After leaving Castlemaine, Marija and I headed to our next park activation for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program, the Muckleford I135 Bushland Reserve VKFF-4281. The park is located about 7 km west of Castlemaine and about 128 km northwest of Melbourne.
Above:- Map showing the location of the Muckleford I135 Bushland Reserve. Map c/o Google Maps.
Along the way, we stopped to look at the ruins of the Orville Hotel on the Castlemaine-Maldon Road, Muckleford. The hotel was built c. 1855 and is a small brick and stone building.
The opening of the hotel was a highly anticipated event and a public announcement appeared in the Mount Alexander Mail. The hotel remained in use until c. 1890.
Above:- Advertisement from the Mount Alexander Mail, Fri 31 Aug 1855. Image c/o Trove.
The original inhabitants of the area were the Dja Dja Wurrung aboriginal people. The first European to pass through the area was explorer Major Thomas Mitchell who passed through the area in the spring of 1836 during his Australia Felix journey.
Muckleford was named after a pastoral run taken up in the district in 1840. In 1854 gold was discovered in the Muckleford district and in that same year a speculative township was put up for sale.
Above:- part of an article from the Mount Alexander Mail, Fri 25 May 1855. Image c/o Trove.
In 1855 an Anglican school was opened and remained in use until 1877. A government primary school replaced the Anglican school in 1871. Within a few years, there were several hotels in the district including the Orville Hotel, Monk’s Hotel and Simson’s Hotel. The Muckleford Post Office opened on the 1st day of August 1857 and closed in 1966. The town served the needs of the gold diggers of the area and soon had a population of over 2000 people. (Phoenix 2022) (Victorian Places 2024)
The reserve is located on the southern side of Muckleford School Road.
Above:- An aerial view of the Muckleford I135 Bushland Reserve. Image c/o Google Earth.
The reserve is about 19 hectares in size and was established on the 24th day of August 1982. (CAPAD 2022)
Sadly the band conditions had not improved. Marija and I made the decision that we would try to activate as many parks as we could with 10 QSOs for VKFF qualification, as the 44 QSOs required for the global WWFF program would probably not be achievable.
We ran the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole. I used the special call of VI10VKFF to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the VKFF program.
It was pleasing to get a few Park to Park contacts in the log, with other activators out and about battling the very poor band conditions.
Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
VK7XX
VK5LA
VK5KAW
VK3PF
VK3KAI
VK3TKK/p (Organ Pipes National Park VKFF-0627)
VK2EG/p (Watagans National Park VKFF-0522)
VK1AAF
VK5AKB/p (Monarto Conservation Park VKFF-0828)
Marija worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-
VK3PF
VK3KAI
VK3MCA/p (Gallaghers Ford Streamside Reserve VKFF-3693)
I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
VK7XX
VK5LA
VK5KAW
VK3PF
VK3KAI
VK3TKK/p (Organ Pipes National Park VKFF-0627)
VK2EG/p (Watagans National Park VKFF-0522)
VK1AAF
VK5AKB/p (Monarto Conservation Park VKFF-0828)
I worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-
VK3PF
VK3KAI
VK3MCA/p (Gallaghers Ford Streamside Reserve VKFF-3693)
Our second activation for Sunday 26th November 2023, was the Brassey Mine Bushland Reserve VKFF-4293. The reserve is located about 6 km northwest of Newstead and about 144 km northwest of Melbourne.
Above:- Map showing the location of the Brassey Mine Bushland Reserve. Map c/o Google Maps.
The Reserve comprises three sections and is located south of Brassey Lane, south of Fishermans Road and south of Leathbridge Road.
Above:- An aerial view of the Brassey Mine Bushland Reserve. Image c/o Google Earth.
The reserve is about 26 hectares in size and was established on the 24th day of August 1982. (CAPAD 2022)
Band conditions once again were absolutely terrible. We managed to qualify the park for the VKFF program, but were a long way off of the 44 QSOs required for the global World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.
We started off on 80m for this activation, knowing that the HAP charts suggest 40m would be bad. We ran the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole. I used the special call of VI10VKFF.
Marija worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-
VK3PF
VK3KAI
VK3SQ
VK2BD
VK3GJG
Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
VK3PF
VK3KAI
VK2LEE
VK5FANA
VK5HW
VK3CLD
I worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-
VK3PF
VK3KAI
VK3SQ
VK2BD
VK3GJG
I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
VK3PF
VK3KAI
VK2LEE
VK5FANA
VK5HW
VK3CLD
During our activation, I received a message from Tony VK3KKP from the Bendigo Amateur Radio Electronics Club (BAREC) to advise that they were meeting for coffee at Castlemaine. As the band conditions were so bad, this sounded like a great idea. It was terrific to be able to catch up with the BAREC group.
Our first park for Sunday 26th November 2023 was the Welshmans Reef Bushland Reserve VKFF-4294. The park is located about 5 km north of Newstead and about 143 km northwest of Melbourne.
