On our way home (Monday 21st November 2022) we had planned on trying to activate as many silos as possible for the Silos On The Air (SiOTA) program. We had a 410 km drive ahead of us and it was already late in the morning, so each activation was going to be quick.

Our first silo was the Horsham silo VK-HRM3, in western Victoria.

Above:- Map showing the location of Horsham. Map c/o Google maps.

Horsham is a regional city in western Victoria about 300 km northwest of Melbourne. It has a population of about 20,429 people (2021 census). It is the 11th largest city in Victoria.

It was named Horsham by James Monckton Darlot (b. 1811. d. 1903), an early settler in the area, after his native town of Horsham in the United Kingdom.

Above:- Article from The Blayney Advocate and Carcoar Herald, Sat 20 Jul 1901. Image c/o Trove

The Horsham silo features silo art. The silo itself has a painting of Yanggendyiaanyuk, an aboriginal man whose tracking skills were used. On the old flour mill next to the silo is a painting of a Red-tailed Black Cockatoo.

The murals were painted by artist Sam Bates @ Smug and were completed in May 2022. The mural is titled The Yangga Dyata which means ‘Walking on Country’. 

Yanggendyinanyuk (b. c. 1834d. 1866), also known as ‘Dick-a-Dick’, Dicky Dick, King Richard, Richard Kennedy, and Richard Barney, was a tracker and cricketer. He was a member of the first Australian cricket team to tour England in 1868, composed of aboriginal Australians.

Above:- The aboriginal cricket team, c. 1867 at the Melbourne Cricket Team. Image c/o State Library NSW

The story of this cricket team is little known by many Australians I have found. There is a brilliant museum at Harrow, the Harrow Discovery Centre, which we have visited and tells the story of the team.

On Friday the 12th day of August 1864, in the mallee scrub near Natimuk, three white children, Isaac Cooper, Jane Cooper and Frank Duff, went missing. Their tracks were found the following day, however a thunderstorm developed and this resulted in the tracks being destroyed. The official search for the children was subsequently cancelled and the children were reported as being dead.

Six days later on the 18th day of August 1864, a neighbour of the Duff family suggested that Dick-a-Dick and other Wotjobaluk aboriginal trackers be used. The Duff family agreed and as a result, Dick-a-Dick took two other Wotjobaluk men, Jerry and Fred, with him and recommenced a search. Within hours they located the children.

As a result Dick-a-Dick became a hero and was called King Richard. He and the other two aboriginal trackers received a reward of £15 between them. They were permitted to spend £5 in whatever fashion they chose, while the remaining amount ws given to their white employer.

Above:- from an article in The Australian News for Home Readers, Sat 24 Sep 1864. Image c/o Trove.

We operated from the 4WD directly alongside of the silo on Wawunna Road, Horsham. We used the Icom IC-7000, 100 watts, and the Codan 9350 self tuning antenna for this activation.

Above:- The location of the silo and the activation zone. Image c/o SiOTA website.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3PF
2. VK2MET
3. VK1AO
4. VK5FANA

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3PF
2. VK2MET
3. VK1AO
4. VK5FANA
5. VK3GH
6. VK5ZK
7. VK3SQ
8. VK2IO

References.

1. Australian Dictionary of Biography, 2023, <https://ia.anu.edu.au/biography/yanggendyinanyuk-30059>, viewed 9th January 203.
2. Australian Silo Art Trail, 2023, <https://www.australiansiloarttrail.com/horsham>, viewed 9th January 2023.
3. Wikipedia, 2023, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horsham,_Victoria>, viewed 9th January 2023.

It was day 27 (Monday 21st November 2022) and the final day of our amazing trip. After breakfast and booking our of our motel we decided to do one more final park activation. We did plan on a number of silos on our way home.

We headed to the JJ Kingston Wildflower Sanctuary VKFF-2337, just on the edge of the town of Stawell.

Above:- Map showing the location of the JJ Kingston Wildfloweer Sanctuary. Map c/o google maps

The park is a tiny piece of remnant scrub on the northern side of Crowlands Road between Barbara Street and Oliver Road.

Above:- An aerial view of the park. Image c/o Google Earth.

The park is named in honour of Mr. J.J. Kingston, the Stawell Mayor 1951-1952.

Above:- J.J. Kingston. Image c/o victoriancollections.net.au

Unfortunately there were no wildflowers in the park during our visit.

We operated from the 4WD for this activation, running the Icom IC-7000, 100 watts, and the Codan 9350 self tuning antenna.

