The Robert Menzies Spire Jeparit, Victoria, Australia
By tassietan on 18-Feb-23. Waypoint GC9P8PZ

We are on our way back over to the West for a friends memorial service but this trip we are taking our time , enjoying the drive and picking up a few caches and taking in the scenery. We are mainly concentrating on Ad Labs, Earth caches and Virtual's as these don't give you any muggle problems. Of course there will be others in between.There was a bit of information at gz and quite an interesting structure.After reading the history of this spire we thought that we should come and do this cache as we hadn't heard of it before.We were fortunate that we had already taken a photo of something we enjoy visiting in most towns and this was the soldiers memorial as there is always a lot of history involved.We attached a picture of Mrs Crackers under the spire and we are already to log.Thanks tassietan for setting this virtual up..

Found. What a lovely idea at the school also

Near GZ was a small monument about the attempt to burn down a church. Also nearby was a tree containing bra's. Was this a time of debauchery?

What a great monument to a former Prime minister. Doesn't matter which way you vote, you have to admit this town has done this man proud. From the parks, to the spire and more. Not sure what the go with this tree was, but apparently it needed some, er, extra support.....

Logging requirement for this Virtual GC9P8PZWe visited the site of Menzies spire tower this morning and took the first obligatory photo, soon followed by the second o light in a yoboboooo NThis virtual cache has been created to showcase a little known town in north-western Victoria by highlighting it's most famous resident. But surely Jeparit must have other interesting features?In order to log this cache you will need to complete 2 photographic tasks.1. Take a photo of yourself, your GPS or some identifying object with the WHOLE spire (including the thistle) in the background. Include the photo with your log (but if you are unable to post 2 photos on your log, send this photo to the CO via Geocaching messages in order to prove your actual presence at the spire).2. Take a photo of some other interesting feature or item in Jeparit. Let your imagination go wild! It could be a tourist attraction, event, building, activity, vehicle, machinery, natural feature, person, animal or even a sign - the more interesting, creative or quirky the better! Include the photo and a description in your log, explaining what the photo is of and why you chose it. Please note: in accordance with the rules for virtual caches, logs without the above mentioned requirements will be deleted.

13587 Located by baby&Mrs gopher at 1130.Always learning about our history and those people that were a big part of the development of this nation of Australia. This spire was some neither of us knew anything about. The photo of the Lodge 387 building gave us the impression of a building that had a grumpy face. Tnx tassietan for your virtual

Walking around on my own...

Very interesting, I had never taken any notice what that tall thing was and why it was there, now I know. Thanks for this great history lesson

Apologies for delayed log. Logging with permission. frmen1 and I went for a post dinner drive and found ourselves in Jeparit. Found some interesting 'memorials' near the toilet block before heading to the spire. With the sun setting, it took several goes to get a semi-decent pic (squinting, missing entire faces, cutting the top off the spire). There was an interesting house with garden decorations that has had us intrigued for quite a while. Thanks to CO for highlighting this memorial. Now to come back at night...

Thanks a lot for the virtual cache. Did it with tassie expat on a beautiful summers evening and enjoyed the drive around.

Found this virtual cache will out with Miss 12. Took a lovely walk around the town and visited the Robert Menzies Park - disappointed that the chess game is not an actual game. A friendly little town and loved how the decorate for Christmas. Collected this and a few others before heading back to camp at Lake Hindmarsh.

Thanks tim_amy for your photo of the spire (sent via geo messaging). Looks like you had a nice time in Jeparit.