Above:- Map showing the location of the Welshmans Reef Bushland Reserve. Map c/o Google Maps.
Welshmans Reef is a former gold mining town. The name is believed to originate from a Welshman discovering a gold-bearing reef in the area. There were numerous Welsh and Methodist settlers in the nearby townships of Frysterstown and Vaughan. (Victorian Places 2024)
The park is about 14 hectares in size and was established on the 24th day of August 1982. (CAPAD 2022)
Above:- An aerial view of the Welshmans Reef Bushland Reserve. Image c/o Google Earth.
We found a fence around the park, so we climbed over the fence on the Maldon-Newstead Road and activated the park. We ran the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole. I used the special call of VI10VKFF.
We found that the band conditions were terrible and this was reflected by the Hourly Area Prediction Chart (HAP).
The majority of our contacts were on 40m SSB, with a handful on 80m SSB. We tried calling CQ on 20m but had no takers.
Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
VK5ST/m
VK2AB
VK2IO/m
VK3PF
VK3KAI
VK3CLD/p
VK7AN/p (Bay of Fires Conservation Area VKFF-1133)
Marija worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-
VK3PF
VK3KAI
VK3SQ
VK2BD
I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
VK5ST/m
VK2AB
VK2IO/m
VK3PF
VK3KAI
VK3CLD/p
VK7AN/p (Bay of Fires Conservation Area VKFF-1133)
I worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-
VK3PF
VK3KAI
VK3SQ
VK2BD
Feeling rather disappointed (but the park qualified for the VKFF program), we packed up and headed off to our next park activation.
After leaving the Taradale Nature Conservation Reserve on Saturday 25th November 2023, Marija and I headed to the Rotary Castlemaine Truck Show at Campbells Creek. This annual family-friendly event celebrates the trucking industry’s important contribution and raises funds for the community. Being a truck enthusiast since I was a child, this was a brilliant event to attend. Plenty of ‘big rigs’ were on display, including great food and live entertainment.
Although the truck show is called the Castlemaine Truck Show, it is actually held at Campbells Creek, about 4km south of Castlemaine.
Campbells Creek was named in honour of pastoralist and politician, William Campbell. He was born on the 17th day of July 1810 in Perthshire, Scotland, and emigrated to Australia in 1838. He took up the Tourello pastoral run near Clunes. In 1850 Campbell discovered gold on the adjoining property owned by his brother-in-law Donald Cameron. He showed the gold to Cameron and they made a decision not to make the find public as they feared a gold rush would impact their pastoral activities. Campbell was subsequently issued with a reward as Victoria’s first gold discovery. Campbell did not announce the discovery until July 1851 and made a claim to being the ‘First Discover of Gold in Victoria.’ A select committee of the Legislative Council of 1853-54 voted him a £1000 reward. However, he was paid less than half that amount and gave it all to the men who had helped in his discovery. He also donated a substantial amount of the money to several hospitals and asylums. (Victorian Places 2024)
Above:- Article from the Geelong Advertiser, Thu 20 Oct 1853. Image c/o Trove.
In 1851 gold was discovered at Campbells Creek, part of the Castlemaine-Mount Alexander goldfields. In 1857 Campbell Creek’s official population was 2,459, however, it is believed this is underestimated by at least 500 male Chinese diggers. (eGold 2015) (Victorian Places 2024)
Above: Part of an article from the Mount Alexander Mail, Fri 21 Jul 1857. Image c/o Trove.
In 1854 a school was opened at Campbells Creek, followed by Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist churches in 1856. Several hotels were opened at Campbells Creek including the Five Flags Hotel built in 1855. The hotel opened on Friday the 1st day of June 1855. (Victorian Places 2024)
On the 26th day of Australia 1875, a fire swept through Campbells Creek. It destroyed the Chinese camp, however the Five Flags Hotel was saved.
Above:- Article from the Weekly TImes, Melbourne, Sat 23 Jan 1875. Image c/o Trove.
We then stopped in at the Castlemaine cemetery and fortunately checked out as well. This historic cemetery was established in 1852 and contains a wealth of history. The original cemetery was located in Templeton Street and was established in 1851. However, after 13 months of operation, the current cemetery site was established. (Castlemaine Cemetery 2024)
The Castlemaine cemetery contains a large number of Chinese headstones and a Funerary Tower where offerings were burnt for the departed.
You could easily spend half a day wandering around the cemetery reading the many historic headstones that tell stories about life in Castlemaine during the 1800s.
Lewin L. Parsons was born in 1816 in Wiltshire England and died in 1882. He was a bridge builder and resident of Castlemaine.
Edwin Day was born in 1814 and died in 1896. He was the first Pastor of the Congregational Church Castlemaine where he continued his ministry for nearly 25 years.
We then drove through Castlemaine quickly, on our way to the Pennyweight Flat cemetery. As we drove through the town we admired several of the historic buildings.
