Siding Spring Trig Coonabarabran, New South Wales, Australia
By No_Tomorrow on 30-Sep-17. Waypoint TP7679

Trig station at the top of Siding Spring Observatory. You will need permission to access this area!!! Hence D3 rating.

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.