Daily Archives: April 19, 2023

The Spit Wildlife Reserve VKFF-2452

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It was now Thursday 2nd March 2023, and we had another full day before attending the Avalon Air Show. After breakfast Marija and I drove out to the Werribee Open Range Zoo, located at Werribee, about 32 km southwest of Melbourne.

The zoo is home to a variety of animals including gorillas, Hippopotamus, Giraffe, American Bison, Przewalski Horse, Oryx, Blackbuck, Cheetah, and Lion.

The zoo also has a number of Southern White Rhinoceros, which we were able to get up close and personal with during a Safari tour.

The park also has numerous native birds and animals.

I even found a ‘radio room’ at the zoo which contained an Icon IC751, a Uniden 2020, and a Realistic receiver.

The zoo is also the home of the historic Chirnside Shearing Shed which was once part of the Chirnside pastoral property. The shearing shed was built in 1861.

One of the highlights of the Werribee Zoo was observing the Orange-bellied parrots. There are fewer than 50 of these in the wild and they are listed as critically endangered.

We then visited the Victoria State Rose Garden at Werribee. It contains over 5,000 roses, covering about 5 hectares. In 2003, the rose garden was awarded the International Garden of Excellence by the World Federation of Rose Societies. It was the first rose garden outside of Europe to receive this award.

We then strolled over to the Werribee Park Mansion, a magnificent basalt and sandstone mansion which was completed in 1877 for the Chirnside family. They were originally from Scotland and made their fortune from would production across the Western District of Victoria.

We spent quite some time at the mansion as there was a lot to see.

Marija and I then drove to The Spit Wildlife Reserve VKFF-2452, which is about 28 km northwest of Geelong, and about 53 km southwest of Melbourne.

Above:- Map showing the location of The Spit Wildlife Reserve. Map c/o Protected Planet.

The park is 300 hectares in size and is located on the northwestern shore of Port Phillip Bay.

Above:- An aerial view of The Spit WR. Image c/o Google maps.

The Spit Wildlife Reserve is located in close proximity to the Avalon Airport, the venue for the Australian International Air Show. There was quite a variety of aircraft up in the air during our activation at the park.

What does Spit mean? A spit or sandspit is a deposition bar or beach landform off coasts or lake shores. It is a stretch of beach material that projects out to the sea. A spit thus has two ends. The end jutting out onto the water is called the distal end, and the one attached to land is called the proximal end.

Above:- A spit, contrasted with other landforms. Image c/o Wikipedia.

The Spit Wildlife Reserve contains sand spits, a lagoon, and an area of saltmarsh. The north and sout spits at the reserve are about 4 km in length and they vary in size and shape dependant upon the tide and onshore currents.

At high tide the lagoon’s depth reaches about one metre. At low tide a mudflat is exposed. This changing environment provides an important feeding ground for a variety of birds, particularly waders and waterbirds.

The critically endangered Orange-bellied parrot was once found in the park, but it is believed that due to a decline in the condition of the saltmarsh, numbers have declined and they are no longer observed.

Below is a video on this amazing bird which is bred at the Werribee zoo (see above – we actually saw these critically endangered birds. albeit in captivity).

The reserve is listed as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention as part of the Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site. It is also subject to the China–Australia Migratory Bird Agreement, the Japan–Australia Migratory Bird Agreement, and the Bonn Convention. The reserve is part of the Werribee and Avalon Important Bird Area, which was identified by BirdLife International due to its importance for wetland and waterbirds as well as for orange-bellied parrots.

Access to the majority of this park is restricted by permits for birdwatchers. But we did find a small area where we were able to pull off the road and set up. We ran the Yaesu FT857 and the 20/40/80m linked dipole, and the Icom IC7000 & Codan 9350 antenna for this activation,

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

Marija made the following contacts on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK3AWA/p (Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park VKFF-0747)
  2. VK3PF
  3. VK7MAD
  4. VK2VH
  5. VK4AAC
  6. VK5CZ/p
  7. VK1CHW
  8. VK7AAE
  9. VK2IO
  10. VK4FW
  11. VK8MM
  12. VK2EXA
  13. VK1AO
  14. VK2MET

