Carwarp Bushland Reserve VKFF-4142 and Carwarp silo VK-CRP3

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My second activation for Monday 19th August 2024 was the Carwarp Bushland Reserve VKFF-4142 and the Carwarp silo VK-CRP3.

The reserve is about 30 km south of Mildura in northwest Victoria.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Carwarp Bushland Reserve. Map c/o Google Maps.

Carwarp is a rural locality in northwest Victoria, located on the Calder Highway. (Victorian Places)

Above:- Map of the locality of Carwarp. Map c/o MapShare Victoria.

There are various theories on the origin of the name Carwarp. Some suggest that Carwarp is derived from an aboriginal word describing a crow or the call of a crow. Others suggest that it is an aboriginal word for bend in the Murray River. (Place Names Victoria) (Victorian Places)

The first known European settlers in the area were John Kidd and James Brown who took up Carwarp station in 1847. The station was also known as Kidds Station and was 64,000 acres in size. It was sold during the 1850s to James McGrath (b. 1827. d. 1898). In 1861 it was sold to John Crozier, and in 1864 the station was sold to Hugh Jamieson who was the owner of Mildura station. The station had several more owners until the expiration of the lease in 1911. (Nangiloc 2024) (Swvic.ai 2024)

By 1903 the railway to Mildura had opened. By 1911 the Carwarp area was surveyed for closer-settlement farms. Carwarp was beyond the area supplied by irrigation water. The land around Carwarp was cleared by mallee roller and burning and was then sown with wheat. (Victorian Places)

Cultivating in the Carwarp district, 1922. Image c/o Museums Victoria.

The Carwarp Post Office opened on the 17th day of November 1913 and closed in 1992. In 1917 a progress association in Carwarp constructed a hall in which a school was opened. In 1919 a store opened at Carwarp. (Victorian Places) (Wikipedia)

Above:- Plan of the township of Carwarp. Image c/o State Library Victoria.

Carwarp was the hometown of Percy Gerald Stewart (b. 1885. d. 1931), a founding member of the Victorian Farmers Union, from which the Country Party (now National Party of Australia) emerged. (Wikipedia)

Above:- Percy Stewart. Image c/o Wikipedia.

In 1988 modern silos were built at the railway, making Carwarp a major wheat-receiving depot for the Millewa region. (Victorian Places)

The Carwarp Bushland Reserve is located on both the western and eastern sides of the Calder Highway.

Above:- An aerial view of the Carwarp Bushland Reserve. Image c/o Google Earth.

The Carwarp Bushland Reserve is about 66 hectares in size and was established on the 1st day of May 1979. (CAPAD 2022)

I accessed the park off Brownport Road. I ran the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole for this activation.

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK5HS/m
  2. VK2VW
  3. VK2HFI
  4. VK2AKA
  5. VK2BUG
  6. VK5FB
  7. VK5PL
  8. VK3APJ
  9. VK2VAR
  10. VK2GOM
  11. VK3CEO
  12. VK3GP/m
  13. VK3PFp (Pink Cliffs Geological Reserve VKFF-3833)
  14. VK5DC
  15. VK1AD
  16. VK1NAM
  17. VK3HJW
  18. VK3ENI
  19. VK3MKE
  20. VK5IS
  21. VK3CA
  22. VK3CJN
  23. VK2SLB
  24. VK2BRN
  25. VK2KBT
  26. VK2IO
  27. VK2GEZ
  28. VK1DI
  29. VK5MOS/m
  30. VK7DIK
  31. VK3PWG
  32. VK3TKK

I worked the following stations on 40m AM:-

  1. VK3CA
  2. VK3HM
  3. VK3MKE

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

  1. VK2IO
  2. VK2GEZ
  3. VK2SLB
  4. VK2BRN
  5. VK2KBT
  6. VK5HS/m
  7. VK2VW
  8. VK2HFI
  9. VK2AKA
  10. VK2BUG
  11. VK5QA/4
  12. VK3CLD/4
  13. VK4SMA
  14. VK4EMP
  15. VK4TI
  16. VK4GKO
  17. VK7WN
  18. VK6JK

References.

  1. 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 10 Oct. 2024].‌
  2. Leslie James Blake, 1978, Place Names of Victoria.Victorianplaces.com.au. (2014). Carwarp | Victorian Places. [online] Available at: https://www.victorianplaces.com.au/carwarp [Accessed 10 Oct. 2024].
  3. ‌Nangiloc (2024). https://nangiloc.vic.au/history/history-surrounding-stations/ [Accessed 10 Oct 2024]
  4. Swvic.au. (2024). James McGRATH 1827-1898 & Johanna MULCAHY ~1840-1918, Ireland; ‘Carwarp’ Murray River, Vic.; Corowa, NSW; Kyneton; ‘Muntham’ Carapook; Bahgallah & Strathdownie, S-W Victoria, Australia. [online] Available at: https://www.swvic.au/carapook/names/mcgrath-james.htm [Accessed 10 Oct. 2024].
  5. ‌Wikipedia Contributors (2023). Percy Stewart. [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Stewart [Accessed 10 Oct. 2024].
  6. ‌Wikipedia Contributors (2023). Carwarp, Victoria. [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carwarp [Accessed 10 Oct. 2024].‌

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