My final silo activation for 26th April 2023 was the Tarlee silo VK-TRE3. Tarlee is located about 88 km north of the city of Adelaide.

Above:- Map showing the location of Tarlee. Map c/o Google Maps.

After leaving Saddleworth I travelled south on Horrocks Highway, named in honour of pastoralist and explorer John Ainsworth Horrocks (b. 1818. d. 1846).

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

I passed through the beautiful little town of Riverton located in the Gilbert Valley. I remember coming here when my children were little was there was an annual Hobby Fair in the town.

I then stopped at the monument for the former site of Gilbert Town. The town was established in 1848 as Gilbert and was renamed Gilberton in 1851 and then proclaimed Gilbert Town in 1856. The town once contained a Post office, The Bow and Arrow Hotel, and a store.

I then reached the small town of Tarlee on the Horrocks Highway. The exact origin of the town’s name is unknown, but it is believed that it is a corruption of the name Tralee in Ireland. Others suggest that it is an aboriginal word for a waterhole.

Adjacent to the silos are some excellent information boards that detail the history of Tarlee and provide information about the town and the district.

It was quite late by the time I reached Tarlee and the sun was setting.

I parked out of town on Sanders Road and operated from the 4WD, running the Icom IC-7000, 100 watts, and the Coadan 9350 antenna (1.5-metre stainless steel whip).

Above:- the activation zone at the Tarlee silos. Map c/o SiOTA website.

The highlight of this activation was working Doug VK9LF on Lord Howe Island for the second time in the day.

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3PF
2. VK5MAZ
3. VK5HS
4. VK4SMA
5. VK7AAE
6. VK1ARQ
7. VK2VBR
8. VK5MRS
9. VK5VST
10. VK2DWD
11. VK2LEE
12. VK3DL
13. VK4FDJL
14. VK1CHW
15. VK9LF
16. VK2SH
17. VK2SR
18. VK3PT
19. VK5KVA
20. VK3SMW

I worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-

1. VK3PF
2. VK2SH
3. VK5MAZ
4. VK5HS
5. VK2LEE

References.

1. Wikipedia, 2023, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarlee,_South_Australia>, viewed 16th May 2023.
2. Wikipedia, 2023, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ainsworth_Horrocks>, viewed 16th May 2023.