Our next activation for Thursday 30th November 2023 was the Noahs Ark Dam Natural Features Reserve VKFF-4301.
The reserve is located about 5 km northeast of Ararat and about 207 km northwest of the city of Melbourne.
Above:- Map showing the location of Noahs Ark Dam Bushland Reserve. Map c/o Google Maps.
The reserve is located on the northern side of New Year’s Day Road, Ararat, at the intersection with Noahs Ark Road.
Above:- An aerial view of the reserve showing its boundaries. Image c/o Google Earth.
The reserve is about 3.4 hectares in size and was established on the 16th day of October 2001. (CAPAD 2022)
During our time in the park, Marija made an unusual discovery of bones wrapped in black plastic which had been weighted down with gravel. There were also some items of clothing. To be on the safe side I telephoned the local police who said they would come out to have a look. I never heard anything back, so I assume everything was okay.
Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
- VK3PF
- VK3KAI
- VK3SQ
- VK2BD
- VK3BBB
- VK2CCP
Marija worked the following stations on 40m AM:-
- VK3PF
- VK3KAI
- VK3SQ
- VK2BD
I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
- VK3PF
- VK3KAI
- VK3SQ
- VK2BD
- VK3BBB
- VK2CCP
- VK5FANA
- VK2CDB
- VK5TN
- VK5CZ
- VK5NFT
- VK1AO
- V K2MET
- VK2HHA
- VK7AAE
- VK3SG
- VK3SPG
- VK2USH
- VK3MDC
- VK7LJP
- VK3MTT
- V4DJF
- VK3APJ
- VK2EXA
- VK2NZ
- VK3MCK
- VK4EW
- VK3CLD
- VK3UAO
- VK5AAF
- KG5CIK
- VK2KA/3
I worked the following stations on 40m AM:-
- VK3PF
- VK3KAI
- VK3SQ
- VK2BD
I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-
- VK4EW
- IK4IDF
- OH1MM
- KG5CIK
- IW2BNA
- VK4EMP
- VK4TI
- F1BLL
- ZL1HIM
- DG1YBN
I worked the following station on 20m AM:-
- VK4EW
Marija and I then visited the Ararat cemetery.
The Friends of Gum San Ararat Cemetery Project was commenced out of respect for the Chinese miners who died in the Ararat Goldfields in the mid to late 1800s. Chinese miners commonly had their names written in older of traditional Chinese script, which were then anglicised into pinyin when recorded, and in many cases, this resulted in their names being incorrectly written down by clerks.
Winefred and William Ryan who sailed from Plymouth England in 1853 aboard the Argyle, leaving behind their homeland of County Tipperary, Ireland. They were innkeepers of Traveller’s Rest Hotel Fiery Creek.
John Creswick was the first settler at Banyena Plains in 1844. He died in August 1893, aged 77 years. He was the discoverer of Creswick’s Well, which did good service during three great droughts 1881, 1902, & 1915.
The Fletcher family plot contains several members of the Fletcher family who migrated from Adrtun, Isle of Mull, Scotland in 1852. They departed from Liverpool, England on 1 1088 tonne clipper ‘Europa’ on 17 June 1852 and landed at Port Williamstown, Melbourne on 15 September 1852. They first settled at Broadmeadows, Melbourne and later selected land at Burrembeep, south of Ararat. FOllowing gold mining success, Lachlan and Dugald Fletcher also selected land at Langilogan, east of the family settlement. Due to a shortage of available land in the area, the family then went on to select land and farm a Bangerang, near Awarracknabeal, Victoria in 1874. Marion, the wife of John Fletcher, and the rest of their children are buried in the Presbyterian section of the Warracknabeal cemetery.
Reverand William Mackintosh was the first Minister of the Gospel who settled in Ararat in connection with the Presbyterian church. He died on the 18th day of January 1860, aged 54 years.
William Naylor, late of Rudsey Yorkshire, died as a result of an accident during the erection of the Ararat Gaol in August 1861. He was 43 years old.
There are numerous historic headstones in the cemetery and you could easily spend half a day here wandering around learning about the history of Ararat.
Marija and I then drove up to Aradale Lunatic Asylum. Marija and I had booked in for a night time ghost tour the following night. I’ll speak more about Aradale during that post.
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 1st May 2024].
- https. (n.d.). Ararat Cemetery Reserve. [online] Available at: https://www.goldfieldsguide.com.au/explore-location/229/ararat-cemetery-reserve/ [Accessed 2 May 2024].
VK5PAS 