This cache is located at the viewing area for the Union Hill Gold Mine. This area has been mined for gold since 1854 and the workings viewable from the platform are the result of open cut mining from 1988 to 1992. 2.5 million tons of rock was mined, which yeilded 55,000 ounces of gold worth over $25,000,000.
In 1994 Alliance Gold Mines NL took over operations in the area. They constructed a tunnel 3 metres by 3 metres which descends on a 1 in 7 gradient to access the quartz reefs located beneath these hills. The entrance to the tunnel can be seen from the platform.
I'd visited Maldon many times but only discovered this spot whilst driving to another geocache! The cache is hidden in a typical manner for this sort of structure - no need to go down the embankments on either side. Please use stealth as you can be seen from the mine buildings below, and watch out for snakes, spiders and other creepy crawlies!
Thanks for visiting and I hope you enjoy the cache!