As we were heading home on Monday 30th March 2015, I managed to talk Marija into us detouring a little bit to activate the Minlacowie Conservation Park, which is located west of Stansbury, to the south east of Minlawton, and about 210 km by road from Adelaide.

Above: The location of Minlacowie CP.  Map courtesy of mapcarta.com

To get to the park we travelled down Rogers Road which runs off the Minlaton-Yorketown Road.  You will know that you are in the correct spot, because the old Minlacowie school is located at this intersection.  It is well worth stopping to have a look.

We set up just off Savage Hut Road.  There are not many options at this park.  There are no carparks and the scrub is extremely thick.  So your only option is operating along the fenceline either off Savage Hut Road or Rogers Road.

Minlacowie Conservation Park (28.5 hectares; proclaimed in 2008) is located about 13 kilometres west of Stansbury. The park comprises a small patch of remnant mallee/broombush vegetation in very good condition, and conserves a number of significant plant species including the nationally and state vulnerable Winter Spider-orchid (Caladenia brumalis).

This was just a quick activation, whilst we had a late lunch.  My first taker on 7.095 after calling CQ was the ever reliable park hunter, Brian VK5FMID, followed by Wolf VK5WF, Geoff VK5HEL, and then Peter VK2DG.  I went on to work a further 16 stations in VK2, VK3, & VK5.

This included Hauke VK5HW who was mobile in the Barossa Valley, Steve VK3SRB/2 mobile between Albury and Gundagai in New South Wales, and Bob VK5AK who was mobile on Gorge Road at Cudlee Creek.

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After 25 minutes in the park I had a total of 20 contacts in the log.  It was time to hit the road and continue our journey back home to Mount Barker in the Adelaide Hills.

The following stations were worked:-

1. VK5FMID
2. VK5WF
3. VK5HEL
4. VK2DG
5. VK5WG
6. VK5HCF
7. VK5HW/m
8. VK3VEF
9. VK3SRB/2
10. VK3FORD
11. VK5GJ
12. VK5ZRY
13. VK5NQP
14. VK5KLV
15. VK5AK/m
16. VK5EE
17. VK3AS
18. VK5FANA
19. VK5LO
20. VK3OF

References.

Department for Environment and Heritage, Management Plan Mainland Conservation Parks of Yorke Peninsula 2009