TFTC tassietan your cache The Robert Menzies Spire that we found today we made our way south for Christmas. WWE camped overnight at Lake Lascelles, Hopetoun. A lovely spot by the lake. We decided to stay a second night so today we could finish of the Silo Art Trail we started yesterday as well as some other caches in the Rainbow and Jeparit area. A lovely few hours in the sunshine. A good excuse to give the geo-car a good run. All caches attempted were found in good order.We are both of the age to remember Bob Menzies and his stellar career.Stopped for the first photo and then stopped at the park opposite the hotel to take the second shot.Find Count: 17317

Some history I never knew about this town, it was great to drive around and check out what is on offer which isnt much but a lot of history hereThis week I decided to head to Victoria for a few days to target finishing off the Ballarat Geotour and also find the new series in St Arnaud, anything else was a bonus. I ended up finding a little over 300 caches plus a tonne of ad labs along the way. Thanks for the cache

Heading to the free camp in Rainbow for the night we made our way to this virtual to complete the task. Once the first photo was taken we headed to a place where we stop on our way through Jeparit on every trip to Wyperfeld NP which is a fun, interesting location. Photos added with one half of the team posing as usual Thanks tassietan for the virtual placement.

Find # 13084Off on a full days solo Caching adventure around the Western Vic area.I've had a half baked plan around the area and it was time to go for it. Horsham, Dimboola, Jeparit, Rainbow and then follow a Silos Art Ad Lab heading home.A great (top of) 20deg day, to be out n about. With a bit of wind to kick the dust n sand up. Wow only 1 cache here in Jeparit. Well a quick snap of the spire and then a drive around town for a nosey-parker. yep I just love a full size cut out sign...Simply and effective. TFTC tassietan

Found by The Empire + HLeaving the picturesque town of Murray Bridge behind, we set our sights on the next leg of our journey: the scenic drive to Halls Gap. The road stretched out before us, winding its way through the heart of South Australia's countryside, and we couldn't wait to see what adventures lay ahead.Driving through Jeparit was like a journey through a quintessential Australian town, filled with charm and character. As we approached this rural community, we couldn't help but notice the warm and welcoming atmosphere that enveloped the place.As we approached the spire, its gleaming stainless steel structure soared into the sky. It was a modern and artistic tribute to a historical figure, standing out in the cityscape as a symbol of Sir Robert Menzies' enduring impact on the nation.The spire's design was both elegant and contemporary, with sleek lines that seemed to reach for the heavens. Its reflective surface captured the play of light and shadow, creating a captivating visual display as the sun's rays danced upon it. We couldn't help but pause and admire the craftsmanship that had gone into creating this remarkable piece of public art.We really enjoyed the Showgrounds next door - the poultry shed looked like a place that would be the place to be at the show! Imagine a picturesque scene at the Jeparit Showgrounds, where the world slows down, and you step into the rustic poultry shed. As you close your eyes, you can almost hear the gentle clucking and the rhythmic cooing of the birds. Sunlight filters through the shed's windows, casting a warm glow over rows of pens and cages, each a small world of feathered residents.Outside, the Jeparit Show is in full swing, with families enjoying carnival rides, admiring arts and crafts displays, and savoring the delectable offerings from food stalls. The community gathers to celebrate shared interests and showcase their talents, creating a vibrant and heartwarming atmosphere. Thanks for the virtual cache tassietan.- MVirtual #219@empiregeocaching

Thanks never knew this spire was here!

Our interesting place

Found on my Broken Hill trip. I’ve never been here before and didn’t know it was Robert Menzies birth place.

Day 2 of our initial "grey Nomads" trip heading north for 4 months. Left Echuca yesterday, but the journey we took already had smilies from previous trips. We hadn't been this far west, and we wanted to tick off a couple of LGA's as well, as well as another point on the Silo Art AdLab. Camped at Beulah overnight and continuing on from there.

A quick grab of a photo before any traffic came down the street.

Our quirky photo is the local supermarket. Geohubby was after a salad roll for lunch and my eagle eye spotted the "cafe" sign. As with small communities, businesses need to reinvent themselves, and this supermarket caters for everything including groceries, takeaway, alcohol and DVD hire for $3 per week - what a bargain.


