Our next silo activation for Thursday, 23rd October 2025, was the Illabo silo VK-ILO2.
Illabo is located about 53 km northeast of Wagga Wagga, and about 413 km west of the city of Sydney.
Above: Map showing the location of Illabo, NSW. Map c/o Google Maps
It is unclear where the name of the town originated from. Some suggest that the word is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning ‘where’, while others say it is a clipping of billabong. (Wikipedia 2025)
The first Europeans in the area were squatters laying claims in the early 1840s. The original town of Illabo was situated near the stone quarry on the hill behind the present cemetery, about 2 km towards Junee. A railway station was constructed in 1878 and remained until the 1970s. The Illabo Post Office opened on the 1st day of July 1879. Illabo has an annual agricultural show which is considered to be one of the best one-day shows in New South Wales for its size. (Visitnsw.com 2024) (Wikipedia 2025)
The Illabo silos are located alongside the railway line on the southern side of the Olympic Highway.
Construction of the silos commenced in 1918. (Trove 2025)
Above: article from the Cootamunda Herald, Tue 5 Nov 1918. Image c/o Trove
Marija and I parked in the rest area adjacent to the silos and operated from the 4WD. We ran the Icom IC-7000, 100 watts, and the Codan 9350 with the 1.5 metre stainless steel whip.
Above: the activation zone at the Illabo silo. Image c/o SiOTA website.
Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
- VK2IO/p (VKFF-1271)
- VK3CLD
- VK2DBF
- VK5QA
- VK2NP
- VK2VW
- VK2HFI
- VK2AKA
- VK2BUG
- VK2COS
- VK3PF/P (VKFF-4984)
I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
- VK2IO/p (VKFF-1271)
- VK3CLD
- VK2DBF
- VK5QA
- VK2NP
- VK2VW
- VK2HFI
- VK2AKA
- VK2BUG
- VK2COS
- VK3PF/P (VKFF-4984)
References.
- Visitnsw.com. (2024). Illabo Show. [online] Available at: https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/country-nsw/riverina/junee/events/illabo-show [Accessed 13 Jan. 2026].
- Wikipedia Contributors (2025). Illabo. Wikipedia.
VK5PAS 