The Pennyweight Flat cemetery was established during the early years of the Mt Alexander gold rush. The cemetery takes its name from the pennyweight, a very small measure of gold. About 200 burials took place between 1852 and 1857. A shortage of water, contaminated water, poor diet and frequent accidents took a heavy toll on those who were living at the gold diggings. Many of these were children, although the cemetery contains the graves of both European and Chinese miners. Many of the graves are simple and consist of built-up loose rock. Many of those buried here were uncoffined and buried in shallow graves. (Heritage Council Victoria 2024)
We then visited the Forest Creek Historic Gold Diggings site. Unfortunately, the information boards were undergoing maintenance/replacement during our visit.
Our next stop was the Garfield Water Wheel at Chewton. The water wheel is believed tot the largest in the southern hemisphere, the wheel having a diameter of 22 metres. It was in operation between 1887 and 1903 to power the stamp battery for the mine. (Gold Fields Guide 2024)
It was then off to the Monster Meeting Site. No, not ghoulish monsters, but the site where thousands of miners gathered to protest the prospecting price.
Below is a short video on the Forest Creek Monster Meeting.
Our next stop was the Nimrod Reef Mine and Welsh Village. By 1859, 49 miners were working 9 claims over Nimrod Reef. Many of these miners had come from Wales. Welsh Village was established. Seven steam-powered batteries were in operation. Each battery had multiple stampers that pummelled the rock over and over, causing it to release the gold. A trolley track was built to deliver quartz from Nimrod Reef Mine to Lewis’ battery. The Nimrod and Donkey Reefs produced gold well into the 1900s.
Our last stop before our final park activation of the day was the Major Thomas Mitchell memorial at Golden Point Road, Expedition Pass. It commemorates the explorer Mitchell who passed through Expedition Pass in 1836. The memorial was unveiled in April 1914 and was attended by a large gathering of residents and school children of Chewton, Sutton Grange and nearby areas. Several dignitaries were also present. (Monument Australia 2024)
Our final activation for Saturday 25th November 2023, was the Fryers Ridge Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2091. It was totally dark by the time we reached the park, so we did not get to experience the park.
The reserve is about 2,142 hectares in size and was established on the 20th day of March 1979. (CAPAD 2022)
Above:- An aerial view of the Fryers Ridge NCR. Image c/o Google Earth.
It was getting quite late, so this was a quick activation from the vehicle. We ran the Icom IC7000, 100 watts, and the Codan 930 antenna with the 1.5 metre stainless steel whip. I used the special call of VI10VKFF. Unfortunately, we experienced the Over the Horizon Radar on 80m.
Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
VK1AO
VK2MET
VK2EG
VK5LA
VK5KAW
Marija worked the following stations on 40m AM:-
VK5LA
VK5KAW
VK3APJ
VK3PF
VK3KAI
I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
VK1AO
VK2MET
VK2EG
VK5LA
VK5KAW
VK4NH
VK4DXA
VK3SO
VK3APJ
VK3ZGA
VK3PF
VK3KAI
VK3UAO
KD1CT
VK5GY
VK3CA
VK4GTX
I worked the following stations on 40m AM:-
VK5LA
VK5KAW
VK3APJ
VK3PF
VK3KAI
VK3CA
VK2EG
I worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-
VK3CA
VK3PF
VK3KAI
VK5FANA
I worked the following station on 80m AM:-
VK3CA
We headed back to our accommodation at Sandon. It was slow going as there were plenty of kangaroos on the roads.
After leaving the Taradale Streamside Reserve on Saturday 25th November 2023, Marija and I drove a short distance to our next park activation at the Taradale Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2205.
Above:- Map showing the location of the Taradale NCR. Map c/o Google Maps.
We crossed the famous Todd’s Bridge built in 1870 over the Coliban River. The bridge is listed with the Victorian Heritage Database. The Coliban River is a tributary of the Campaspe River. The river takes its name after Coliban station which was taken up by overlander A.F. Mollison near the river in December 1837. (Blake 1978) (Vict Heritage Database 2024)
The reserve is located on the Metcalfe-Taradale Road.
Above:- An aerial view of the Taradale NCR. Image c/o Google Earth.
The reserve is about 184 hectares in size and was established on the 24th day of August 1982. (CAPAD 2022)
We ran the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole for this activation. I used the special callsign of VI10VKFF.
Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
VK3PF/p (Traralgon South Flora & Fauna Reserve VKFF-2464)
VK3KAI/p (Traralgon South Flora & Fauna Reserve VKFF-2464)
VK3SQ
VK2BD
VK5AAF/p (Cooltong Conservation Park VKFF-0823)
VK3MCA/p (Kurkuric Creek Streamside Reserve VKFF-3742)
After leaving the Harcourt Bushland Reserve on Saturday 25th November 2023, Marija and I headed south to our 3rd park activation for the day, the Taradale Streamside Reserve VKFF-3877.
