Skyline Christmas Hills, Victoria, Australia
By
Geocaching Australia on 14-Mar-10. Waypoint TP5354
Cache Details
| Difficulty: | |
| Terrain: | |
| Type: | TrigPoint |
| Container: | Other |
| Coordinates: | S37° 39.785' E145° 20.036' (WGS 84) |
| 55H 353051E 5830259N (UTM) | |
| Elevation: | 294 m |
| Local Government Area: | Nillumbik |
/145.333933,-37.663083,14/400x200?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoiY2F1Z2h0YXR3b3JrIiwiYSI6ImNqa2l4ZzNzMDE5bjgzdm1sZGpuODF1Mm0ifQ.q8YMzVyzDJJlJHHV8EMjwQ)
Description
A Trig Point is a virtual cache which requires a cacher to locate the Trigonometric Station at GZ.
Skyline - Sutton PM 56
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.
These points were regarded as valuable to surveyors, providing reference points for measuring distance and direction, and assisting in the creation of maps.
To log a find on the Geocaching Australia website, you will need to include a picture of the trig point, along with your GPS receiver and (preferably) yourself. Long distance / telephoto type pictures are against the spirit of this cache. You are encouraged to leave a description of your journey in your log to help others in finding the trig point.
The original collection of trig points has been sourced from Geoscience Australia and may contain inaccuracies.
Please respect local laws and regulations when searching for trig points. If you believe that a trig point is located on private property or in a dangerous location, you may archive the cache, by clicking on Log this Cache and place an "Archived" log on the Geocaching Australia website.
If you feel that you can add to the description of this trig point or adjust the difficulty / terrain ratings, please feel free to edit this cache and amend the information suitably. Vandalism of the cache description or other information will result in your account being terminated.
A trig point (also known as a Trigonometric Station) typically consists of a black disc on top of four metal legs or concrete pillar, resembling a navigation beacon. It is also accompanied by a metal disc, which is located directly below the center point of the tripod or on top of the pillar itself.
While doing some maintenance on one of my caches ("Yarra Valley Views - GCWNVC" by Geodes), I happened to spy this trig marker nearby. It happened to be on the other side of a fence and inside the Sugarloaf Reservoir reserve and I didn't have the time or energy to make the longish trip around to see if I could get to it - but I'm pretty sure it can be done as I've been walking around the reservoir before and it should be accessible from there. The co-ords I've posted were estimated using Google Earth, but I'd think they are accurate to within 20m or so - which should be easily good enough to get you within sight of the thing. The photo was taken from the Skyline Rd looking over the fence and the marker was around 100m away.
I'm not sure what it would take to get to it - there are several gates in the fence not too far from it, but these would only ever be accessible for management vehicles. The only legitimate approach would be from the public parking areas (or, maybe, the sailing area) and it may be a long walk, so I've tentatively awarded it a 2.5 for terrain.
I've given it the #1 suffix as it doesn't seem to be a particularly prominent spot, so it may have been used when surveying the reservoir and there may be several others within the Reservoir reserve - if you go for it, keep an eye out for any others (Mt Graham near the dam wall would be a good candidate for another one).
5/11/13: I finally managed to visit this trig, so I took a proper reading and have updated the co-ords accordingly - Bob (Geodes)
Logs
My first visit to Sugarloaf Res. Always enjoy a Trig.
Thanks GA
TFTC.
Anyway, photo attached and all is still good in the world....
Having discovered and published this trig point 3.5 years ago, I didn't think I'd ever actually get to log it (as it's a pretty long hike from the nearest legitimate access points to the reservoir, and I don't think it's close enough to the fence to claim a find). Anyway, I'd noted a couple of previous logs mentioning a crawl under the gate and, as I was out cruising around the Yarra Valley taking photos, I decided to drop by the site of my old cache for some pics of the Valley and check out the trig point access possibilities at the same time.
I think I could have squeezed under the gate, but I happened to spot a hole under the fence right next to it which offered somewhat better clearance for a bit of 'combat crawling' - although I took a lot of care negotiating it with $3000 of camera that needed to get through too. I was wishing that I'd brought a smaller (and cheaper) camera - until I got to the trig point and was able to take in the really impressive views across the reservoir to the city, after which I wished that I'd brought a tele lens - but I wasn't going back to the car to get one.
All in all, this was a pretty good trig to visit - the views really made it wothwhile and it's a pity they don't have a few more gates in the area for those that don't feel up to the 18km trek. Congratulations to Geesa for his effort - Trailrunning's picture looks like it was taken from outside the fence, and landau351's is of the trig point back near the entrance.
Thanks Geocaching Australia
, I was finally at GZ at 12:10 for the pickie and the great, if not misty, views across Sugarloaf to the city 
.The coordinates are a bit off so I took some more while at GZ and have posted them here for reference.
Thanks Geocaching Australia.
Well worth the visit to this one.
Thank You.
The walk took me about 3.5 hours, the track marking is a bit iffy sometimes, there are a few trees down over the path, and, a wet day today, some real slippery spots - take a pole!.
Walkers are to register with Parks on 03 9844 2659. All in all a great experience - I'm going to do it again, maybe in the other direction (PS -there is even a toilet about half distance).
