Marija and I left the Dunach Nature Conservation Reserve on Friday 24th November 2023, and we drove north to our next park activation, the Mount Greenock Geological Reserve VKFF-3789.
Above:- Map showing the location of the Mount Greenock Geological Reserve. Map c/o Google Maps.
The explorer Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell was the first European to travel through this area. He climbed and named Mount Greenock on the 26th day of September 1836. The name came from a burgh on the Forth of Clyde. From this vantage point, Mitchell also named the bare surrounding volcanic cones as the “Mammeloid Hills”. (Monument Australia 2024)
Above:- Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell. Image c/o Wikipedia.
From 1841, Mount Greenock formed part of Alexander MacCallum’s Dunach Forest pastoral run, sometimes referred to as the Mount Greenock run. (Goldfields Guide 2024) (Victorian Goldfields Project 1998)
From 1855 to 1886 gold was mined at Mount Greenock. The first period of gold mining at Mount Greenock was in June 1855. (Victorian Goldfields Project 1998)
Above:- part of an article from the Geelong Advertiser, Tue 7 Jun 1859. Image c/o Trove.
The reserve is about 142 hectares in size and was established on the 24th day of August 1982. (CAPAD 2022)
The reserve includes Mount Greenock, an extinct volcano. (Goldfields Guide 2024)
Above:- An aerial view of Mount Greenock. Image c/o Google Maps.
There is an excellent information board at the reserve that outlines the life and times of Major Mitchell.
Unfortunately, we had constant drizzling rain during this activation so we operated from within the 4WD, running the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole. I also used the COdan 930 antenna on 15m. There were severe static crashes on 40m, but despite that, we managed to qualify the park.
Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
- VK3UAO
- VK5HS
- VK3PWG
- VK2EXA
- VK3VIN
- VK3SQ
- VK2BD
- VK7DW
- VK5VK
- VK3PF
- VK3KAI
- VK3HJW
- VK3XE/p (Baw Baw National Park VKFF-0020 & SOTA VK3/ VT-006)
- VK3SG
- VK2IO/p (Melrose Nature Reserve VKFF-3183)
I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
- VK3UAO
- VK5HS
- VK3PWG
- VK2EXA
- VK3VIN
- VK3SQ
- VK2BD
- VK7DW
- VK5VK
- VK3PF
- VK3KAI
- VK3HJW
- VK3XE/p (Baw Baw National Park VKFF-0020 & SOTA VK3/ VT-006)
- VK3SG
- VK2IO/p (Melrose Nature Reserve VKFF-3183)
- VK3BBB
- VK2CCP
- Vk1AO
- VK2MET
- VK3BEL
- VK3KRL
- VK7XX
- VK5DW
- VK3DCQ
- VK7HBR
- VK5PE/m
- VK3BE
I worked the following stations on 40m AM:-
- VK3BEL
- VK3PF
- VK3KAI
- VK3BBB
- VK2CCP
- VK3DCQ
- VK5DW
I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-
- VK4NH
- VK4DXA
- VK7XX
- ZL1TM
- ZL4NVW
- VK6JK
- ZL3ES
- VK4EK
- KG5CIK
I worked the following stations on 15m SSB:-
- ZL1TM
- VK7XX
References.
- Dcceew.gov.au. (2023). Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database (CAPAD) 2022 – DCCEEW. [online] Available at: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/land/nrs/science/capad/2022 [Accessed 27 Mar. 2024].
- Department of Natural Resources & Environment, January 1998, Victorian Goldfield Project
- https. (n.d.). Mt Greenock Geological Reserve. [online] Available at: https://www.goldfieldsguide.com.au/explore-location/351/mt-greenock-geological-reserve/ [Accessed 27 Mar. 2024].
- monumentaustralia.org.au. (n.d.). Major Thomas Mitchell | Monument Australia. [online] Available at: https://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/exploration/display/32759-major-thomas-mitchell- [Accessed 27 Mar. 2024].
VK5PAS 