TFT Virtual TB's visited

Found while in town heading up towards Brentwood where our youngest is currently busy cropping on a family farm and after a weekend of hanging out in Horsham it was time to drop him off to work again. He is also playing footy for the local team, Jeparit Rainbow so this one is close to one of his home grounds, that’s right four home games in J and four in R. Different way of doing things but it seems to work considering half the team is generally in and around one town or the other. So we swing past this morning and grabbed the required pics. Thanks for the information of this monument and this remarkable local figure.

Lots of great info. I liked Robert Menzies. Fine with Sarge5556 tftv.

Photos logged by jeffner5556, a bit of history with jeffner5556.

TFTC Thank you for bringing us here. You have shown us a new place and have helped make geocaching an enjoyable activity.

A thistle on a stick. Awesome. This was pointed out by the women in the Dimmy library. Menzies loved chess. They got the chess set out and wanted us all to play. See pic

Great monument to Menzies. I love the Yalumba Menzies wine- yum. Next time I crack one of those I’ll think of the thistle!

Note interesting pic is the way to the Showgrounds.

Better still is the statue of a women. Pic.

Found out and about during a quick trip to the southern deserts where the stars shine so bright!

Thanks tassietan and clear skies from TeamAstro. ️ Cache the planet!

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SA’s Leap Year Event - GCA1DNA - keep the date free - 29th February 2024. Keep looking up!

Great to see influential people coming out of small towns. Was told about the thistle on a stick by the librarians in Dimboola,told them that’s where we were headed. They also told us about the war memorial statue depicting a woman, so have attached that as quite rare to see Please find attached photos.

We visited Jeparit on our way to South Australia.
What an interesting structure and very quirky memorial for a significant politician!
The light wasn't good for the spire pic, unfortunately.
Spotted this lovely mural when making use of the amenities in the Robert Menzies Memorial Park.
Thanks tassietan for a very interesting virtual. Earns a fav.

A quick stop by here on the road up to Wyperfeld. Aside from the local settler history, saw a lot of Aboriginal artefacts on the drive however didn't get a chance to stop. I really do find these little towns interesting, and wonder if at times they ever thrive. Thanks for the interesting highlight!

A find of a virtual in a small Victorian town. TFTC

I visited this Virtual cache as I made my way back to Adelaide after attending the Mega Event at Rutherglen over Easter.

It had been a miserable, rainy, blowy sort of day yesterday, but at least the rain stopped when I got here and I was able to find a campsite with a bit of wind protection down by the river (although the midges were a bit keen!).

I visited the spire (which I thought looked rather out of place) late in the afternoon when I arrived, then checked the town out a bit more in the morning. I was impressed by the rather grand CFA fire station and also by the local sense of humour (I don’t think they were serious??) with the ‘Opening Soon’ sign scrawled across one of the decaying old shop buildings in the main street., i suspect this place has seen better times.

Thanks tassietan for the cache. A favourite point from me for a nice straightforward Virtual cache with a simple logging requirement.

After staying with family in Adelaide, we are heading back to catch the Spirit of Tasmania to head home. Rather than take a direct route, we detoured many times. One of the detours was to Jeparit to meet the requirements for this cache. Two photos are included with this log: the column with the thistle; and something interesting.

As we drove around Jeparit we passed a very ornately decorated front fence with a range of three dimensional images. As we stood there looking at this creations, we realised that part of the front fence consisted of nesting boxes with chickens inside. It was certainly a very unusual and memorable front fence.

Thanks tassietan for this virtual cache.

##Published - thanks for contributing to Geocaching with this Listing.##

>***The next MEGA Event for Victoria is at Rutherglen - read all about it at these links: [The Rutherglen Event - GC9MH9M](https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC9MH9M) and [Geocaching Victoria](https://geocachingvictoria.com.au/rutherglen-easter-2023/events/)***

We were scouting the geocaching map looking for places to go to and this cache popped up. We have been to this lovely town several time for caching and enjoy the feel of the town.
We choose the letter box because we felt that it was novel and different.

Congratulations muff1 on your FTF. A very novel letterbox ... it would be lovely to spot a real koala in Jeparit!