Rathscar Bushland Reserve VKFF-5760

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Our next activation for Wednesday, 30th October 2024, was the Rathscar Bushland Reserve VKFF-5760. The park is located about 21 km northwest of Maryborough and about 204 km northwest of Melbourne.

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

Rathescar Station was taken up by Mervyn Archdale in 1841. The name is derived from Irish rath, meaning earthworks or court, and scar, meaning crag or cliff. Rathescar was about 43,000 acres in size and had a grazing capability of 11,000 sheep. (Blake 1978) (Trove 2025)

John Leslie Fitzgerald Vesey Foster (b. 1818 d. 1900) acquired part of the Rathescar Run in the 1850s. Foster was a civil servant, landowner and author, who was born in Dublin, Ireland.

Above:- John Leslie Fitzgerald Vesey Foster. Image c/o Victorian Collections.

The park is located on the southern side of the Maryborough-St Arnaud Road, near McArdles Lane.

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

The reserve is about 8 hectares in size and was established on the 24th day of August 1982. (CAPAD 2022)

We ran the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole for this activation.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK5HS
  2. VK5PE
  3. VK3PF
  4. VK3KAI
  5. VK2USH
  6. VK1AO
  7. VK2MET
  8. VK3BEL

Marija worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

  1. VK4EMP
  2. VK4TI
  3. VK4GKO
  4. VK2VW
  5. VK2HFI
  6. VK2AKA
  7. VK2BUG
  8. VK1AO
  9. VK2MET

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK5HS
  2. VK5PE
  3. VK3PF
  4. VK3KAI
  5. VK2USH
  6. VK1AO
  7. VK2MET
  8. VK3BEL

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

  1. VK4EMP
  2. VK4TI
  3. VK4GKO
  4. VK2VW
  5. VK2HFI
  6. VK2AKA
  7. VK2BUG
  8. VK1AO
  9. VK2MET

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 May. 2025].‌
  2. ‌Leslie James Blake, 1978, Place Names of Victoria.
  3. Trove. (2025). CLAIMS TO LEASES OF CROWN LANDS BEYOND THE SETTLED DISTRICTS. – WESTERN PORT DISTRICT. – The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954) – 23 Oct 1848. [online] Available at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12906207 [Accessed 24 May 2025].‌

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