Marija made the following contacts on 20m SSB:-

  1. VK2LEE
  2. VK1AO
  3. VK2MET

I made the following contacts on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK3AWA/p (Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park VKFF-0747)
  2. VK3PF
  3. VK7MAD
  4. VK2VH
  5. VK4AAC
  6. VK5CZ/p
  7. VK1CHW
  8. VK7AAE
  9. VK2IO
  10. VK4FW
  11. VK8MM
  12. VK2EXA
  13. VK1AO
  14. VK2MET
  15. VK3GB
  16. VK3UCD
  17. VK2LEE
  18. VK3MCK
  19. VK4NH
  20. VK4DXA
  21. Vk5GY
  22. VK2DA
  23. VK1DA
  24. VK3BBB
  25. VK2CCP
  26. VK2MOE
  27. VK5TN
  28. VK3AMO
  29. VK5BJE
  30. VK5FB
  31. VK3NP
  32. VK3UAO
  33. VK3LVH
  34. VK5KRX
  35. VK3NBL
  36. VK4KTW
  37. VK3SKT
  38. VK7WJT
  39. VK3VCE
  40. VK1NK

I made the following contacts on 20m SSB:-

  1. VK2LEE
  2. VK1AO
  3. VK2MET
  4. VK3ZPF
  5. VK4SMA
  6. VK5CZ
  7. VK4FW
  8. VK8MM
  9. VK4NH
  10. VK4DXA

I made the following QSO on 15m SSB:-

  1. ZL4NVW

References.

  1. Port Phillip & Western Port Regional Catchment Strategy, 2023, <https://portphillipwesternport.rcs.vic.gov.au/prospectus/the-spit-saltmarsh-restoration-project/>, viewed 19th April 2023.
  2. Victoria State Rose Garden, 2023, <https://www.vicstaterosegarden.com.au/>, viewed 19th April 2023.
  3. Wikipedia, 2023, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spit_Nature_Conservation_Reserve>, viewed 19th April 2023.
  4. Wikipedia, 2023, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spit_(landform)>, viewed 19th April 2023.
  5. World Atlas, 2023, <https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/coastal-landforms-what-is-a-spit.html>, viewed 19th April 2023.

Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park VKFF-0954

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We left the Swan Bay-Edwards Point Wildlife Reserve and headed to our final park activation for Wednesday 1st March 2023, the Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park VKFF-0954.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Port Phillip Heads Marine Park. Map c/o Protected Planet.

Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park protects a diverse marine environment comprising Swan Bay, Mud
Islands, Popes Eye, Point Lonsdale, Point Nepean and Portsea Hole.

Above:- Map showing the Port Phillip Heads Marine Park. Map c/o Protected Planet.

The park is 3,580 hectares (8,800 acres) in size and consists of six separate marine areas at the southern end of Port Phillip Bay. The park stretches along 40km of coastline.

Above:- Map showing the six separate marine areas of the park. Map c/o Parks Victoria.

The Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park was created on the 16th day of November 2002. Part of the park includes Popes Eye, which was Victoria’s first marine protected area known as the Harold Holt Marine Reserve. It was named after former Australian Prime Minister Harold Edward Holt (b. 1908. d. 1967), who drowned near Port Nepean. His body was never located.

Above:- Harold Holt. Image c/o Wikipedia.

Port Phillip Bay was originally known as Narm -Narm by the Kulin aboriginal people. The first Europeans to discover and enter Port Phillip were the crew of the Lady Nelson under the command of John Murray (b. 1775. d. 1807), in February 1802. Murray named the Bay Port King, in honour of the Governor of New South Wales, Philip Gidley King.

Above:- John Murray. Image c/o Wikipedia.

On the 4th day of September 1805, King formally names the bay Port Phillip, in honour of his predecessor Arthur Phillip.

Above:- Arthur Phillip. Image c/o Wikipedia.

Marija and I drove down to the jetty at Swan Bay.

Thousands of migratory wading birds travel to Swan Bay each summer from breeding grounds in Central Asia, Siberia, and Alaska. At low tide, these birds hunt for food on exposed mudflats. At high tide, the waders roost along the shore. We were fortunate to observe an abundance of birdlife.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK3SQ
  2. VK5HS
  3. VK3ANL
  4. VK3PF
  5. VK3DL
  6. VK2EXA
  7. VK3BBB
  8. VK2CCP
  9. VK3QH
  10. VK4FW
  11. VK8MM