Marija made the following QSOs on 40m SSB:-

1. VK2IO
2. VK2MET
3. VK1AO
4. VK2PKT
5. VK5HAA
6. VK5FANA
7. VK5BJF
8. VK5BJE
9. VK3PF
10. VK3AHR

Marija made the following QSOs on 20m SSB:-

1. VK2MET
2. VK1AO

I made the following QSOs on 40m SSB:-

1. VK2IO
2. VK2MET
3. VK1AO
4. VK2PKT
5. VK5HAA
6. VK5FANA
7. VK5BJF
8. VK5BJE
9. VK3PF
10. VK3AHR

I made the following QSOs on 20m SSB:-

1. VK2MET
2. VK1AO
3. VK4MUD
4. ZL1TM
5. VK4EMP
6. VK4TI

We headed back into Stawell and despite having visited the town many times previously, we took the time to have a look at some of the historic buildings located in the town.

St Matthews Uniting Church was completed in 1868 and was opened on the 11th day of April 1869 with a special dedication service. The church was built at a cost of about £2000. The tower and spire was paid for by anonymous donor at a cost of £1352. The 40,000 bricks required were purchased for 35 shillings per 1000. 

Oban was built in 1898 as a private home for Mr & Mrs. Edward Simmons (no known relation). He and his brother Walter were the main shareholders in Stawell’s Oriental gold mine.

The town of Stawell holds the annual Stawell Gift, a foot race which has been held since 1878. It is held at Central Park in Stawell.

No visit to Stawell can pass without a visit to the local bakery which has regularly been the winner of Australia’s best vanilla slice.

We then stopped at the site of the old Pleasant Creek Hospital. It was opened on the 21st day of June 1861 and replaced the tent hospital of the goldfields. It was the only hospital between Ballarat and the Murray at that time. In 1882 a Benevolent ward was opened which gave shelter to many miners and others who had come from overseas int he gold rush days and had no families in Australia to assist them.

A little further along the Western Highway at Stawell is the memorial cairn for explorer Major Mitchell who passed by the location in July 1836.

A little further down the road, not far from Deep Lead is the Doctors Hill Monument.  It commemorates the establishment and erection in 1859 of the first Pleasant Creek Hospital, which served the needs of the gold miners and the rural community of western Victoria.

Just before getting into Horsham we stopped sat Green Lake where I previously went swimming as a child during my visits to Horsham to with my parents to visit relatives. Due to all of the recent rain the lake was full. Marija and I have previously seen it bone dry.

We then called in to see my Aunty Dawn and Uncle Jack at Horsham, and spent a few very enjoyable hours with them.

References.

1. Aussie Towns, 2023, <https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/stawell-vic>, viewed 9th January 2023.
2. Wikipedia, 2023, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stawell,_Victoria>, viewed 9th January 2023.

Our final park for 20th November 2022 was the Illawarra Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2111. The park is located in western Victoria near Stawell, about 243 km northwest of Melbourne.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Illawarra Nature Conservation Reserve. Map c/o google maps.

Prior to heading to the park we booked in to our accomodation in Stawell.

We then drove the short distance out to the park. The Illawarra Nature Conservation Reserve covers an area of about 600 hectares.

The critically endangered Swift parrot can be located in the park.

We set up in a clearing amongst the scrub off Commercial Road. As it was raining on and off, we operated from the 4WD for this activation, running the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole.

Above:- An aerial view of the park showing our operating spot. Image c/o Google Earth.

Marija made the following QSOs on 20m SSB:-

1. VK4HAT
2. VK4SMA
3. VK4TJ
4. VK6AB
5. VK4NH
6. VK4DXA
7. ZL4NVW
8. VK6NU
9. VK6JK
10. VK3VEK
11. VK4MUD
12. VK4FW
13. VK8MM
14. VK2IO/p (Windsor Downs Nature Reserve VKFF-2020)

I made the following QSOs on 20m SSB:-

1. VK4HAT
2. VK4SMA
3. IK4IDF
4. HA4FB
5. VK4TJ
6. VK6AB
7. VK4NH
8. VK4DXA
9. ZL4NVW
10. SP5INQ
11. VK6NU
12. IW2NXI
13. UT5ZC
14. VK6JK
15. ZL3MR
16. VK3VEK
17. VK4MUD
18. VK4FW
19. VK8MM

I made the following QSOs on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3AHR
2. VK3ZPF
3. VK7XX
4. VK5BJE
5. VK3SQ
6. VK3DL
7. VK3PF/m
8. VK5MSA
9. KG5CIK
10. VK4FW
11. VK8MM
12. VK2YAK
13. VK4YAK
14. VK2IO/p (Windsor Downs Nature Reserve VKFF-2020)
15. VK3VIN
16. VK3GJG
17. VK5FANA
18. VK5KLV
19. VK4NH
20. VK4DXA
21. VK2GMC
22. VK2MET
23. VK1AO
24. VK5AYL
25. VK3ZK
26. VK3CWF
27. VK3UAO
28. VK2YK
29. VK5GA
30. VK3ACZ
31. VK7PSJ
32. VK3ANL
33. VK3UH
34. VK1DI
35. VK4HMI
36. VK4EW
37. VK4HAT
38. VK4MUD
39. VK4TVR/m
40. VK1HF

We packed up and headed back to Stawell and purchased Fish N Chips and went back to our motel room for the evening.

