Cox Scrub Conservation Park VKFF-0824

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Our third and final park for the 2024 VKFF Team Championship on Saturday 12th October 2024, was the Cox Scrub Conservation Park VKFF-0824.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Cox Scrub Conservation Park. Map c/o Google Maps.

Due to a previous poor encounter with a park ranger at this park, Marija and I decided to activate the park on its western side. To get there we travelled along Ridge Road and were rewarded with some very nice views of the surrounding countryside.

Cox Scrub Conservation Park is about 563 hectares in size and was established on the 5th day of March 1970. It is one of the larger parks that are located on the Fleurieu Peninsula, south of Adelaide. (CAPAD 2022) (NPWS 2024)

The park contains open stands of stringybark with banksia under­sto­ry. The park consists of gently undulating land. It also includes a short section of the Finniss River. There is also a steep-sided valley in the southeastern corner of the park that contains a spring-fed creek. (Friends of Cox Scrub) (NPWS 2024)

Above:- An aerial view of the Cox Scrub Conservation Park. Image c/o Google Maps.

Over 80 species of birds, 15 species of mammals, 11 species of reptiles, and 6 species of frog can be found in the park. Over 350 plant species have been recorded in the park including the vulnerable Marsh Gum. (Friends of Cox Scrub)

The park is home to some vulnerable and endangered species. These include Southern-brown Bandicoot, Rosenberg’s Goanna, and Southern Emu-wren. (Friends of Cox Scrub)

A number of the native plants in the park were flowering during our visit.

Most of the Cox Scrub Conservation Park was pre­vi­ous­ly owned by the late Mr Victor Cox of Ash­bourne. He preserved the area in a nat­ur­al state for over­win­ter­ing his hon­ey bees. In 1969 the land was pur­chased from Mr Cox, on the condition that he was permitted to keep bees in the park for as long as he required. This agreement was upheld until his passing. (NPWS 2024)

Victor Haines Cox was born on the 27th day of October 1987 at Strathalbyn. In 1935 he married Jessie Evelyn Moore at Victor Harbour, South Australia. They had two children. Victor died on the 2nd day of April 1973 at Giles Flat, South Australia. He is buried at the Ashbourne cemetery, South Australia. (ancestry.com.au)

Above: the headstone of Victor Haines Cox at the Ashbourne cemetery. Image c/o Find a Grave

The park was proclaimed on the 5th day of March 1970 as Cox’s Scrub National Park. On the 27th day of April 1972, the park was reconstituted as Cox Scrub Conservation Park. In 1977, and then again in 1982, further smaller additions were added to the park. (NPWS 2024) (Wikipedia)

Above:- Proclamation of the Cox Scrub National Park, SA Govt Gazette, 5 March 1970

Marija and I set up just inside the gate at gate 5 on Boronia Track. We ran the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole.

We logged a total of 72 stations before packing up and heading off for dinner at the Greenman Inn at Ashbourne.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK3VIN
  2. VK3SQ
  3. VK2BD
  4. VK2MOE
  5. VK1MO
  6. VK1AO
  7. VK2MET
  8. VK5TUX
  9. VK3MGM
  10. VK4NH
  11. VK4DXA
  12. VK3YE/P
  13. VK4EMP
  14. VK4TI
  15. VK4GKO
  16. VK5HOS
  17. VK5AR
  18. VK5VK
  19. VK4SUN
  20. VK7WN
  21. VK5ZYL
  22. VK5HW
  23. VK4HNS
  24. VK3APJ
  25. VK4IDK
  26. VK2BYF
  27. VK2VT
  28. VK3GP
  29. VK5GMH
  30. VK2WE

Marija worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-

  1. VK5TUX
  2. VK3LF
  3. VK3GJG
  4. VK5DW
  5. VK5GMH
  6. VK5FANA

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK3VIN
  2. VK3SQ
  3. VK2BD
  4. VK2MOE
  5. VK1MO
  6. VK1AO
  7. VK2MET
  8. VK5TUX
  9. VK3MGM
  10. VK4NH
  11. VK4DXA
  12. VK3YE/P
  13. VK4EMP
  14. VK4TI
  15. VK4GKO
  16. VK5HOS
  17. VK5AR
  18. VK5VK
  19. VK4SUN
  20. VK7WN
  21. VK5ZYL
  22. VK5HW
  23. VK4HNS
  24. VK3APJ
  25. VK4IDK
  26. VK2BYF
  27. VK2VT
  28. VK3GP
  29. VK5GMH
  30. VK2WE

I worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-

  1. VK5TUX
  2. VK3LF
  3. VK3GJG
  4. VK5DW
  5. VK5GMH
  6. VK5FANA

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 16 Dec. 2024].‌
  2. Friends of Cox Scrub Conservation Park, A guide for the Cox Scrub trails
  3. National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia. (n.d.). Cox Scrub Conservation Park. [online] Available at: https://www.parks.sa.gov.au/parks/cox-scrub-conservation-park.‌ [Accessed 16 Dec. 2024].‌
  4. Wikipedia Contributors (2021). Cox Scrub Conservation Park. Wikipedia.‌

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