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK3SQ
  2. VK5HS
  3. VK3ANL
  4. VK3PF
  5. VK3DL
  6. VK2EXA
  7. VK3BBB
  8. VK2CCP
  9. VK3QH
  10. VK4FW
  11. VK8MM
  12. VK3VIN
  13. VK2YAK
  14. VK4YAK
  15. VK3AMO
  16. VK2VH
  17. VK4AAC
  18. VK4NH
  19. VK4DXA
  20. VK7MAD
  21. VK7KW
  22. VK2XSE/m
  23. VK5AYL
  24. VK1AO
  25. Vk2MET
  26. VK5FANA
  27. VK4HNS
  28. VK2IO
  29. VK3MTT
  30. VK5BJE
  31. VK7AAE
  32. VK1DI
  33. VK3JDO
  34. VK5BMC
  35. VK4TJ
  36. VK2LEE
  37. VK5LA
  38. VK3ZPF
  39. VK7EE
  40. VK5HAA
  41. VK2SR/m

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

  1. VK2LEE
  2. Vk4SMA
  3. VK4FW
  4. VK8MM
  5. VK2IO
  6. IW2NXI
  7. VK4NH
  8. VK4DXA
  9. IW2BNA
  10. VK4HR
  11. VK2HRX
  12. VK2PKT
  13. VK4TJ
  14. Vk4EMP
  15. VK4TI
  16. OH2CGU
  17. UT5PI

After packing up at the park, Marija and I drove to Queenscliffe, a beautiful little town on the Bellarine Peninsula. Prior to European settlement, the area was home to the Bengalat Bulag clan of the Wautharong tribe, members of the Kulin nation. In 1836 European squatters commenced arriving in the area which was named Shortland’s Bluff in honour of Lieutenant John Shortland (b. 1769. d. 1810), who assisted in the surveying of Port Phillip.

Above:- John Shortland. Image c/o Wikipedia.

In 1853, land sales commenced in the area, and in the same year, the name was changed by Lieutenant Charles La Trobe from Shortland’s Bluff to Queenscliff in honour of Queen Victoria.

Above:- Queen Victoria. Image c/o Wikipedia.

We drove around Queenscliffe admiring the magnificent architecture dating back to the 1800s.

We also had a quick look, from the outside, of Fort Queenscliff, which dates from 1860 when an open battery was built at Shortland’s Bluff to defend the entrance to Port Phillip.

Queenscliffe is home to the famous Shortland Bluff ‘Queenscliff Black’ lighthouse which was built in 1862. It is also known as Queenscliff High Light.

It was a beautiful evening and we enjoyed some great views along the coastline, including across to the Point Nepean National Park.

Queenscliff is home to two lighthouses: The Queenscliff High Light, and the Queenscliff Low Light, also known as the Queenscliff White Lighthouse. It was built in 1863 to replace the original prefabricated wooden lighthouse.

We were getting hungry, so we headed to the Queenscliff Brewhouse where we enjoyed a very nice meal.

After dinner, we drove out to the Point Lonsdale lighthouse which was built in 1902 to replace the original wooden lighthouse which had been dismantled at Shortland Bluff and then re-erected at Point Lonsdale in 1863.

Although being windy, it was quite a balmy night, so we stayed for a while watching some of the ships entering and leaving Port Phillip Bay.

We then headed back to our accommodation in Geelong.

References.

  1. Dolphin Research Institute, 2023, <https://www.dolphinresearch.org.au/popes-eye-and-australasian-gannets/>, viewed 19th April 2023.
  2. Lighthouses of Australia Inc, 2023, <https://lighthouses.org.au/vic/shortland-bluff-lighthouse/>, viewed 19th April 2023.
  3. Lighthouses of Australia Inc, 2023, <https://lighthouses.org.au/vic/point-lonsdale-lighthouse/>, viewed 19th April 2023.
  4. Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park Visitor Guide.
  5. Wikipedia, 2023, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Phillip_Heads_Marine_National_Park>, viewed 19th April 2023.
  6. Wikipedia, 2023, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Queenscliff>, viewed 19th April 2023.
  7. Wikipedia, 2023, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queenscliff_Low_Light>, viewed 19th April 2023.

Swan Bay-Edwards Point Wildlife Reserve VKFF-2444

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After leaving Salt Lagoon St Leonards Wildlife Reserve (1st March 2023), Marija and I headed to our next park, the Swan Bay-Edwards Point Wildlife Reserve VKFF-2444.

We drove south along The Esplanade and stopped briefly at the William Buckley Memorial and John Batman encampment site. In my previous post about Salt Lagoon St Leonards WR, I spoke about Buckley and Batman.