References.

1. Bonzle, 2023, <http://www.bonzle.com/c/a?a=p&p=58774&cmd=sp>, viewed 9th January 2023.
2. SWIFFT, 2023, <https://www.swifft.net.au/cb_pages/sp_swift_parrot.php>, viewed 9th January 2023.

After packing up at Rokewood (20th November 2022) we headed northwest along the Rokewood-Skipton Road and we soon reached the little town of Skipton.

Skipton takes its name from Skipton in Yorkshire in the United Kingdom. It comes from Old English – ‘Scip-tun’ meaning ‘sheep town’. The area was first established as a pastoral run in 1839. By 1852 the town site had been surveyed. A Post office was opened on the 6th day of March 1858. In 1859, Skipton held the first agricultural show in the western district of Victoria. 

Above:- The Skipton Hotel. Image c/o https://victoriancollections.net.au/

Skipton was the home to a number of notable people including Henry Bolte, the longest serving Premier of Victoria. There are also a number of historic buildings including the old Skipton Hotel which waas built in 1859.

Marija and I then visited the old Skipton Court House which is now used by the Skipton Historical Society.

The old court house building was built at the government camp at Fiery Creek in 1856 and was moved to Skipton in 1867. We were lucky in that there were volunteers present and we were able to go inside the courthouse. The volunteer that we spoke to advised that the court house was flooded in recent weeks due to the heavy rain and that water was quite a few inches deep inside.

Adjacent to the old court house is Stewart Park on the banks of the Mount Emu Creek. There is a viewing platform in the park to view platypus which can be found in the creek. There are also a number of information boards with history of Skipton, and a memorial cairn to the Skipton pioneers. There was quite a bit of water flowing along the creek after the recent floods.

We then had a look at St Andrews Presbyterian Church, a beautiful tuck-pointed bluestone Gothic Revival church which was built between 1871-1872.

We then drove north out of Skipton on the Skipton Road towards Beaufort. Marija saw on the map that the Blacks Creek Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2049 was just up the road, so we decided to call in there for a quick park activation.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Blacks Creek NCR. Map c/o Google maps.

The Blacks Creek Nature Conservation Reserve is 233.95 hectares in size and is located on the northern side of the Carngham-Streatham Road. It was gazetted in 2002.

Above:- An aerial view of the Blacks Creek NCR. Image c/o Google maps.

The park preserves Plains Grassland which is considered endangered in the Victorian Volcanic Plain bioregion. Patches of grassland the size of Blacks Creek are very rare. The park contains a number of significant plant species, including at least two which are of national significance.

Marija and I set up near the corner of the Carngham-Streatham Road and Stockyard Hill Road.

Above: Aerial view of the park showing our operating spot. Image c/o Google Earth.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK7XX
2. VK2HHA
3. VK3SQ
4. VK2MET
5. VK1AO
6. VK2VH
7. VK4AAC
8. VK3VB
9. VK7AN
10. VK5PL
11. VK2IO/p (Pitt Town Nature Reserve VKFF-1984)
12. VK3BEZ/p (Alpine National Park VKFF-0619)
13. VK3NRB/p (Alpine National Park VKFF-0619)

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK7XX
2. VK2HHA
3. VK3SQ
4. VK2MET
5. VK1AO
6. VK2VH
7. VK4AAC
8. VK3VB
9. VK7AN
10. VK2PKT
11. VK5PL
12. VK3VIN
13. VK5AYL
14. VK3BBB
15. VK2CCP
16. VK3DL
17. VK3GRX
18. VK2IO/p (Pitt Town Nature Reserve VKFF-1984)
19. VK4FW
20. VK8MM
21. VK4TJ
22. VK3UH
23. VK4KLA
24. VK3YV
25. VK3ZK
26. VK4NH
27. VK4DXA
28. VK3GJG
29. VK3BEZ/p (Alpine National Park VKFF-0619)
30. VK5KVA
31. VK3NRB/p (Alpine National Park VKFF-0619)
32. VK3DXJ
33. VK5BJE
34. VK1AAF

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

1. VK4NH
2. VK4DXA
3. VK4FW
4. VK8MM
5. VK4EW
6. VK4SMA

I worked the following stations on 20m AM:-

1. VK4EW
2. VK4NH
3. VK4DXA
4. VK4SMA

It had started to rain so we packed up, with 57 contacts in the log, including 6 Park to Park contacts.

We drove north on the Skipton Road towards Beaufort and the heavens really opened up and we experienced very heavy rain was we drove passed Lake Goldsmith.

References.

1. Aussie Towns, 2023, <https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/skipton-vic>, viewed 9th January 2023.
2. Blacks Creek Nature Conservation Reserve Management Statement, May 2005
3. Wikipedia, 2023, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skipton,_Victoria>, viewed 9th January 2023