On our way to Taradale, we stopped to look at Specimen Gully, the gully where the Victorian gold rush began. At the site, there is an old hut, a monument, and some information boards. The site is located on Specimen Gully Road, Barker’s Creek, about 8km from Castlemaine via the Midland Highway.
Prior to Mount Alexander, gold had been discovered in Victoria by European settlers at Clunes and Warrandyte. However the gold proved hard to extract and as a result, this did not lead to a large rush of hopeful gold prospectors. (Parks Victoria)
On the 20th day of July 1851, Christopher Peters discovered the first gold from the Mount Alexander goldfields near the site of the monument. The discovery took part on Dr William Barker’s pastoral run, where Peters was working as a shepherd and a hut keeper. He had been secretly panning for gold in ‘Whirleys Gulley’ at the head of Specimen Gully using a small soup tin. He found half-a-dozen pieces of gold about the size of grains of wheat. Upon the gold being shown in the men’s quarters, Peters was ridiculed as finding ‘fool’s gold’ (pyrite) and the gold was thrown away. It is believed that Barker did not want his workers to abandon the sheep on the run in search of gold. However, by August that is exactly what they did. John Worley, George Robinson, and Robert Keen who were also employed by Barker, resigned and told Barker they were heading to the goldfields at Clunes. In reality, they teamed up with Peters and commenced searching for gold in Specimen Gully. (Parks Victoria)
Above:- an engraving of ‘Whirley’s Gulley’ in 1851 by G.F. Sargent.
Barker found out what they were up to and was furious. He threatened to have them charged and prosecuted with trespass. As a result, one of the men, John Worley, penned a letter dated the 1st day of September 1851, that appeared in The Argus, Melbourne, on the 8th day of September 1851. The letter read as follows:
“I wish you to publish these four lines in your valuable paper, that the public may know that there is gold found in these ranges, about four miles from Dcotor Barker’s home station, and about a mile from the Melbourne road; at the southernmost point of Mount Alexander, where three men and myself are working. I do this to prevent parties from getting us into trouble, as we have been threatened to have the Constable fetched for being on the ground. If you will have the kindness ti insert this in your paper, that we are prepared to pay anything that is just when the Commissioner in the name of the party comes.” (Parks Victoria)
On the day that Worley’s letter was written, new regulations came into effect in Victoria which prohibited any person from digging without a monthly mining licence which cost thirty shillings (£1 10s) to be paid in advance. Captain Wright, the Chief Goldfields Commissioner, read Worley’s letter. He immediately instructed Commissioner Powlett to travel from Ballarat to issue a fine to the four men of £20 for digging without a licence. He also stipulated that a 10% royalty should be paid on the gold they had obtained. However, this did not occur and the four men continued to mine for gold in Specimen Gully. (Parks Victoria)
Above:- William Wright. Image c/o State Library Victoria.
Soon after the announcement of the finding of gold at Specimen Gully, trickles of people arrived in the area hoping that they too, would find gold. Within a month about 8,000 diggers were working the alluvial beds of the creeks. By the end of 1851 there were about 25,000 diggers on the goldfields. These people came from all across Australia including Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania), New South Wales, South Australia. Others came from as far away as China, Britain and New Zealand. Charles La Trobe, the Governor of Victoria, described these arrivals as ‘adventurers’. (Parks Victoria)
By the year 1852, more ships had sailed into Melbourne Victoria than any other port in the world. About 88,00 paying passengers departed the British Isles for Australia. Of those, 9 out of 10 came to Victoria in their pursuit of gold. By 1853 another 61,000 gold prospectors had arrived, followed by 83,000 in 1854. By the 1860s, these gold seekers had trebled the population of Australia. About 33% of the world’s gold was being produced in Victoria, with most of it coming from the Mount Alexander Diggings. (Parks Victoria)
In 1864, the Victorian Government awarded the four men, Peters, Worley, Robinson and Keen, a total of £250 each for discovering the Mount Alexander Goldfield. In today’s terms, this would be the equivalent of around $60,000. (Parks Victoria)
Above:- Article from the Mount Alexander Mail, Mon 25 Jul 1864. Image c/o Trove.
What ever happened to the men?
Christopher Peters is referred to as Christopher John Peters on the monument at Specimen Gully. However, during my research, many old newspaper articles referred to him as Christopher Thomas Peters. I have not been able to find any further information on Peters.
