Wunkar silo VK-WNR5

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My next activation for Saturday 17th August 2024 was the Wunkar silo VK-WNR5 for the Silos On The Air (SiOTA) program.

Wunkar is located about 232 km northeast of the city of Adelaide.

Above: The map shows the location of Wunkar, South Australia. Map c/o Google Maps.

Wunkar is about 27 km west of Loxton in the Riverland region of South Australia. Wunkar is an aboriginal word meaning ‘grass’.

The area was taken up by pastoral leases during the mid-1850s and was known as Walker’s Dam. It appears the name came from three brothers named Walker who were shepherds in the area. (Flickr 2024)

The town was proclaimed on the 3rd day of March 1927 and was originally known as Walkers Dam. The School was originally known as Walkers Dam and was changed to Wunkar in 1926. The school closed in 1974. (SA Place Names 2012)

The Wunkar silos are located at the former railway station on the old Wanbi to Moorook railway line which was also known as the Yinkanie Railway Line. The line was opened on the 4th day of September 1925 and was closed on the 1st day of May 1971. (Wikipedia 2024)

Above: The map shows the Yinkanie Line. Image c/o Wikipedia.

The Wunkar silos were the only silos located on the Yinkanie Line. They were opened in 1960. This followed an announcement in mid-1959 by the General Manager of South Australian Co-operative Bulk Handling Ltd. (Flickr 2024) (Pt Lincoln Times 1959) (Wikipedia 2024)

I last activated the Wunkar silos in January 2023.

I parked adjacent to the silos and operated from the 4WD, running the Icom IC-7000, 100 watts, and the Codan 9350 antenna with the 1.5-metre stainless steel whip.

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

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK3PF/p (Moorabbee Shoreline Geological Reserve VKFF-3774)
  2. VK5FANA
  3. VK5FBIC
  4. VK2R (Sydney Harbour National Park VKFF-0473)
  5. VK3ZPF/p (Upper Beaconsfield Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2219)
  6. VK4FDJL
  7. VK1CHW

After leaving Wunkar I drove into Renmark and booked into my accommodation. That evening I enjoyed a great meal, a few bundy and cokess, and plenty of laughs with Ivan VK5HS and Peter VK5PE.

References.

  1. Flickr. (2024). Wunkar In the Murray Mallee. All the remains of the Wunkar railway station and railway yards.The Wanbi to Yinkanie railway line was put through in 1925 and closed in 1971. [online] Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/82134796@N03/51116031572 [Accessed 5 Oct. 2024].
  2. ‌published.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au. (n.d.). A Compendium of the Place Names of South Australia. [online] Available at: https://published.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/placenamesofsouthaustralia/ [Accessed 5 Oct. 2024]
  3. ‌Trove. (2014). EIGHT SILOS MAY BE BUILT IN S.A. – Port Lincoln Times (SA : 1927 – 1988; 1992 – 2002) – 11 Jun 1959. [online] Available at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/266936415?searchTerm=wunkar%20silo [Accessed 5 Oct. 2024].
  4. ‌Wikipedia Contributors (2024). Yinkanie railway line. [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yinkanie_railway_line [Accessed 5 Oct. 2024].‌

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