush for a cache or two, and nice to share the day with a genuine caring friend.

Having been to this part of the world several times before, I knew roughly what terrain I would be facing to do this series. I also knew my knee wouldn't survive an entire loop of the track, so with Geohubby and the boys in tow (the Geomonkey was at home slaving over the finer points of an English analysis ) I planned the route of least resistance.
After hobbling my way to another nearby cache and back, I was very keen to get to this guy, not only for the smiley, but because I have long wanted to see this dam which has been the subject of one of my previous blog posts. Despite having been to this part of the world several times before, somehow I never managed to find the way to the dam. Thanks to this cache placement, I now know the way . I also now know what elevation I needed to be at and it was not where we checked initially . We corrected our mistake and Geohubby was the first to lay hands on the cache.
I signed the er...interesting log sheet and after investigating the area from above and below and in between as well, we headed for home with a total of five smileys for the day and a swag of photos. Like others, I was surprised by the lack of water, however perhaps it is not surprising as the pipe which flows from the dam is no longer used to carry water to Geelong.
Thanks Jacko83 for the cache, a fun afternoon of caching and for showing me how to get to to this very important part of Geelong's water history. A favourite from me !

Today we were walking in the Steiglitz Historic Park and the Brisbane Ranges areas. On the way back to Geelong, we decided to briefly go down Switch Road and check out one of the recently published caches - just a taster for an extensive round of the Ted Errey Circuit. Soon after we arrived at the Stony Creek Picnic area, a convoy of muggles arrived and crowded the lunch area. So, off we took, cleaned our boots at the cleaning station, crossed the meandering creek a few times and soon arrived at GZ - muggle free. We found the dam and were quite surprised how low the water levels are and a trickle being allowed to flow through the pipe.
We took in the views, wondered about the buoys out of water, took a few photos and went on to find the clever hide. Hmm, certainly a minimalist log sheet. Now we see that we were not the first ones to be surprised by that. Pity we were not carrying a spare.
This is a good hide, which suss made a bit harder for herself by not checking the D/T rating and climbing to a beckoning cavity before settling for the obvious area.
Thank you Jacko83 for showing us this great place!

Continuing my wet and wild adventure this morning, this was my fourth stop. Like the previous post mentioned, there is a temporary sign stating a track closure. I don't think it mentioned which track exactly, ( it may have in the fine print ) but seeing as I was about 200 metres from my destination, I wasn't turning back now !! There wasn't a problem with track on the way to GZ, so I'm not sure. [?] [?] There is certainly some interesting history attached to the wall, who would have known !! Pretty dry catchment area though, I thought there might have been a bit more water. A short search and I added my name to the log. TFTC Jacko83

we came in from the stony creek picnic area only to find a sign saying the track was blocked off. i am sure there is another way in but we were doing the circuit and running out of time thanks though

Found 8/5/15 @ 11:25.
After getting to the end of the Ted Errey walk I saw this cache on the map and decided 'it's only another 500m, I have time to do this and still get home in time for work'. Up another hill I didn't actually realize this was a new release cache when I headed this was and was quite surprised to find only Michaels name in the look book. Love the view from here too - ot would be awesome to come back when there's water in the dam.

[^] [^] First to Find [^] [^]

[red]Find #2358 Traditional #1949 [/red]

I saw these come up this morning and lucky me, no work til later today. We took one little Na'wal to kinder along with the next door neighbour and hoped that this wouldn't have been found yet. We passed a car parked just up the road from the picnic area and joked in the car that it was probably thePacman. It was We had a chat to him and as he was happy to go the other direction, we went for this one. He was good enough to have another set of coordinates that I didn't have for the second find. Luck was on our side. I have been here a few times but had no idea of the dam wall. What an amazing bit of history. I couldn't believe that this type of wall was only the 3rd built in the world. We were looking for something else before I spotted the clever container. I opened it up to find a resealable bag but no log. Lucky we had some scrap paper with us. Signed my scrap bit of paper and returned as found.

[blue]Thanks for this traditional cache hide, Jacko83-. [^]
Container was in good condition, placed a log as none in container.
Took Nothing, Left Nothing [/blue]

This entry was edited by Na'wal on Friday, 08 May 2015 at 01:41:49 UTC.

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