William Barker was born in 1818 in Buckinghamshire England and studied medicine at University College Hospital. He emigrated to Australia and in July 1845 he acquired the Mount Alexander run. In 1852 he was appointed a Territorial Magistrate for Castlemaine. In 1862 he returned to medical practice and became the surgeon at the Beechworth Hospital. Between 1865 to 1871 he practised medicine at Echuca. He then moved to Melbourne and practised medicine at Albert Park. He died in June 1899. (Aust Dict of Biography 2024)
John Worley was born in c. 1811 in London, England. He emigrated to Australia. In 1848 he married Bridget Mulvaney. By 1850 he was living in the Mount Alexander district. John and Bridget had seven children. In 1854 John Worley and his wife Bridget were living in a shepherd’s hut only a short distance from the initial gold discovery site. They had initially lived in a tent at the time of the discovery. John initially extracted gold by chipping quartz off an outcrop by hand and pounding it with hammers. By 1858 he had dug a shaft down to the reef. By 1866 he had moved to Lancefield. At some point, he and Bridget separated and she remained at Specimen Gully. John Worley died in Melbourne in January 1889. (ancestry.com.au 2024) (Parks Victoria)
I have not been able to find any information about Robinson and Keen.
The ruins that are located at the site are the home of Bridget Worley nee Mulvaney, the wife of John Worley.
Above: Bridget Worley, c. 1870s.
The original home is the room with the large fireplace, built by her son Daniel Rielley in c. 1870. Bridget lived at this house until c. 1895. She spent her final years in the Castlemaine Benevolent Asylum, before her death in 1898 at age 78. (Parks Victoria)
We left Specimen Gully and headed to Taradale. Along the way, we had some nice views of Mount Alexander despite the very threatening black clouds.
We soon reached the town of Taradale. It took its name from Tarradale House in Scotland, the birthplace of geologist Sir Roderick Murchison.
Above:- Sir Roderick Murchison. Image c/o Wikipedia.
In 1852 gold deposits were found at Taradale. By 1855 a school was opened and in 1856 an Anglican church was opened. The Taradale Post Office was opened on the 1st day of March 1856. Mechanics Institute was opened in 1860. By 1862 the railway line from Kyneton to Bendigo was opened and this involved the construction of a viaduct bridge across Back Creek valley. I will talk about the viaduct a little later in this post. (Victorian Places 2024)
Above:- Map of the township of Taradale. Image c/o State Library Victoria.
Other than the town being named after a famous geologist, several of the town’s streets are named after famous people in the field of science and geology. This includes Charles Lyell, Michael Faraday and Humphry Davy.
The old Taradale Post Office was built c. 1861. It operated jointly as a Post and Telegraph Office, with 39,000 letters and 17,500 newspapers arriving in Taradale each year.
The Taradale Mechanics Institute was established in 1858. The Mechanics Institute movement commenced in British urban industrial centres in the early 1800s. A ‘mechanic’ was a person applying skills and technology. During the 19th century, most towns in Victoria established a Mechanics Institute or Athenaeum with a library and meeting hall.
In close proximity to the Taradale viaduct is a historic family home built in c. 1887 by William Legg.
The Taradale Viaduct is something you have to see in person to appreciate. It is an amazing structure. It was designed by William Edward Bryson (b. 1823. d. 1903), a British civil engineer, surveyor and architect. It was built between 1858 and 1862 and is 36 metres in height above Back Creek. (Wikipedia 2024)
Several men have died whilst working on the viaduct. This included the Gatekeeper, Dennis Kennedy in 1863.
Above:- part of an article from The Argus, Mon 15 Jun 1863. Image c/o Trove.
On the 25th day of October 1862, about 1,200 people gathered at the Taradale police paddock to celebrate the opening of the Melbourne & Murray River railway, with a children’s picnic and sports day. Workmen reportedly decorated the viaduct with three flag-festooned triumphal arches through which the official train slowly passed while the dignitaries inside acknowledged the cheers of the spectators.
Above:- Article from the Mount Alexander Mail, Fri 17 Oct 1862. Image c/o Trove.
Near the viaduct, you can find several oak trees that were planted in May 1863 to commemorate the marriage of Queen Victoria’s son, the Prince of Wales (later King Edward 7th) to Princess Alexandra of Denmark, which took place in March 1863.
We then activated the Taradale Streamside Reserve VKFF-3877, located on the Metcalfe-Taradale Road.
Above:- An aerial view of the Taradale Streamside Reserve. Image c/o Google Earth.
The reserve is about 17 hectares in size and was established on the 24th day of August 1982. Back Creek flows through the reserve which in turn runs into the Coliban River. (CAPAD 2022)
We ran the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole. I used the special call of VI10VKFF. The band conditions were quite good apart from loud static crashes on the 40m band.
Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
VK3APJ
VK1CHW/p (Gossan Hill Nature Reserve VKFF-0842)
VK3DCQ
VK3CLD/2
VK3DAC
VK4FE/3
VK5KKT
VK3CEO
VK3PF/p (Traralgon South Flora & Fauna Reserve VKFF-2464)
VK3KAI/p (Traralgon South Flora & Fauna Reserve VKFF-2464)
VK5AAF/p (Cooltong Conservation Park VKFF-0823)
VK3MCA/p (Molison Creek Streamside Reserve VKFF-3771)
I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
VK3APJ
VK1CHW/p (Gossan Hill Nature Reserve VKFF-0842)
VK3DCQ
VK3CLD/2
VK3DAC
VK4FE/3
VK5KKT
VK3CEO
VK3PF/p (Traralgon South Flora & Fauna Reserve VKFF-2464)
VK3KAI/p (Traralgon South Flora & Fauna Reserve VKFF-2464)
VK2EXA
VK5AAF/p (Cooltong Conservation Park VKFF-0823)
VK7MAT
VK7JFD
VK3MCA/p (Molison Creek Streamside Reserve VKFF-3771)
VK3CJN
VK3MTT
VK3HJW
VK3PI
VK3UAO
VK7IAN
VK3YV
VK3TNL
VK3ZZS
VK2MOP
VK1AAF
VK3AWA
VK3ARM/m
VK3SQ
VK2BD
VK3ABQ/p (Mount Wombat-Garden Range Flora & Fauna Reserve VKFF-2403)
I had a family/friends Easter lunch on Saturday, so I did not get into the radio shack until late Saturday afternoon.
I initially was not going to participate in the contest and for the first few hours, Marija VK5MAZ and I just hunted around the bands looking for new DXCC entities/slots. But on Saturday evening when I heard the 20m band so good into North America, I decided to get involved as a participant.
Despite a late start to the contest, I logged 853 QSOs with a claimed score of 1,286,662 points.
I ran N1MM logging during the contest.
Below is a map of the world showing my QSOs during the contest.
I worked a total of 87 different DXCC entities:
Alaska
Andorra
Argentina
Asiatic Russia
Australia
Austria
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Bonaire
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cuba
Curacao
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Dominican Republic
East Malaysia
England
Estonia
European Russia
Federal Republic of Germany
Finland
France
Georgia
Greece
Hawaii
Hong Kong
Hungary
India
Indonesia
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Madeira Island
Malta
Martinique
Mauritius
Mexico
Morocco
Nepal
Netherlands
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Norway
Ogasawara
Oman
Paraguay
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Romania
Saint Kitts & Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent
Scotland
Serbia
Slovak Republic
Slovenia
Spain
Suriname
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Turks & Caicos Islands
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Vietnam
Wales
West Malaysia
The majority of my QSOs were on the 20m band.
Short path 20m conditions on Saturday night into the North America, and again on Sunday night, were excellent. The map below shows my contacts into the USA & Canada.
Long path propagation on 20m into Europe/UK was very good on Sunday afternoon. The map below shows my contacts into Europe & the UK.
One of the interesting contacts I made during the contest was with Nate N7NWT who was in the cockpit of an Airbus A321 flying over Louisiana, USA.
Our next activation for Saturday 25th November 2023 was the Harcourt Bushland Reserve VKFF-4295. The park is located about 9km northeast of Castlemaine and about 125 km northwest of Melbourne.
Above:- Map showing the location of the Harcourt Bushland Reserve. Map c/o Google Maps.
The first European settler in the Harcourt district was Dr WIlliam Barker who ran the Mount Alexander pastoral run. He built a homestead alongside Barkers Creek at Harcourt North. The township of Harcourt was surveyed in 1853 at the junction of the roads to Bendigo and Castlemaine, near Barkers Creek. The town was named in honour of Sir William George Granville Venables Vernon Harcourt (b. 1827. d. 1904), English Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Above:- Sir William Harcourt. Image c/o Wikipedia
A school was opened at Harcourt in 1859, followed by a railway station in 1863 when the railway line was opened between Kyneton and Bendigo. A Methodist church was opened in 1863. (Victorian Places 2024)
The Harcourt Bushland Reserve is also referred to as Barkers Creek Bushland Reserve. The reserve is about 36 hectares in size and was established on the 26th day of February 2002. (CAPAD 2022)
Above:- An aerial view of the Harcourt Bushland Reserve. Image c/o Google Earth.
Several mineshafts can be found in the reserve from the 1850 gold rush period. The original mineshafts were round. When the Cornish miners arrived at the goldfields in 1852, they commenced creating oblong shafts, and their example was followed by subsequent miners.
We ran the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole for this activation. I used the special call of VI10VKFF. Band conditions were quite good apart from some loud static crashes on 40m.
It was now Saturday 25th November 2023, and day one of the 2023 VKFF Activation Weekend for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program. The VKFF Activation Weekend was initiated in 2015. The weekend is designed to promote the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program in Australia, by encouraging amateurs to get out into the field and operate portable from a qualifying VKFF reference area. It is generally a very popular weekend.
Our first activation of the day was the Mount Alexander Regional Park VKFF-0973 and the SOTA summit Mount Alexander VK3/ VN-016.
The park is about 19 km (by road) northeast of Castlemaine and about 125 km northwest of Melbourne.
Above:- Map showing the location of Mount Alexander. Map c/o Google Maps.
