Murray River National Park VKFF-0372 and Paringa silo VK-PRG5

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As we headed back into Renmark from Chowilla, a small group of us gathered on 40m, including myself in the mobile. As a result, we agreed to head out for dinner together at the Parilla Hotel.

Once back in Renmark, Marija and Hans decided to have a rest. I chose to head out for a quick activation at the Paringa Paddock section of the Murray River National Park VKFF-0372. Peter Hunter, the Mayor of Renmark delivered a very interesting presentation on Saturday evening at the 2023 VKFF National Get-Together about the Paringa Paddock section of the Murray River National Park. As a result, I was very keen to have a look at this section of the National Park.

Above:- An aerial view of Paringa Paddock showing my operating spot. Image c/o Google Maps.

My operating spot was within the activation zone of the Paringa silo VK-PRG5.

Above:- The activation zone of the Paringa silo. Image c/o SiOTA website.

The Paringa Paddock is a newly declared section of the Murray River National Park. It is well-signposted off the Sturt Highway between Renmark and Paringa.

This section of the park was alive with birdlife during my visit.

The Paringa silos were painted by Jack Fran and Sam Brooks. The silos feature a silhouette likeness of a local hero to the region. This includes George Disher, Sister Elaine Balfour-Ogilvy, Captain Pearl Wallace, and Charles Francis Chaffey. For more information on the silo have a look at the Australian SIlo Art Trail website.

I operated from the vehicle for this activation, running the Icom IC-7000, 100 watts, and the Codan 9350 antenna with the 1.5-metre stainless steel whip.

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK5BRU/p (Pike River Conservation Park VKFF-0831)
  2. VK5AAF
  3. VK3CAT
  4. VK5HS
  5. VK3IO
  6. VK5LA
  7. VK5KAW
  8. VK3GJG
  9. VK7DIK
  10. VK3CBH
  11. VK2XXL
  12. VK3ZDK
  13. VK2IO/p (Pike River Conservation Park VKFF-0831)
  14. VK3PF/m
  15. VK3VIN
  16. VK3ACZ
  17. VK4EHI
  18. VK2EAT/m

That evening, a group of us enjoyed a very nice meal at the Paringa Hotel.

References.

  1. Australian SIlo Art Trail, 2023, <https://www.australiansiloarttrail.com/paringa>, viewed 16th December 2023.

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