After packing up at the Encounter Marine Park, Marija and I headed to the Scott Conservation Park 5CP-206 & VKFF-0934. The park is located about 80 km south of Adelaide.

This park is not to be confused with the Scott Creek Conservation Park which is located in the Adelaide Hills, or the Mount Scott Conservation Park which is located in the South East region of South Australia.

We drove north out of Goolwa on Alexandrina Road and then turned left onto Gould Road. It wasn’t long until we reached the northern boundary of the park which is well sign posted.

The Scott Conservation Park is about 210 hectares in size and is a small piece of native scrub located on the Fleurieu Peninsula, about 13 km by road, north of Goolwa.

The park was first proclaimed as a National Park on the 20th day of March 1969 and was re-proclaimed as the Scott Conservation Park on the 27th day of April 1972.

As you travel west on Gould Road you will see some thick scrub. This is not the park. These are a number of private properties. You need to continue west to reach the park.

There is also a small piece of scrub in the north western corner of the park. This is a Heritage Agreement. Don’t get this confused for the park. There is also another Heritage Agreement to the south of the park.

Scott Conservation is a beautiful park. It contains Low Woodland comprising Brown Stringybark, Cup Gum, Peppermint Box, Heat Tea-tree and Tate’s Grass-tree. The park also contains Mallee consisting of Pink Gum and Peppermint Box.

Birds SA have recorded a total of 148 birds in the park including Common Bronzewing, White-throated Treecreeper, Superb Fairywren, New Holland Honeyeater, Red Wattlebird, Grey Shrikethrush, Cockatiel, Eastern Rosella, Tawny-crowned Honeyeater,  Restless Flycatcher, Hooded Robin, and Eastern Shriketit.

Various native mammals call the park home including Western Grey Kangaroos, Ringtail Possums and Western Pygmy Possums

There are 2 walks which can be undertaken in the park, the Watercourse Hike and the Orchid Hike. Details of those walks can be found on the Walking SA website at…..

https://www.walkingsa.org.au/walk/find-a-place-to-walk/park/scott-conservation-park/

We parked the vehicle in the small carpark near the gate and then walked a short distance down the walking trail. We ran the Yaesu FT-857d and the 20/40/80m linked dipole for this activation.

First in the log was Peter VK3PF whose signal was well down compared to usual. Marija and I went on to work a total of 54 stations on 40m from VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, VK6, and VK7. This included the following Park to Park contacts…..

• Gerard VK2IO – Blue Mountains National Park VKFF-0041 & VK2/ CT-032
• Nick VK3ANL/p – St Andrews Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2195
• Tony VK3YV/p – Tarra Bulga National Park VKFF-0480
• VK1DI – Jerrabomberra Wetlands Nature Reserve VKFF-0847
• Bill VK3CWF – Lerderderg State Park VKFF-0763
• Mike VK6MB/p – Brookton Highway Nature Reserve VKFF-1846
• Col VK5HCF/p – Ewens Ponds Conservation Park VKFF-0796
• Bryan VK3LF/m – Crossover Regional Park VKFF-0965
• Tony VK7LTD/p – Echo Sugarloaf State Reserve VKFF-1799
• Angela VK7FAMP/p – Echo Sugarloaf State Reserve VKFF-1799

I then moved to the 20m band where I logged just 2 stations, Andrei ZL1TM in New Zealand, and Mike VK6MB in the Brookton Highway Nature Reserve VKFF-1846.

We then tried the 80m band, but as was the case at Encounter Marine Park, we logged just the one station, Adrian VK5FANA on the Yorke Peninsula with a good strong 5/9 signal.

To finish off the activation we moved back to 40m and logged a further 15 stations including the following Park to Park contacts…..

• Nik VK3ZK/p – Mt Martha Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2152
• Peter VK3TKK/p – Blacks Creek Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2049
• Brett VK3MCA/p – Gobarup Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2095

It was approaching 4.30 p.m. local time and Marija and I decided to pack up and head home. We had a total of 72 contacts in the log including 28 Park to Park contacts.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK2IO (Blue Mountains National Park VKFF-0041 & VK2/ CT-032)
2. VK3ANL/p (St Andrews Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2195)
3. VK3PF
4. VK5KLV
5. VK3YV/p (Tarra Bulga National Park VKFF-0480)
6. VK4NH
7. VK4DXA
8. ZL4TY/VK4
9. VK2DG
10. VK4KC
11. VK7QP
12. VK1DI (Jerrabomberra Wetlands Nature Reserve VKFF-0847)
13. VK2UXO
14. VK3MPR
15. VK3CWF (Lerderderg State Park VKFF-0763)
16. VK6MB/p (Brookton Highway Nature Reserve VKFF-1846)
17. VK5HCF/p (Ewens Ponds Conservation Park VKFF-0796)
18. VK2VH
19. VK4AAC
20. VK2EEM
21. VK3ZMD
22. VK3LF/m (Crossover Regional Park VKFF-0965)
23. VK7LTD/p (Echo Sugarloaf State Reserve VKFF-1799)
24. VK7FAMP/p (Echo Sugarloaf State Reserve VKFF-1799)
25. VK3ZK/p (Mt Martha Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2152)
26. VK3TKK/p (Blacks Creek Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2049)
27. VK3MCA/p (Gobarup Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2095)

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3PF
2. VK2IO/p (Blue Mountains National Park VKFF-0041 & VK2/ CT-032)
3. VK3ANL/p (St Andrews Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2195)
4. VK3SQ
5. VK3CU
6. VK2DG
7. VK5KLV
8. VK4NH
9. VK4DXA
10. ZL4TY/VK4
11. VK2MG/p (Pambalong Nature Reserve VKFF-2697)
12. VK3ZPF
13. VK2VH
14. VK4AAC
15. VK7QP
16. VK3SX
17. VK3YV/p (Tarra Bulga National Park VKFF-0480)
18. VK1DI/p (Jerrabomberra Wetlands Nature Reserve VKFF-0847)
19. VK3CWF/p (Lerderderg State Park VKFF-0763)
20. VK6MB/p (Brookton Highway Nature Reserve VKFF-1846)
21. VK5HCF/p (Ewens Ponds Conservation Park VKFF-0796)
22. VK3LF/m (Crossover Regional Park VKFF-0965)
23. VK4KC
24. VK4FDJL
25. VK5LB
26. VK7FAMP/p (Echo Sugarloaf State Reserve VKFF-1799)
27. VK7LTD/p (Echo Sugarloaf State Reserve VKFF-1799)
28. VK5HMB
29. VK4HAT
30. VK5AYL
31. VK3ZK/p (Mt Martha Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2152)
32. VK3TKK/p (Blacks Creek Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2049)
33. VK1VIC
34. VK1FLEX
35. VK3MPR
36. VK2EXA
37. VK3DJC
38. VK4SYD
39. VK3BWM
40. VK3OF
41. VK2KYO
42. VK3MCA/p (Gobarup Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2095)

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

1. ZL1TM
2. VK6MB/p (Brookton Highway Nature Reserve VKFF-1846)

I worked the following station on 80m SSB:-

1. VK5FANA

References.

Birds SA, 2020, <https://birdssa.asn.au/location/scott-conservation-park/>, viewed 30th November 2020.

Walking SA, 2020, <https://www.walkingsa.org.au/walk/find-a-place-to-walk/watercourse-hike-scott-conservation-park/>, viewed 30th November 2020

Wikipedia, 2020, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Conservation_Park>, viewed 30th November 2020.