SMA0060 TS5346 Sawpit Creek, New South Wales, Australia
By
No Tomorrow on 11-Dec-20. Waypoint TP13161
Cache Details
Difficulty: | |
Terrain: | |
Type: | TrigPoint |
Container: | Other |
Coordinates: | S36° 21.442' E148° 34.562' (WGS 84) |
55H 641405E 5975260N (UTM) | |
Elevation: | 1285 m |
Local Government Area: | Snowy Monaro |
Description
A Trig Point is a virtual cache which requires a cacher to locate the Trigonometric Station at GZ.
This is a Trig cache. It is a virtual cache. There are no physical geocache containers with logbooks or swap items here.
So what exactly is a Trig?
"Trig" is the abreviation of Trigonometric Station/Point. They are, or in most cases were, used by surveyors to create accurate maps of the area. Trigonometric Stations are named as such because trigonometry calculations are used to map out the location.
Over time there have been various mapping methods some of which were a little innacurate. Over the last 100 or so years Trigs have proved to be a fairly accurate tool when surveying. More recently though, technology has proved much more reliable. However, if technology suddenly failed forever and all maps went up in flames with it, we would have a great network of Trigs to start over with as seen in THIS MAP.
The locations, aka points or stations, where the surveyors made these calculations from were saved for future surveying using markers. These markers were meant to be permanent, however people have changed the landsape through things like farming and town growth and development meaning some of these markers have been removed. Luckily with the use of satelites and other amazing technology the older markers are pretty much unnecessary for surveying now. But they are great historical markers and fun to find, especially if left long forgotten in the middle of the bush like buried treasure. The long list of trigs on Geocachign Australia will help you find these Trigs.
Across Australia and New Zealand you can find a number of different styles of Trigs. Commonly they consist of a copper pin hammered into the ground or embedded in a concrete pillar with a stand and vane of some shape above it making it easier to find from long distances like other nearby Trigs. A few examples are in the images below:
[Image seen only is web browser, not in apps]
Trig points are generally located at the top of hills or points of prominence in the landscape. Many provide unique views and challenges, with some being difficult to get to. Accessing these Trigs is at your own risk. Please respect local laws and regulations when searching for trig points. If on private property, always seek permission to visit the Trig beforehand. If you think this trig listing should be archived because it is inaccessible, no longer exists, or is in a dangerous location, please log a 'Needs Archiving' log with explaination.
To log this trig as found, take a photo of the Trig with yourself or your GPS or something that represents yourself and proves you were there. Upload the photo with your found log. Other photos of the trig or area are always welcome.
If you can add information to this trig listing, such as access instructions or interesting facts, please add it at the botom of this description. All GCA members can use 'Edit this Cache' to add these details.
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Location sourced from maps.six.nsw.gov.au
Nothing to note from the spacial sketch, except that the last person to check it in 1980 couldn't be bothered checking it at all.
This will require wandering through the scrub up the hill as there is no path to the trig station.
Logs
I actually started my day not wanting to go anywhere or do anything because my legs were so sore. But then I decided I'd go for a short stroll. This and another nearby trig I'd spotted on Six Maps were in the back of my mind... okay not so far back. haha. I've learnt something about myself over the last 10 years of geocaching - I might start out with a small walk, but I'll most probably find something else to look at, and then something else, and so on. So I packed the unnecessary extra water, first aid kit, PLB, GPS, sunscreen, and snacks. Would you believe I did a usual and ended up wanting to go check this other thing out, and then that, and then, well I may as well see if I can reach that trig on that hill over there. haha
My parents managed the holiday park at Sawpit Creek for years and I spent my teen years wandering around this area. But I'd never been past the powerlines on this side of the creek. I wasn't allowed to wander too far on my own. So today up the hill I went following rock wallaby, wombat, echidna and kangaroo tracks as best I could. Once at the boulder outcrop at the summit of this hill I began looking around for the trig point. I decided to climb up on a rock for a better vantage point and saw some rusted metal stuff poking out of the leaf litter right beside it. BINGO! I managed to dig up 3 vanes and scratched around for ages looking for the 4th but had no luck. I sat the metal remnants on the rock I was standing on when I found them.
Now, silly me thought that was it. I then decided to wander around the rocky outcrop whilst up there. This was when I found some wire. I was holding up the wire inspecting it when I saw a tangle of wood and wire in a crevice behind it. I was trying to figure out if this was some old timber trig structure when my eyes followed the direction it was laying in and I saw the metal base standing tall and strong and spiky up on top of the rock. That old tangled wire and wood was a ladder once?!?!
Needless to say I was loving this discovery and was glad I kept pushing myself onwards to find it.