The Mount Alexander region is the traditional home of the Jaara Jaara aboriginal people. The summit of Mount Alexander is known as Lanjanuc or Lenganook and was the location of a sacred ceremonial ground and was used as an outlook due to its high vantage point. (Mt Alexander Regional Park Visitor Guide 2010)
The first European to climb Mount Alexander was the explorer Major Thomas Livingstone Mitchell (b. 1792. d. 1855). He conquered the mountain on the 28th day of September 1836 during his Australia Felix journey.
Above:- Major Thomas Mitchell. Image c/o Wikipedia.
Mitchell initially named the mountain Mount Byng in honour of John Byng, 1st Earl of Strafford, a Field Marshal during the Peninsular War. (Victorian Places 2024)
Above:- John Byng. Image c/o Wikipedia.
The mountain’s name was changed to Mount Alexander in honour of Alexander the Great, emperor of ancient Macedonia. (Victorian Places 2024)
Above:- Alexander the Great. Image c/o Wikipedia.
A few years later, on the 8th day of February 1838, explorer Edward John Eyre (b. 1815. d. 1901), camped on the northwest slope of Mount Alexander. (Waterhouse)
Above:- Edward John Eyre. Image c/o Wikipedia.
In 1851 gold was discovered close to Mount Alexander and tales that the area was the new ‘Eldorado’ swept across the world. The goldfields became known as Forest Creek or Castlemaine and they became the richest shallow alluvial goldfields in the world and one of the largest goldrush areas of the 1800s. (Mt Alexander Regional Park Visitor Guide 2010)
Gold was first discovered on the 20th day of July 1851 at Specimen Gully on Barkers Creek by a shepherd, Christopher Thomas Peters. He worked for Dr. William Barker on his Mount Alexander Run. When the gold was shown, Peters was mocked as it was believed the gold was ‘fool’s gold’ and it was thrown away. Dr. Barker did not want his workers to abandon his sheep.
In September 1851 the workers sent a letter to The Argus declaring the ‘new goldfield’.
Above:- Letter from The Argus, Melbourne, Mon 8 Sep 1851. Image c/o Trove.
Within a month, about 8,000 miners were working on the alluvial gold fields at Mount Alexander. By the end of 1851, an estimated 25,000 diggers were working on the gold fields.
Above:- The Mount Alexander Gold diggings. Image c/o State Library Victoria.
During the 1850s a gold escort route was established by Alexander Tolmer (b. 1815. d. 1890) between Mount Alexander and Adelaide, South Australia. Tolmer would later become the Commissioner of Police in South Australia.
Above:- Alexander Tolmer. Image c/o Wikipedia.
The first escort undertaken contained about 270 kg of gold and arrived in Adelaide on the 20th day of March 1852. The second escort contained even more gold, about 730 kg of gold.
Above:- Gold escort 1852. Image c/o Wikipedia.
About 110,00 kg of gold was extracted from the Mount Alexander goldfields in the first 2 years of the gold rush.
By the 1860s, quarries had opened at Mount Alexander to provide stone for the Northern Railway (Melbourne to Echuca Railway). Granite was subsequently used for buildings in Melbourne. One of those involved in this industry was Joseph Blight (b. 1832. d. 1897), a Cornish quarryman who had been involved in quartz reef mining at Eureka Reef. He commenced work at Blight’s Quarry in 1862. By the 1870s Mount Alexander had been stripped of vegetation to provide timber for the goldfields. (Ancestry.com.au 2024) (Mt Alexander Regional Park Visitor Guide 2010)
Above:- An article from the Weekly Times, Melbourne, Sat 24 Mar 1883. Image c/o Trove.
In 1867, a huge bonfire was constructed on the top of Mount Alexander to be lit in honour of the visit of the Duke of Edinburgh. (Mt Alexander Mail 1867)
Above:- Article from the Mount Alexander Mail, Sat 23 Nov 1867. Image c/o Trove.
The Mount Alexander Regional Park is about 1,400 hectares in size and lies within the Harcourt granite intrusion that is believed to be about 367 million years old. You can view numerous rock boulders in the park. The park has steep slopes, tall trees and rocky outcrops. (Mt Alexander Regional Park Visitor Guide 2010)
Native animals that can be found in the park include koalas, Eastern Grey kangaroos, echidnas, Brushtail and Ringtail possums, Sugar Gliders and the Brush Tailed Phascogale. (Mt Alexander Regional Park Visitor Guide 2010)
A popular abseiling spot in the park is Dog Rocks, a large outcrop of granite boulders on the western slopes of Mount Alexander. In 1846, Lockhart Moton, the manager of Sutton Grange Station, named the rocks as they were a favourite lair of a pack of dingoes. (Gold Fields Guide 2024)
The Mount Alexander summit is 741 metres above sea level and is worth 4 points in the Summits On The Air (SOTA) program. It has been activated a total of 111 times. It was first activated on the 13th day of May 2012 by Wayne VK3WAM. (SOTA 2024)
Above:- An aerial view of Mount Alexander looking towards Bendigo. Image c/o Google Maps.
