After leaving the Shepherds silo on Thursday, 223rd October 2025, Marija and I drove a little further north on Byrnes Road until we reached the Harefield silo VK-HRD2.

Harefield is located about 11 km south of Junee and about 35 km north of Wagga Wagga.

Above: Map showing the location of Harefield, NSW. Map c/o Google Maps

Harefield was originally known as Gerilgambeth. The Post Office opened on the 1st day of September 1879 and was renamed Wallaceton in 1880. It became Harefield in 1882 and closed in 1980. (Wikipedia 2025)

The Harefield Railway Station opened on the 3rd day of September 1878, following the extension of its previous terminus at the Junee Railway Station to Bomen Railway Station. It was known as Wallace Tow, but was renamed Harefield on the 1st day of March 1882, shortly after the renaming of the Post Office. Up until its closure in 1983, Harefield served passengers. The station fell into a state of disrepair and was demolished. In 2012, Harefield became a freight container terminal. (Wikipedia 2025)

Sadly, Harefield has seen some accidents over the years. In 1913, a railway porter was killed.

Above: article from The Sydney Morning Herald, Tue 4 Mar 1913. Image c/o Trove

In 1917, the night officer at the railway station was knocked down during shunting operations, resulted in a severely broken arem.

Above: article from the Daily Advertiser, Wagga Wagga, Fri 25 May 1917. Image c/o Trove

The silos are located on the western side of Byrnes Road, just south of Patterson’s Road.

Marija and I parked on a dirt track running off Byrnes Road. We operated from the 4WD running the Icom IC7000, 100 watts, and the Codan 9350 antenna with the 1.5 metre stainless steel whip.

Above: the activation zone at the Harefield silo. Image c/o SiOTA website.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3PF
2. VK5NJ
3. VK2IO
4. VK1AO
5. VK2MET
6. VK4SMA
7. VK5HS/M
8. VK1AD
9. VK1NAM
10. VK4SOE/P
11. VK4CO

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3PF
2. VK5NJ
3. VK2IO
4. VK1AO
5. VK2MET
6. VK4SMA
7. VK5HS/M
8. VK1AD
9. VK1NAM
10. VK4SOE/P
11. VK4COA/P
12. VK3KRL

References.

1. Wikipedia Contributors (2025). Harefield. Wikipedia.
2. ‌Wikipedia Contributors (2024). Harefield railway station. Wikipedia.‌

Our first activation for Thursday, 23rd October 2025, was Shepherds silo VK-SHS2 for the Silos On The Air (SiOTA) program.

The silo is located at Brucedale, about 18 km northeast of Wagga Wagga, and about 453 km southwest of the city of Sydney.

Above: Map showing the location of Shepherds silo, NSW. Map c/o Google Maps

The silo is located at the intersection of Byrnes Road and Shepherds Siding Road at Brucedale. The silos take their name from Shepherds railway station on the Main Southern line. (Wikipedia 2025)

Shepherds Railway Station opened on the 10th day of March 1893 as Shepherds Siding. It was renamed Shepherds on the 31st day of October 1925. It was closed on the 19th day of July 1975 and served passengers right up until its closing. The station was subsequently demolished. (Wikipedia 2025)

Sadly, the rail crossing at Shepherds Siding saw a tragedy in 1925, when a local farmer driving his car collided with a train at the crossing. (Trove 2026)

Above: article from The Labor Daily, Sydney, Thu 10 Dec 1925. Image c/o Trove

Marija and I parked on Shepherds Siding Road and operated from the 4WD. We ran the Icom IC-7000, 100 watts, and the Codan 9350 antenna with the 1.5 metre stainless steel whip.

Above: the activation zone at Shepherds silo. Image c/o SiOTA website

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3PF
2. VK2IO
3. VK4SMA
4. VK3VIN
5. VK1AO
6. VK2MET
7. VK5WU
8. VK5NJ

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3PF
2. VK2IO
3. VK4SMA
4. VK3VIN
5. VK1AO
6. VK2MET
7. VK5WU
8. VK5NJ

References.

1. Trove. (2026). The Labor Daily (Sydney, NSW : 1924 – 1938) – 10 Dec 1925 – p1. [online] Available at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/25632508?searchTerm=shepherds%20siding%20railway%20station%20%2B%20headley [Accessed 12 Jan. 2026].‌