Just down the road from where we camped is a roadside stop called Escort Rock, which was the site of Australia's biggest gold robbery when Frank Gardiner, Ben Hall and seven other bushrangers held up a gold company coach, and escaped with approximately (in modern terms) $4 million in gold and cash. You can read the full story HERE and the photos of the information board below has more information, as well as a map.
This is the actual site of the robbery, which is unfortunately on private land so not accessible.
I must confess that gaming some of the bushrangers' exploits has been on my 'to do' list for a while and it struck me that it would make an interesting skirmish game, with a few changes. As it stands it's just an ambush, and with the police and guards outnumbered two-to-one and already at a disadvantage it doesn't seem to offer much of a game. But there did seem to be some issues loading the spoils onto horses for the getaway. This allows a game to bathtub in the pursuit as well, with police reinforcements appearing after a certain time, forcing the bushrangers to resolve the ambush quickly and load up their spoils before they arrive. With the right timing their escape could be contested, adding just the right amount of challenge required for the game.
Fun Fact: This gold robbery appears to have been the inspiration for a Sherlock Holmes story. I'll leave you to determine which one.
The site can be found on Escort Way, a few km to the east of the town of Eugowra itself.
Interesting. cheers
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