The Sealers Cove Cache Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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Located behind the beach at Sealers Cove, Wilsons promontory.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Please check availability of the Sealers Cove access track
here
'The Prom' is comprised of granite which has weathered in places to
form the large and interesting rocky outcrops which are sprinkled
about the park. Once an island, the accumulation of drifting sand
in the sheltered water that separates the island from the mainland
is thought to have connected about 100 000 years ago. The
promontory is in fact one of the highest points on a batholith (a
huge igneous rock deposit) which is 300-km long and, at times,
50-km wide and which links Tasmania to the rest of Australia.
Around 15 000 years ago rising sea levels submerged the corridor
thus isolating Tasmania as a separate entity.
Wilsons Promontory was known as 'Wamoon' or 'Wamoom' by the
Aboriginal peoples who collected shellfish there over 6000 years
ago. Middens along the western coast testify to their seafood diet.
The Dreamtime stories of Lo-An, Bullum-Boukan, and the Port Albert
Frog all make mention of the area. George Bass sited the promontory
on January 2, 1798 from a small whaleboat while on an excursion
from Port Jackson. Some sources suggest that Bass named the area in
honour of his friend - a London merchant named Thomas Wilson.
Others indicate that Wilson was a friend of Matthew Flinders.
Another story is that Bass originally called it 'Furneaux's Land'
and that the name change was made by Governor Hunter. In any case,
Bass returned with reports of plentiful supplies and safe
anchorage, as well as 9000 seal pelts and several tons of oil. This
initiated a sealing rush which only petered out in the 1830s as the
number of animals dwindled. Sealers Cove, on the eastern coast, can
still be visited today by walking in from the carpark beneath Mount
Oberon at Telegraph Saddle. The walk to Sealers Cove is about 9km
and takes about 2 hrs 45 mins. It is a beautiful walk, and the
track is in good condition. The first hour takes you to Windy
Saddle which is a convenient resting place, but you must take your
own water. From there the track winds down through a number of
different eco systems to the beach at Sealers Cove. The last 1.8 km
is along a boardwalk over Sealers Swamp. There is an overnight camp
just across the river entrance if you don’t wish to return on
the same day, or if you wish to walk further down The Prom. There
is a crude toilet available at the end of the track just before you
reach the beach.
The cache is located at the indicated co-ordinates and will be
found almost immediately by a cacher with any experience,
especially if they have found Lookout for Sparkes which uses a
similar hiding technique.
If your GPS doesn't like the location, take a sighting from the
nearest point on the beach and head straight in. There is a
clearing at the site and most GPS receivers should be ok. My GPSMap
60CSX had no trouble, even under the trees.
I suggest you consider the insect repellant as a cache service
rather than as a swap, as sometimes it may be appreciated by
visitors to the cache.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gurer vf n ynetr snyyra gerr ng gur pnpur fvgr.