After booking into our motel at Renmark on Thursday 26th October 2023, Hans, Marija and I headed over the border from South Australia into Victoria to activate some new parks. I had added a number of Victorian parks to the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program, specifically for amateurs who were visiting the area for the VKFF National Get Together.

Our first park was the Morkala Bushland Reserve VKFF-4119 which is located about 57 km (by road) from Renmark. This was to be a first time activation of this park.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Morkala Bushland Reserv e. Map c/o Google Maps.

The Parks Victoria website has a page for the Morkala Bushland Reserve, but it contains no information other than a park boundary image.

The Morkala Bushland Reserve was declared on the 8th day of May 1990 and is 56 hectares in size. eBird Australia has recorded 16 species of native birds in the reserve including Black-shouldered Kite, Stubble Quail, Emu, Nankeen Kestrel, and Common Bronzewing.

Morkala Bushland Reserve is located in the Millewa Mallee region of northwest Victoria. The Millewa region is a large strip of land that is located between sections of the vast Murray Sunset National Park. The reserve is located on the corner of Morkala South Road and Milewa Road at Meringur. It is located on either side of Millewa Road.

Above:- Aerial view of the Morkala Bushland Reserve. Image c/o Google Earth.

Meringur is an aboriginal word meaning ‘grey kangaroo. Prior to European settlement, the land was inhabited by the Latje Latje aboriginal people.

The Meringur area was opened up for European settlement in the 1920s. Prior to this, a number of large pastoral holdings existed in the area. A railway line was built from Red Cliffs to Meringur, and in 1925 the Meringur railway station opened. It had facilities to cater for passengers, sheep and grain. On the 2nd day of February 1926, the post office opened. In 1927 the school was opened. By 1928 about 600,000 acres of land in the area had been taken up by about 708 settlers.

Above:- a plan of the town of Meringur. Image c/o State Library Victoria.

The railway line to Morkala was extended in 1931 but closed in 1965. The entire railway line was closed by 1988.

In the mid- 1940s Werrimull, which is centrally located in the Millewa region, became the district centre. Merringur’s store and lands office closed in the 1970s. By 1988 the railway had closed, and in 1998 the Merringur school, with 16 pupils, also closed.

Above:- Meringur in days of old. Images c/o Museums Victoria.

We set up in the southern section of the park and chose some coverage under a tree as it was quite a hot afternoon.

At its peak, Meringur had an open-air palais theatre, general store, post office, milk bar, tea rooms, bakehouse, dressmaker, mechanics shop, hardware store, guest house, hairdresser, saddlery store, greengrocer, tobacconist, timber yard, blacksmith, butchers, billard room, ice works, hall and a school.

Above:- part of an article from the Murray Pioneer newspaper, Fri 9 Jan 1931. Image c/o Trove.

We ran the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole for this activation. The flies were out in force, so Marija wore her fly netting hat to keep them at bay.

I operated using the special callsign of VI10VKFF to celebrate 10 years of the VKFF program. I qualified the park with 56 QSOs.

Marija and Hans also qualified the park for the VKFF program.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3OAK/p (Green Lake Regional Park VKFF-0967)
2. VK3PWG/p (Green Lake Regional Park VKFF-0967)
3. VK2IO/p (Mildura I220A Bushland Reserve VKFF-4139)
4. VK3PF/p (Merrinee Bushland Reserve VKFF-4124)
5. VK5BJE
6. VK3SQ
7. VK2BD
8. VK5KLV
9. VK3SX
10. VK3VD
11. VK5TN
12. VK2BYF/p (Mount Barrow State Reserve VKFF-1818)
13. VK2GOM/p (Mount Barrow State Reserve VKFF-1818)
14. VK2IO/p (Merbein Bushland Reserve VKFF-4140)

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3OAK/p (Green Lake Regional Park VKFF-0967)
2. VK3PWG/p (Green Lake Regional Park VKFF-0967)
3. VK5GY
4. VK2IO/p (Mildura I220A Bushland Reserve VKFF-4139)
5. VK5HS
6. VK5IS
7. VK3VIN
8. VK3EJ
9. VK3APJ
10. VK3SG
11. VK3SQ
12. Vk2BD
13. VK3DCQ
14. VK4NH
15. VK4DXA
16. VK3AEI
17. VK3SX
18. VK3DL
19. VK3HJW
20. VK5MSA
21. VK3CM
22. VK5TN
23. VK3AXH
24. VK3UH
25. VK3PF/p (Merrinee Bushland Reserve VKFF-4124)
26. VK3MKM
27. VK5BJE
28. VK3SO
29. VK5SCR
30. VK5BB
31. VK2GOM/p (Mount Barrow State Reserve VKFF-1818)
32. VK2BYF/p (Mount Barrow State Reserve VKFF-1818)
33. VK2IO/p (Merbein Bushland Reserve VKFF-4140)
34. VK1MA
35. VK2UK/1
36. VK8GMT/1
37. VK2HHA
38. VK3MCK
39. VK2EXA
40. VK5ST
41. VK5FANA
42. VK3HBG
43. VK3ANL
44. VK3CEO
45. VK4EW
46. VK5MH
47. VK3BWS
48. VK3BAP

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

1. VK4NH
2. VK4DXA
3. ZL4NVW
4. VK4EMF
5. KG5CIK
6. OH1MM
7. VK4EW
8. VK7ID

References.

1. Discover Murray, 2023, <http://www.murrayriver.com.au/meringur>, viewed 8th November 2023.
2. eBird Australia, 2023, <https://ebird.org/australia/hotspot/L7809895?yr=all&m=&rank=mrec>, viewed 8th November 2023.
3. flickr, 2023, <https://www.flickr.com/photos/129023979@N05/49471611407>, viewed 8th November 2023.
4. Millewa History Photos Facebook page, 2023, <https://www.facebook.com/groups/294088674263524>, viewed 8th November 2023.
5. Victorian Places, 2023, <https://www.victorianplaces.com.au/meringur>, viewed 8th November 2023.