Daily Archives: March 24, 2025

Friday evening dinner – 2024 VKFF National Get Together

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On Friday evening 25th October 2024, the 2024 VKFF National Get-Together kicked off with a dinner at the Hotel Shamrock in Bendigo.

There were about 50 people in attendance.

Those who attended were issued with their Welcome pack (a bag full of goodies) and the merchandise that they had previously ordered, e.g. VKFF Get Together caps, polo shirts, etc.

It was a great night, with a few of us kicking on after the meal.

Jobs Gully Bushland Reserve VKFF-5172

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My final activation for Friday 25th October 2024 was Jobs Gully Bushland Reserve VKFF-5172, located in Bendigo, Victoria.

The reserve is located on the southern side of Jobs Gully Road, Eaglehawk, a suburb of Bendigo.

The reserve is about 11 hectares in size and was established on the 5th day of August 1980. (CAPAD 2022)

There was no vehicular access to this park. I set up just inside one of the access gates to the reserve. I strapped the 7-metre telescopic squid pole to a permapine fence post with an octopus strap. I ran the Yaesu FT857 and 40 watts and the 20/40/80m linked dipole.

As this was a built-up residential area I received lots of unusual looks and was approached by a handful of people asking me what I was doing. It was a good opportunity to promote the hobby of amateur radio to those who spoke with me.

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK3TKK/p (Bendigo West Bushland Reserve VKFF-4590)
  2. VK2IO/P (Goornong H102B Bushland Reserve VKFF-5063)
  3. VK2GEZ/P (Goornong H102B Bushland Reserve VKFF-5063)
  4. VK3CEO
  5. VK5QA/P
  6. VK3CLD/P
  7. VK3DBF/P
  8. VK3DL/P (Greater Bendigo National Park VKFF-0623)
  9. VK3APJ
  10. VK2VW
  11. VK2HFI
  12. VK2AKA
  13. VK2BUG
  14. VK7PJM
  15. VK2YW
  16. VK2LEE
  17. VK3HJW
  18. VK3MGM
  19. VK3MCA
  20. VK3CJN
  21. VK3QHU
  22. VK3GJG
  23. VK3VMM
  24. VK3VIN
  25. VK3PF/P (Sandhurst Reference ARea VKFF-6334)
  26. VK3YV/P (Charcoal Gully Bushland Reserve VKFF-4757)
  27. VK1AO
  28. VK2MET
  29. VK2NRL
  30. VK7ALB
  31. VK3TKK/P (Mickey Mouse Hill Bushland ReserveVKFF-5477)
  32. VK2GQR
  33. VK3FFA
  34. VK3HAX
  35. VK2VAR
  36. VK2GOM

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

  1. VK2VW
  2. VK2HFI
  3. VK2AKA
  4. VK2BUG
  5. VK2KEV
  6. VK2LEE
  7. VK3TKK/P (Mickey Mouse Hill Bushland Reserve VKFF-5477)
  8. VK3YV/P (Charcoal Gully Bushland Reserve VKFF-4757)
  9. VK3TNL/P (Charcoal Gully Bushland Reserve VKFF-4757
  10. VK3FCC/P (Charcoal Gully Bushland Reserve VKFF-4757)

I packed up and headed back to the motel to have a shower and freshen up for the evening’s dinner at the Hotel Shamrock as part of the 2024 VKFF National Get-Together.

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 24 Mar. 2025.‌

Jackasss Flat Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2114

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After packing up at the California Gully Bushland Reserve on 25th October 2024, I drove the short distance to my next park activation at the Jackass Flat Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2114.

The park is located in Bendigo, Victoria.

Jackass Flat is a suburb of Bendigo, about 6.5 km north of the Bendigo CBD. The park is located between Crane Street, Prouses Road, and Holdsworth Road.

Above:- Aerial view of the Jackass Flat NCR. Image c/o Google Earth.

The reserve is about 73 hectares in size and was established on the 27th day of May 1980. (CAPAD 2022)

This was another easy park to access. I drove along a 4WD track and set up in a clearing amongst the scrub. I ran the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole.

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK3TKK/p (Sparrowhawk Gully Bushland Reserve VKFF-5846)
  2. VK5HS/M
  3. VK2HAK
  4. VK5IS
  5. VK3MGM
  6. VK3VIN
  7. VK3CEO
  8. VK3APJ
  9. VK3GP/M
  10. VK1DI/P (Shepparton Regional Park VKFF-0976)
  11. VK3DCQ
  12. VK1AD
  13. VK1NAM
  14. VK3YV/P (Ravenswood Bushland Reserve VKFF-5762)
  15. VK5FB
  16. VK3LF/P (Mount Alexander Regional Park VKFF-0973)
  17. VK5QA/P
  18. VK3ZSC/P (Sassafras Creek Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2187)
  19. VK2IO/M
  20. VK2GEZ/M
  21. VK5NIG/P (Cobbler Creek CP VKFF-1699)
  22. VK5MK/M
  23. VK3TAS/P
  24. VK2USH/P (Avisford Nature Reserve VKFF-2511)
  25. VK3HJW
  26. VK3ADS
  27. VK3SPX
  28. VK3MIJ
  29. VK3TZT
  30. VK3UP
  31. VK2LEE
  32. VK5WU
  33. VK7PJM
  34. VK7XX
  35. VK3PCC
  36. VK3QH
  37. VK3MLU
  38. VK2VW
  39. VK2HFI
  40. VK2AKA
  41. VK2BUG

