After packing up at Mantung Conservation Park (31st January 2023) I headed to the Bakara Conservation Park VKFF-0868. It was just a short 30 km drive to get to Bakara from Mantung.

The Bakara Conservation Park is located about 205 km northeast of Adelaide.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Bakara Conservation Park. Map c/o Location SA Map Viewer.

The park is located on the southern side of the Stott Highway at the junction of Start Road.

Above:- An aerial shot of the Bakara CP looking southwest towards Adelaide. Image c/o Google maps.

The Stott Highway runs from Angaston in the Barossa Valley, through Sedan and Swan Reach and on to Loxton in the Riverland region of South Australia. In 2008 the highway was named in honour of Tom Cleave Stott (b. 1899. d. 1976) who was a farmer and member of State Parliament from 1933 to 1970. The Stott family farm was at Mindarie in the Murray Mallee.

Above:- Tom Stott (far right) at a “Press v Parliament” cricket match, 1947. Image c/o Wikipedia.

The name Bakara was given by the aboriginal people to a native camp on a track from Swan Reach to Loxton. The word derives from either bakarra meaning ‘hot wind’ or balkara meaning ‘native dove.

In 1864 the Bakara Run was established by W.P. Barker (b. 1845. d. 1914) and D. McLean. The land was originally held by Messrs Lucas and Reid from February 1860. The Hundred of Bakara, County of Albert, was proclaimed on the 15th day of June 1893. The Netherleigh school was opened in 1909 as ‘Bakara’ and was closed in 1935. The Bakara Post Office was closed on the 30th day of June 1979.

The Bakara Conservation Park was proclaimed on the 15th day of May 1986.

Above:- from the SA Govt Gazette, 15 May 1986. Image c/o Wikipedia.

The park comprises land in sections 54 and 55 in the cadastral unit of the Hundred of Bakara. In 1983 the South Australian State Government compulsorily acquired Section 55 and this was proclaimed as the park. Section 54 was added on the 6th day of August 2009. The park currently covers an area of about 2,030 hectares.

The park provides valuable habitat for the Malleefowl.

I drove into the park via one of the tracks off the Stott Highway. It was a hot afternoon so I chose some shade underneath a tree to get out of the sun.

Band conditions on 10m and 15m were very good and this helped me to easily get over the 44 QSO line for the global World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.

It was also nice to pick up a couple of Park to Park contacts with Andy VK5LA and Daryl VK3BEZ.

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK5LA/p (Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2244)
2. VK5BJE
3. VK5MAZ
4. VK7QP
5. VK5FANA
6. VK3PF
7. VK5WU
8. VK1AO
9. VK2MET
10. VK3FABS/p
11. VK5NIG
12. VK3MCA
13. VK4FW
14. VK8MM

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

1. VK2VJE
2. VK3PF
3. VK2IO
4. VK4FW
5. VK8MM
6. VK3OHM
7. VK3ZSC
8. VK3BEZ/p (Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park VKFF-0747)
9. VK3TXB/m
10. VK4HRE
11. VK1AO
12. VK2MET
13. VK4EMP
14. VK4TI
15. VK3JLS

I worked the following stations on 15m SSB:-\

1. VK2VJE
2. VK4FW
3. VK8MM
4. VK4EMP
5. VK4TI
6. VK3ACZ
7. VK3PF
8. VK2IO
9. VK3EJ
10. VK3SQ
11. VK7IAN
12. VK4TJ
13. VK1AO
14. VK2MET
15. VK4KTW

I worked the following stations on 10m SSB:-

1. VK2FR
2. VK3SQ
3. VK3PF
4. VK5LA/p (Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2244)
5. VK1AO
6. VK2MET
7. VK2FADV
8. VK3ZSC
9. VK2MOE
10. VK4FW
11. VK8MM
12. VK3ACZ
13. VK2IO
14. VK2UGB
15. VK2MOE/m
16. VK2CPC
17. VK4HAT
18. VK4FFAB
19. VK4EW
20. VK2XZ/m
21. VK4TJ
22. VK7IAN
23. VK3EJ

References.

1. A Compendium of the Place Names of South Australia, 2023, <https://published.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/placenamesofsouthaustralia/>, viewed 13th February 2023.
2. Wikipedia, 2023, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Stott>, viewed 13th February 2023.
3. Wikipedia, 2023, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Stott>, viewed 13th February 2023.
4. Wikipedia, 2023, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakara_Conservation_Park>, viewed 13th February 2023.