Giles Lookout Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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Giles Lookout is one of over 30 caches on the Outback Way-finder Trail - the longest geocache trail in the world.
G'day Geocachers,
Giles Lookout is located near the Giles River in the Gibson Desert bio-region of Australia. Ernest Giles was an intrepid explorer who led four expeditions into the harshest of land between 1872 and 1876 - and survived. He named many of the now famous outback features, including Mt Olga, Kings Canyon, Gibson Desert, the Rawlingson Ranges and Severin Mural Crescent which you can see on the horizon to the north. Explorers would climb to the highest points to scan the landscape - Giles may have stood on this very spot!
Rocky hills proved great lookout points and also provided a source of tucker - rock wallabies, birds, lizards and figs - note the dense leathery green shrub near the cache - this is a native rock fig, sometimes called desert or wild fig. Rich in nutrients, the fig was a favourite of Aborigines and explorers as well.
While at the lookout, note the vast grassy plains, desert oak woodlands, river red gums along the river and the dusty white ghost gums growing in the rocky crevasses.
Activity: Observe the Giles River, follow it's path on a map. Where does it begin? End? How often do you think it flows? What season? Explore the river bed.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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