I worked the following stations on 40m FT8:-

  1. VK2ZZY
  2. VK5DXT
  3. VK2HAK
  4. VK3CEO
  5. VK3UAO
  6. VK3PCM
  7. VK3MCA
  8. VK3APJ
  9. VK2TER

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

  1. VK3YV/P (Ravenswood Bushland Reserve VKFF-5762)
  2. VK3PF/P (SOTA VK3/ VN-016 & Mount Alexander Regional Park VKFF-0973)
  3. VK1AO
  4. VK2MET
  5. VK2VW
  6. VK2HFI
  7. VK2AKA
  8. VK2BUG
  9. VK4EHI

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 24 Mar. 2025].‌

California Gully Bushland Reserve VKFF-4723

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It was now Friday 25th October 2024, with the 2024 VKFF National Get-Together commencing with a Friday evening dinner.

After breakfast Marija and I headed to the Bendigo Visitor Centre to collect some tourist brochures that we had arranged to pick up for the Get-Together attendee pack.

We headed back to the motel, admiring some of the collectable cars that were parked in the carpark.

We then commenced to pack the welcome packs for all of the attendees.

Marija decided to stay back in the motel to rehearse her presentation, while I headed out to activate the California Gully Bushland Reserve VKFF-4723.

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

The reserve is located in the Bendigo suburb of California Gully, about 4 km northwest of Bendigo city centre. In April 1852 gold was discovered in California Gully and a rush followed of miners from the Californian gold diggings. About 18,000 miners from California came to the area. As a result, the area was known as California Gully. (Victorianplaces.com.au, 2015)

By the 1870s the area saw a large influx of Cornish miners. A township was formed on Eaglehawk Road. The White Horse Hotel was built during the 1870s. In 1883 a large school was built on the west side of the town on an elevated site known as Bell Topper Hill. Its name comes from the English miners making a bonfire on their bell topper hats. (Victorianplaces.com.au, 2015)

The mines at California Gully had a long production period. One of those was the North Johnson group which operated from 1861 to 1920 and yielded over 320,000 oz. of gold and £334,020 dividends, after commencing in 1853. (Heritage, 2017) (Victorianplaces.com.au, 2015)

Above:- California Gully, c. 1895. Image c/o Museums Victoria.

Sadly, as I drove into the reserve I noticed rubbish everywhere. Clearly some of the good people of Bendigo use the reserve as a dumping point for their rubbish.

The reserve is located between Prouses Road, Holdsworth Road, Sandhurst Road and Jobs Gully Road.

Above:- Aerial view of the California Gully Bushland Reserve. Image c/o Google Earth

The reserve is about 48 hectares in size and was established on the 26th day of February 2002. (CAPAD 2022)

I drove into the park via a 4WD track. I ran the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole for this activation.

I logged a total of 46 stations including 8 Park to Park QSOs.

It was a pleasure to log Lew VK5DU at his very first park activation.

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK3WSG
  2. VK3UH
  3. VK3MGM
  4. VK2IO/P (Gemmill Swamp Wildlife Reserve VKFF-2318)
  5. VK2GEZ/P (Gemmill Swamp Wildlife Reserve VKFF-2318)
  6. VK3CWF
  7. VK1CHW/P (Waranga H116 Bushland Reserve VKFF-6020)
  8. VK3VIN
  9. VK3LF/P (Macedon Regional Park VKFF-0972)
  10. VK5FR/M
  11. VK2LEE
  12. VK3APJ
  13. VK3HAX
  14. VK3KRL
  15. VK2USH
  16. VK1AD
  17. VK1NAM
  18. VK3PF
  19. VK1DA/P (Chiltern-Mount Pilot National Park VKFF-0620)
  20. VK2KYO
  21. VK5HS/M
  22. VK2KNV/M
  23. VK4YIA
  24. VK2XSE/M
  25. VK3GCM/P (Boort silo VK-BRZ3)
  26. VK3EQ/P (SOTA VK3/ VE-014 & Alpine National Park VKFF-0619)
  27. VK3YV/M
  28. VK5FL/P
  29. VK5DU/P (Kyeema Conservation Park VKFF-0826)
  30. VK3HJW
  31. VK3CEO

I worked the following stations on 40m AM:-

  1. VK3APJ
  2. VK5HS/M

I worked the following stations on 40m FT8:-

  1. VK1AD
  2. VK1NAM
  3. VK3APJ

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

  1. VK3TKK/P (Holly Street Natural Features Reserve VKFF-5138)
  2. VK2VW
  3. VK2HFI
  4. VK2AKA
  5. VK2BUG
  6. VK2LEE
  7. VK4CEG
  8. VK2FR
  9. VK5QA/P

I worked the following station on 20m FT8:-

  1. VK3VB

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 24 Mar. 2025].‌
  2. Heritage (2017). Heritage. [online] Heritage. Available at: https://www.heritage.vic.gov.au/. [Accessed 24 Mar. 2025].
  3. ‌Victorianplaces.com.au. (2015). California Gully | Victorian Places. [online] Available at: https://www.victorianplaces.com.au/california-gully [Accessed 24 Mar. 2025].‌