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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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Welcome to my 13th hide. A little more thought-provoking than some of its predecessors. In fact, having a Cryptic Crossword enthusiast on hand might even prove advantageous in your quest.
Your Additional Clue, should you need it is:
"As altitude increases, a decapitated spine is left standing alone."
(Pretty Cryptic, Hey??)
This cache takes you along what I consider to be one of the more picturesque sections of the Yarrowee River Trail. It’s a little way downstream of the Gong, from whence one can enjoy a short and pleasant stroll to GZ. Parking is available in the reserve during official open hours otherwise, just park by the gate and step over.
If parking in the reserve, make sure you check the closing time at the entrance. I suggest you allow yourself an hour to complete the task. You might not need it, but then again ....... !
The cache is a straightforward multi, incorporating an en route visit to the Rickey Brothers Bluestone Quarry site. Quite interesting geologically, given that much of the surrounding area is predominantly granite. I would imagine that there must be some relationship beteween this and the outcrop in the road north of the reservoir.
At the above co-ordinates, you will find a stone memorial to the Rickey Brothers, whose enterprise provided road-making materials for the Ballarat district over several years. Read the information on the three plaques on the rock and answer the following.
Second digit of the year in which the business began = A
First digit in the date of Cuthbert Rikey’s passing = B
How many full decades did Cuthbert survive = C
Second digit in the date of A. Hewitt Rickey’s passing = D
Third digit in the year of A. Hewitt’s demise = E
The number of years A. Hewitt lived past his 60th birthday = F
The cache is located at:
S 37º 32.ABC E 143º 55.DEF
Signal accuracy at GZ can be rather less than helpful, (in fact it can, at times, be just plain disgusting,) due to hills and vegetation allowing limited access to satellites. On my first two visits, I could get no better than an EPE of 10-12 m. A subsequent visit, however, reduced that to a steady and repeatable EPE of 3m. The latter set of figures are the ones you are looking for.
Once in the appropriate vicinity however, if you’re having trouble, sit yourself down on the outdoor furniture and have a think about the clue you were given earlier. With luck, the item most deserving of your attention should soon become apparent.
You are looking for a small, well-concealed, metal container, (Yeah, It probably smells of mint!), with a log sheet only, so please bring a pen. There are also 2 Scratchies for the First to Find.
If it's of any help, I was originally going to rate this cache as a Diff 4, so it's no pushover. The unreliability of the signal, however, made me decide to put in a bit of a clue. It also meant I needed to downgrade the rating, as the clue is, if you interpret it correctly, very precise. The same can be said about the clue in the hint. Get them right and you will know exactly where you should be searching.
Muggles can appear silently and unexpectedly from various points of the compass but at most times, you would be unlucky to find the area too heavily populated.
One request please - when logging a find, it would be appreciated if you could avoid offering any further clues, hints or other information that could affect the difficulty rating. Thanks!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Qba'g yrg guvf fho-jbbsre trg lbh qbja. Fgbc fpengpuva' nebhaq naq nfx lbhe qbt! Ur'yy gryy lbh jurer gb ybbx!