Our final park for Saturday 3rd August 2019, was the Jumping Jack Wattle Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2120. The park is located about 18 km west of the town of Nhill in western Victoria.
This was to be a first-time activation of the park.
Above:- Map showing the location of the Jumping Jack Wattle Nature Conservation Reserve. Map courtesy of Protected Planet.
The park is officially called the Jumping Jack Wattle Nature Conservation Reserve but is still signposted as the Diapur Flora Reserve. The park is located on the Nhill-Diapur Road at the intersection with Lawloit-Diapur Road. Diapur is situated on the Melbourne-Adelaide railway line and is the halfway point of the journey.
George Coles, whose son Sir George James Coles, the founder of the Coles empire, lived at Diapur in the late 1800s. He built a store, a blacksmiths shop and a hotel here.
The park is home to Jumping-jack Wattle Acacia enterocarpa which is listed as Threatened in Victoria and Endangered in South Australia.
Above:- Jumping-jack Wattle. Image c/o Peter Tucker, flickr.
We pulled up on the side of the road and strung out the 20/40/80m dipole. There was barely enough room to stretch it out due to the scrub in the park.
Above:- An aerial view of the park showing our operating spot. Image courtesy of Google maps
We were in the park just before dark so we decided to kick off the activation 80m. And as it turned out that is where we stayed for the duration of the activation.
First in the log was Peter VK3PF, followed by Nick VK3ANL, Scott VK4CZ and then David VK5PL. Within just 6 minutes I had qualified the park for VKFF with 10 contacts in the log. QSO number 10 was with Adam VK2YK.
I logged a total of 33 stations on 80m before swapping the mic with Marija.
Marija’s first contact was with John VK5BJE, followed by Peter VK3PF, and then Geoff VK3SQ. Marija’s tenth contact came 6 minutes into her activation, with QSO number ten being with Nik VK3ZNK.
Once Marija had logged her 10th contact I got back on air and was hoping to pick up my 44 QSOs as quickly as possible as it was starting to get late and we needed to be back at Bordertown to book into our accommodation by 8.00 p.m.
It took me just another 12 minutes to pick up my remaining 12 contacts. My final contact was with Paul VK3DA mobile.
As we had qualified the park on 80m and we were pushed for time, we did not operate on 40m or 20m for this activation.
Marija worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-
- VK5BJE
- VK3PF
- VK3SQ
- VK3CRG
- VK4TJ
- VK4/AC8WN
- VK4/VE6XT
- VK3DBP
- VK5YX
- VK3ZNK
I worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-
- VK3PF
- VK3ANL
- VK4CZ
- VK5PL
- VK5WG
- VK2HRX
- VK4NH
- VK4DXA
- ZL4TY/VK4
- VK2YK
- VK5FILL
- VK2MOP
- VK4MWB
- VK2LEE
- VK4TJ
- Vk4/AC8WN
- VK4/VE6XT
- VK3SQ
- VK4SMA
- VK3MPR
- VK3MKE
- VK7BEN
- VK5AYL
- VK5BJE
- VK5FD
- VK2VW
- VK3CRG
- VK3CIB
- Vk3DBP
- VK3ZNK
- VK2FALL
- VK7ROY
- ZL1TM
- VK2LPF
- VK5YX
- VK5FANA
- VK2EME
- VK5KLV
- VK3VEK
- VK2POW
- VK5LJ
- VK2UMA
- VK3UFO
- VK4CAN
- VK3DA/m
Marija and I drove back across the Victorian/South Australian State Border into VK5. We booked into our motel and then headed to the Bordertown Hotel for a meal and a few beverages.
References.
The Wimmera Mail Times, 2019, <https://www.mailtimes.com.au/story/968911/diapur-launched-dynasty/>, viewed 6th August 2019
Wikipedia, 2019, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diapur,_Victoria>, viewed 6th August 2019
VK5PAS 