Minimay Swamp Wildlife Reserve VKFF-5488

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After leaving Tallageira, Marija and I doubled back a bit further into Victoria and headed to the Minimay Swamp Wildlife Reserve VKFF-5488.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Minimay Swamp Wildlife Reserve. Map c/o Google Maps.

We drove through the little town of Minimay to get to the park. Minimay is derived from the Aboriginal words mina, meaning see, and may, meaning wind, e.g. see the wind or eye of the wind. (Blake 1978)

The Minimay Post Office opened on the 1st day of November 1877. During the early 1880’s selectors took up 320-acre blocks in the Minimay district. The first store in Minimay was opened in the 1880s and was operated by Mr & Mrs. Egan from the nearby town of Harrow. The store was destroyed by fire and was rebuilt in 1901. It was demolished in 1976. In 1885, Minimay School No. 2600 was opened and could hold 30-40 children in a small room. The school was closed in 1902 while being renovated and was reopened some years later. (Wikipedia 2025)

Above:- Article from The Horsham Times, Fri 24 Jun 1887. Image c/o Trove.

The Australian lyric poet John Shaw Neilson grew up in Minimay in the 1880s. (Wikipedia 2025)

Above:- John Shaw Nelson. Image c/o Wikipedia.

The Minimay Swamp WIldlife Reseve is located on the western side of Minimay-Frances Road.

Above:- An aerial view of the Minimay Swamp Wildlife Reserve. Image c/o Google Earth.

The reserve is about 167 hectares in size and was established on the 22nd day of September 1987. (CAPAD 2022)

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK4MUD/P (VKFF-2933)
  2. VK3PF
  3. VK3KAI
  4. VK3SQ
  5. VK2BD
  6. VK3CEO
  7. VK3MCA
  8. VK5LA
  9. VK5KAW
  10. VK2VW
  11. VK2HFI
  12. VK2AKA
  13. VK2BUG
  14. VK1AO
  15. VK2MET

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK4MUD/P (VKFF-2933)
  2. VK3PF
  3. VK3KAI
  4. VK3SQ
  5. VK2BD
  6. VK3CEO
  7. VK3MCA
  8. VK5LA
  9. VK5KAW
  10. VK2VW
  11. VK2HFI
  12. VK2AKA
  13. VK2BUG
  14. VK1AO
  15. 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 10 Jun. 2025].‌
  2. Leslie James Blake, 1978, Place Names of Victoria.
  3. Wikipedia Contributors (2025). Minimay, Victoria. Wikipedia.‌

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