The Buckley monument reads:

“Near this site William Buckley returned to European society after having lived for 32 years with the Wathaurong people. He and about 70 members of the Bengalat Clan of the Wathaurong tribe, whose land this was, spent several months in 1835 with John Batman’s men, before the latter moved their settlement to Melbourne. Buckley was a pioneer in cultural understanding. This place of contemplation is dedicated to his memory.”

The Swan Bay-Edwards Point Wildlife Reserve is 281 hectares in size and was established on the 20th day of March 1979. It is located on the Bellarine Peninsula, east of Geelong.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Swan Bay-Edwards Point WR. Map c/o Protected Planet.

The park is located south of Bluff Road at Leonards, and to the east of Queenscliffe Road. The park follows the coast south to Knights Road. The park appears on maps as Swan Bay-Edwards Point Wildlife Reserve, while the park sign just read Edwards Point Wildlife Reserve.

Above:- Map showing the Swan Bay-Edwards Point WR. Map c/o Protected Planet.

The park was previously known as the Edward Point State Faunal Reserve which was established in March 1971.

The park protects the last remaining stand of coastal woodland on the Bellarine Peninsula. The park contains a magnificent coastline with remote beaches, cool coastal woodlands, and extensive salt marshes. The park is home to numerous native plants and animals.

The park is part of the Swan Bay and Port Phillip Bay Islands Important Bird Area, which has been identified by BirdLife International. The critically endangered orange-bellied parrot can be found in the park. It also supports over 1% of the Australian population of four wader species: Grey Plover, Pacific Golden Plover, Double-banded Plover, and Eastern Curlew.

Below is a great video showing the park.

The park is adjacent to Swan Bay, a shallow 30 km2 marine embayment at the eastern end of the Bellarine Peninsula. The bay is partly separated from the much larger Port Phillip Bay, by Swan Island, Duck Island, and Edwards Point. Explorer Captain Matthew Flinders named the bay ‘Swan Ponds’ due to the abundance of black swans in the area. Up to 2,700 black swans can be found here during summer and early autumn.

Above:- Captain Matthew Flinders. Image c/o Wikipedia.

The park includes Edwards Point, which is a 4km long sand spit that extends to the south between Swan Bay and Port Phillip Bay. With Duck Island and Swan Island, it forms the part-barrier which separates Swan Bay from Port Phillip.

Marija and I set up in the Bluff Road carpark.

Above:- An aerial shot showing our operating spot. Image c/o Google Earth.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK3SQ
  2. VK3PWG/p
  3. VK2VH
  4. VK4AAC
  5. VK7QP
  6. VK2EXA
  7. VK3PF
  8. VK5HS
  9. VK3UAO
  10. VK2XSE/p (Fivebough and Tuckerbil Swamps VKFF-3266)
  11. VK3ZPF

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK3SQ
  2. VK3PWG/p
  3. VK2VH
  4. VK4AAC
  5. VK7QP
  6. VK2EXA
  7. VK3PF
  8. VK5HS
  9. VK3UAO
  10. VK2XSE/p (Fivebough and Tuckerbil Swamps VKFF-3266)
  11. VK3ZPF
  12. VK3ZSC
  13. VK3CEO
  14. VK1DI
  15. VK4FW
  16. VK8MM
  17. VK3MCK
  18. VK3BBB
  19. VK2CCP
  20. VK5FB
  21. VK5FANA
  22. VK5HAA

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

  1. VK4TJ
  2. VK4SMA
  3. VK4HAT
  4. VK4NH
  5. VK4DXA
  6. VK2LEE
  7. VK2IO
  8. VK5NIG
  9. VK4FW
  10. VK8MM

I worked the following stations on 15m SSB:-

  1. VK4HAT
  2. VK4FFAB
  3. VK4NH
  4. VK4DXA
  5. VK4SMA
  6. VK4TJ
  7. VK2IO
  8. VK1AO
  9. VK2MET
  10. VK4FW
  11. VK8MM

I worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-

  1. VK3ANL
  2. VK3PF

References.

  1. CAPAD 2020.
  2. Parks Victoria, 2023, <https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/places-to-see/sites/edwards-point-two-bays-lookout->, viewed 19th April 2023.
  3. Wikipedia, 2023, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan_Bay>, viewed 19th April 2023.
  4. Wikipedia, 2023, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwards_Point_(Victoria)>, viewed 19th April 2023.