After leaving Cloughs Waterholes Wildlife Reserve at Arkona (Friday 17th November 2023), Marija and I headed towards the little town of Minyip. We planned on having lunch there and activating the Minyip silo.

On the way, we stopped at the Bill Middleton Roadside Reserve on the corner of Five Chain Road and Dimboola-Rainbow Road. 

William ‘Bill’ Middleton was born in 1926 in Nhill, Victoria. Bill worked at the Wail Nursery as the District Forester between 1959 and 1976. He is credited with being a pioneer of the conservation movement during the 1950s and 1960s during a period when it was politically incorrect to be ‘green’. Bill was a regular guest on ABC Wimmera Radio discussing topics of gardens, birds and natural history. He was a strong advocate for preserving roadside vegetation, and in the 1960s he led the fight to have the Little Desert declared a National Park, rather than cleared for agriculture as proposed by the Victorian State Government. Bill initiated the ‘trees on farms’ program which became known as Landcare. In 1999 Bill was awarded an OAM for his service to conservation, environment, and land management. He died in 2018. (Dimboola Courier Facebook 2024) (Victoria’s Forests 2024)

Above:- Bill Middleton. Image c/o Victoria’s Forests & Bushfire Heritage.

We continued on to the little area known as Sailors Home. It is believed that the area was named after two sailors who arrived in the area during the 1850s. They found employment at nearby Kewell Station as shepherds. The Sailors Home Hall was opened on the 16th day of October 1923. A total of 70 bonds valued at ten pounds each were sold to local farmers to fund the construction of the hall.  (Blake 1977) (Dimboola Courier 2024)

On the way to Minyip we drove passed the Murra Warra Wind Farm. It consists of 61 turbines and has a capacity of 226MW. (Squadron Energy 2024)

We then stopped at the Sailors Home Cemetery to view some of the historic headstones.

We then reached the little town of Minyip in western Victoria. Minyip comes from an aboriginal word minyup meaning ashes or dust. (Blake 1977)

The town of Minyip was established in the early 1870s, although Minyip’s origins can be traced back to a squatters run in the area. The sale of town blocks in 1875 attracted several ex-miners and many South Australian farmers of Prussian origin. (Wimmera Mallee 2024)

Above:- the main street of Minyip, c. 1919. Image c/o Flickr.

Minyip is a town rich in history. There are numerous historic buildings and there is a heritage walk which can be undertaken. Many of the buildings have information boards describing the history of the building.

In 1984 Crawford Productions released a long-running television series called ‘The Flying Doctors’. It was based in the fictional town of Coopers Crossing – actually Minyip. Production of The Flying Doctors ceased in 1989. Many of the town’s buildings were turned into fictional buildings for the series including the Senior Citizens Hall (Royal Flying Doctor headquarters).

In Minyip you can view the William Farrer monument. He is the ‘Father of the Australian Wheat Industry.’

After enjoying a very nice lunch at the local cafe, Marija and I drove out to the Donald-Murtoa Road and we activated the Minyip silo VK-MNP3. We operated from the vehicle, running the Icom IC7000, 100 watts, and the Codan 9350 antenna with the 1.5 metre stainless steel whip.

Above:- Map showing the activation zone at the Minyip silo. Image c/o SiOTA website.

There are two silos in the Minyip. Minyip VK-MNP3 which are located on Mill Street, and the Wimpak silos VK-WMK3 which are located on R. Learmont Road. 

The Minyip silos were constructed in 1939.

Above:- Article from The Horsham Times, Fri 12 May 1939. Image c/o Trove.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK2EXA
2. VK3ACL
3. VK3PF
4. VK3KAI
5. VK3SPG
6. VK3IDM
7. VK4NH
8. VK4DXA
9. VK2IO/p (Helms Flora Reserve VKFF-3057)

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK2EXA
2. VK3ACL
3. VK3PF
4. VK3KAI
5. VK3SPG
6. VK3IDM
7. VK4NH
8. VK4DXA
9. VK2IO/p (Helms Flora Reserve VKFF-3057)
10. VK5MOS
11. VK3GRX
12. VK3CLD/p (Kosciuszko National Park VKFF-0269)
13. VK3QA
14. VK3SO
15. VK2JAP/p
16. VK5AAR
17. Vk3DJ/p
18. VK3APJ
19. VK5VBR
20. VK3DAC
21. VK5VST

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

1. VK7EE
2. VK1AO
3. VK2MET
4. VK4NH
5. VK4DXA

References.

1. Blake; L, 1977, Place Names of Victoria, Rigby Limited, Melbourne.
2. Dimboola Courier, 2024, viewed 9th February 2024, https://www.facebook.com/DimboolaCourier
3. Dimboola Courier and Wangara Consulting, 2024, Sailors Home 90 years on, viewed 9th February 2024.
4. Squadron Energy, 2024, Murra Warra Wind Farms, viewed 9th February 2024.
5. Victoria’s Forests & Bushfire Heritage, 2024, Bill Middleton-Wail Nursery, viewed 9th February 2024.
6. Visit Wimmera Mallee, 2024, Minyip, Victoria, viewed 9th February 2024.