After packing up at Poocher Swamp, Marija and I headed to our second park of the day, the Custon Conservation Park VKFF-1024. The park is located about 298 km southeast of Adelaide and about 27 km southeast of the town of Bordertown.

Along the way, we stopped to have a look at Wiese’s Horse Dip which was constructed in 1931 by local landholders utilising local timber from bulloak trees. The purpose of the Dip was to control a parasitic itch experienced by the working farm horses, the Clydesdales. The parasitic itch caused great discomfort for the horse’s manes and tails which resulted in them rubbing against fences and thus causing damage.

As a result, the Dip was constructed. Horses were walked into the dip and due to the size of the Clydesdales, the farmers would bucket and sponge a solution over the horses. The Dip was used until the outbreak of the Second World War, and the eventual decline of the use of the Clydesdales.

We drove along Custon Road and crossed over the now disused railway line and we soon reached the park.

Custon Conservation Park is about 64 hectares in size (160 acres) and was established on the 8th day of March 2007. The land originally gained protected area status in 2007, when crown land in section 903 was gazetted as the Custon Conservation Park and was enlarged in 2016 by the addition of additional crown land.

The park consists of grassy woodland of grey box which is listed as ‘endangered in South Australia, with buloke being a co-dominant tree species.

The park takes its name from the town of Custon, which is located about 8 km south of Wolseley, and was proclaimed on the 8th day of December 1881. It was named by Governor Jervois after Reverend William Arthur Purey-Cust (b. 1855. d. 1938).

Prior to the proclamation of the town of Custon, the local railway station was known as ‘University Blocks’. The Custon School opened in 1919 and closed in 1956.

I did a little bit of birdwatching and photography from Custon, but I wasn’t overly successful.

Marija and I operated from Custon for about 2 hours and made a total of 94 QSOs including 29 Park to Park contacts.

We operated on the 20, 40, & 80m bands and ran the Yaesu FT857d, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole, inverted vee, supported on the 7-metre telescopic squid pole.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK2IO/p (Rouse Hill Regional Park VKFF-2784)
2. VK3DAC/p (Mount Martha Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2152)
3. VK3LF/p (Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park VKFF-0747)
4. VK2YAK/p (Tewantin National Park VKFF-1318)
5. VK4YAK/p (Tewantin National Park VKFF-1318)
6. VK2EG/p (Talawahl Nature Reserve VKFF-2732)
7. VK3MKE
8. VK2EXA
9. VK2LBL
10. VK7QP
11. VK5LN
12. VK2LX
13. VK3ZK/p (Echuca Regional Park VKFF-0966)
14. VK3MPR
15. VK7DW
16. VK2GNM
17. VK1MA
18. VK3MCD/p (SOTA VK3/ VN-016 & Mount Alexander Regional Park VKFF-0973)
19. VK3BBB
20. VK2CCP
21. VK2IG
22. VK3AQU/m
23. VK7JFD
24. VK1RF/p (Jerrabomba Wetlands Nature Reserve VKFF-0847)
25. VK4FABN/p (Toohey Forest Conservation Park VKFF-1663)
26. VK3YSA
27. VK2HAU/p (Lane Cove National Park VKFF-0281)
28. VK5WG

Marija worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-

1. VK3ARH/p (Lake Purrumbete Wildlife Reserve VKFF-2361)
2. VK3HRA/p (Lake Purrumbete Wildlife Reserve VKFF-2361)
3. VK5LA
4. VK3ZK/p (Echuca Regional Park VKFF-0966)
5. VK5DW

Marija worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

1. VK2VW
2. VK2HFI
3. VK2HBG
4. VK6ADF/p (Alexander Morrison National Park VKFF-0002)
5. VK4KC
6. VK4MAD
7. VK4DOG
8. VK2MG
9. VK2IO/p (Rouse Hill Regional Park VKFF-2784)
10. VK6UG
11. VK4HNS
12. VK2NP
13. VK6JK

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK2IO/p (Rouse Hill Regional Park VKFF-2784)
2. VK5GY/m
3. VK2VW
4. VK2HFI
5. VK3DAC/p (Mount Martha Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2152)
6. VK3LF/p (Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park VKFF-0747)
7. VK2EXA
8. VK2LEE
9. VK2YAK/p (Tewantin National Park VKFF-1318)
10. VK4YAK/p (Tewantin National Park VKFF-1318)
11. VK2NP
12. VK2PKT
13. VK2EG/p (Talawahl Nature Reserve VKFF-2732)
14. VK3FRC
15. VK7WUU
16. VK5FANA
17. VK2IG
18. VK7QP
19. Vk3MPR
20. VK3MCD/p (SOTA VK3/ VN-016 & Mount Alexander Regional Park VKFF-0973)
21. VK7JFD
22. VK2LX
23. VK1RF/p (Jerrabomberra Wetlands Nature Reserve VKFF-0847)
24. VK3MKE
25. VK4FABN/p (Toohey Forest Conservation Park VKFF-1663)
26. VK3YSA
27. VK3AQU/m
28. VK3GMC
29. VK2HAU/p (Lane Cove National Park VKFF-0281)
30. VK5WG

I worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-

1. VK3ARH
2. VK5LA
3. VK3ZK/p (Echuca Regional Park VKFF-0966)
4. VK5DW

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

1. VK2VW
2. VK2HFI
3. VK2HBG
4. VK6ADF/p (Alexander Morrison National Park VKFF-0002)
5. VK4KC
6. VK4MAD
7. VK4DOG
8. VK2MG
9. VK2IO/p (Rouse Hill Regional Park VKFF-2784)
10. VK6UG
11. VK4HNS
12. VK2NP
13. VK6JK
14. JF7RJM

References.

1. A Compendium of the Place Names of South Australia, 2021, <https://published.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/placenamesofsouthaustralia/>, viewed 4th December 2021.
2. Wikipedia, 2021, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Custon_Conservation_Park>, viewed 4th December 2021