After leaving the Little River silo 2nd March 2023), Marija and I drove the short distance to the second silo in Lara, the Lara silo VK-LRR3.

Above:- Map showing the location of Lara, north of Geelong. Map c/o Google Maps.

The Lara silo is located alongside the railway line on Mill Road in Lara. It is located opposite the Lara Sporting Club

Above:- Aerial view showing the location of the Lara silos. Image c/o Google Maps.

The Lara silos are operated by Quarantine Treatment Services Victoria (QTSV), Australia’s leading export of grain, barley, and pulses (grain legumes). There are five silos on the property:-

• 2 x 2200 tonne
• 1 x 1300 tonne
• 4 x 70 tonne
• 2 x 50 tonne
• 2 x 35 tonne

We parked on Mill Street, opposite the silos. Surprisingly the noise floor was not bad, considering we were right in the heart of busy Lara. We operated from the 4WD, running the Icom IC-7000, 100 watts, and the Codan 9350 (1.5 m stainless steel whip).

Above:- the activation zone at the Lara silo. Image c/o SiOTA website.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3GRK
2. VK1CHW
3. VK5KRX
4. VK1AO
5. VK2MET

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3GRK
2. VK1CHW
3. VK5KRX
4. VK1AO
5. VK2MET
6. VK2MOE
7. VK2IO
8. VK2GMC
9. VK2YK
10. VK5GA
11. VK7PAL
12. VK5WF
13. VK3NRB

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

1. ZL2AJ
2. VK1AO
3. VK2MET
4. ZL4NVW

References.

1. QTSV, 2023, <https://qtsv.com.au/>, viewed 27th April 2023.