Although there are communication equipment towers on the top of Mount Alexander, Marija and I did not experience any interference.
Marija and I drove along Joseph Young Drive and found a clearing in the scrub, south of the communication towers and within the activation zone.
Joseph Young Drive is named in honour of long-serving Metcalfe Shire councillor Joseph Young. The road was pioneered by a group who wanted a tourist road constructed across the top of Mount Alexander. In 1928, Colonel James H. Lang the Vice President of the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV) pushed for the road to be constructed.
In June 1928, James Lang and his 24-year-old son Alan Lang in a Buick, and the Mayor of Councillor. J.R. Duggan in a Chevrolet accompanied by Mr A.S. Collings Borough Surveyor and the Hon. S.W. Lawson, drove across Mount Alexander in a zig-zag fashion to prove that a tourist road was feasible. In 1930 the road was constructed for £23.
Above:- Article from The Argus, Melbourne, Mon 15 Dec 1930. Image c/o Trove.
For this activation, we ran the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole. I used the special event callsign of VI10VKFF.
As this was a ‘drive-up’ SOTA summit we had the luxury of a fold-up table and deck chair. We were also set up before the ‘UTC rollover’.
We logged a total of 78 QOS, including 28 Park to Park contacts.
Marija worked the following stations on 40m before the UTC rollover:-
VK3GJG/p (Sassafras Creek Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2187)
VK2YAK/p (Barrington Tops National Park VKFF-0017)
VK2PKT/p (South West Woodland Nature Reserve VKFF-2724)
VK7PAL
VK3GTV
VK21IO/m
VK3SO
VK3UAO
I worked the following station on 40m AM:-
VK3BEL
I worked the following stations on 20m SSB before the UTC rollover:-
VK4NH
VK4DXA
VK3GTV
ZL3MR
VK4FO
VK6LMK
ZL4NVW
VK4FOX
I worked the following stations on 20m SSB after the UTC rollover:-
VK4FOX
VK6LMK
VK4FO
References.
Ancestry.com.au. (2016). Ancestry® | Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records. [online] Available at: https://www.ancestry.com.au/ [Accessed 1 Apr. 2024].
Autobiographical Narrative of Residence and Exploration in Australia 1832–1839 by Edward John Eyre. Edited by Jill Waterhouse, published by Caliban Books Page 127
Harcourt News The Core, Edition 93, May 2022
Parks Victoria, 2010, Mount Alexander Regional Park Visitor Guide.
Our final park activation for Friday 24th November 2023 was the Glamorgan Reef Bushland Reserve VKFF-4279. The park is about 20 km south of Newstead and about 130 km northwest of Melbourne.
Above:- Map showing the location of the Glamorgan Reef Bushland Reserve. Map c/o Google Maps.
The Glamorgan Reef Bushland Reserve is about 9 hectares in size and was established on the 26th day of February 2002. (CAPAD 2022)
The reserve takes its name from the Glamorgan Reef gold mine which opened in 1859. (South West Victoria Historic Mining Plots 1980)
Above:- Part of an article from The Age, Melbourne, Thu 5 Aug 1858. Image c/o Trove.
We found a little track running off Glamorgan Road. We ran out the 20/40/80m linked dipole and used the Yaesu FT857 and 40 watts output. I used the special call of VI10VKFF.
Above:- An aerial view of the Glamorgan Reef Bushland Reserve, showing our operating position. Image c/o Google Earth.
Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
VK3PF
VK3KAI
VK4SMA
VK3VIN
VK5PE/m
VK1AO
VK2MET
VK3CEO
VK3SG
VK4NH
VK4DXA
VK2IO/p (Molonglo Gorge Nature Reserve VKFF-0991)
I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
VK3PF
VK3KAI
VK4SMA
VK3VIN
VK5PE/m
VK1AO
VK2MET
VK3CEO
VK3SG
VK4NH
VK4DXA
KD1CT
ZL3ASN
VK3CLD/2
VK5LA
VK5KAW
VK5FANA
VK3APJ
VK5KLV
VK7HBR
VK7JGD
VK2IO/p (Molonglo Gorge Nature Reserve VKFF-0991)
VK2PBC
VK4HMI
VK7AAE
VK3EJ
VK3SO
VK3EI
VK3UAO
VK4GJW
VK5VST
VK3ZK
VK2AX
JF7RJM
VK3BLG
VK5DW
VK5VK
I worked the following stations on 40m AM:-
VK3CEO
VK2IO/p (Molonglo Gorge Nature Reserve VKFF-0991)
VK5DW
I worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-
VK3PF
VK3KAI
VK2IO/p (Molonglo Gorge Nature Reserve VKFF-0991)
VK5DW
VK5VK
References.
Bannear; D, 1980, South West Victoria Historic Mining Plots
VK5PAS 