Duddo Wells Bushland Reserve VKFF-4153

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Our next activation for Friday 10th November 2023 was the Duddo Wells Bushland Reserve VKFF-4153. The park is located about 20km (by road) northeast of Murrayville. This was to be a first-time activation of the park for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Duddo Wells Bushland Reserve. Map c/o Google Maps.

The Murrayville district contains several smaller areas namely Duddo which had its own Post Office from 1913 to 1918 and Duddo Wells from 1914 to 1950. Duddo was originally an outstation of Brimin. Duddo originally contained a hall, a school and had a Duddo Race Club and the Duddo Red Cross Society.

In 1920 a tragedy occurred at Duddo Wells with the shooting of Mrs. Isabella Morrison by her brother-in-law.

Above: – part of an article from The Register, Adelaide, Mon 22 Nov 1920. Image c/o Trove

The reserve is just a small 6-hectare area of Mallee bushland located on the corner of Duddo Wells Road and Mitchells Bore Road.

It is an interesting park, in that it includes a driveway leading to a farm. The park’s northern section contains some scrub, but the southern section is almost barren. The area surrounding the reserve has been completely cleared for farming.

Above:- An aerial view of the reserve. Image c/o Google Earth.

We found the band conditions to be average. I only managed to get 30 contacts in the log on 20 & 40m. I also tried 10m but had no takers.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK3PF
  2. VK2EXA
  3. VK2NP
  4. VK1AO
  5. VK2MET
  6. VK3DAC
  7. VK3VIN
  8. VK3ZSC/p (Dandenong Ranges National Park VKFF-0132)
  9. VK3KMA

Marija worked the following stations on 40m AM:-

  1. VK3PF

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK3PF
  2. VK2EXA
  3. VK2NP
  4. VK1AO
  5. VK2MET
  6. VK3DAC
  7. VK3VIN
  8. VK3ZSC/p (Dandenong Ranges National Park VKFF-0132)
  9. VK3KMA
  10. VK7EV
  11. VK7VSG
  12. VK2VAR
  13. VK2GOM
  14. VK1AAF
  15. VK1AD
  16. VK1NAM
  17. VK2SLB
  18. VK2IO/p (Patho Plains Railway Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-4244)
  19. VK3SG
  20. VK4NH
  21. VK4DXA
  22. VK3ANL
  23. VK3ARK

I worked the following stations on 40m AM:-

  1. VK3PF
  2. VK3ANL

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

  1. VK1AO
  2. VK2MET
  3. VK4NH
  4. VK4DXA
  5. VK4EHO

References.

  1. Blake; L, 1977, Place Names of Victoria.
  2. Trove, 2023, <https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/63031301>, viewed
  3. Wikipedia, 2023, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murrayville,_Victoria>, viewed

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