Ulandra Nature Reserve VKFF-2009

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Our next activation for Thursday, 23rd October 2025, was the Ulandra Nature Reserve VKFF-2009, for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.

The reserve is located just to the southeast of the town of Bethungra. It is about 25 km southwest of Cootamunda and about 403 km southwest of the city of Sydney. (NSW NPWS 1994)

Above: Map showing the location of the Ulandra Nature Reserve VKFF-2009. Map c/o Google Maps

The park is located in close proximity to the town of Bethungra, which was officially established in December 1875 following the opening of the Post Office. (Wikipedia 2024)

Above: the boundaries of the Ulandra Nature Reserve. Image c/o Google Earth

The reserve is located on the western foothills of the Southern Tablelands and Alpine mountains of New South Wales. The reserve consists of a series of ridges, hills and valleys. Mount Ulandra, which is located in the reserve, rises to 761 metres. The summit qualifies for the Summits On The Air (SOTA) program as VK2/ RI-011, but we had nowhere near enough time to climb the summit. It has only been activated once before, back in 2014. (NSW NPWS 1994) (Wikipedia 2025)

Above: an aerial view of the Ulandra Nature Reserve. Image c/o Google Maps

Ulandra Nature Reserve was established in June 1981 and covers an area of about 3,931 hectares. It was dedicated to protect a number of stands of Cootamunda Wattle and Black Cyprus Pine. (NSW NPWS 1994) (NSW National Parks 2026)

The threatened Superb Parrot can be found in the park, along with the vulnerable Turquoise Parrot. Other bird species include Little Eagle, Gang-gang cockatoo, Diamond firetail, and Scarlet Robin. (www.environment.gov.au, n.d.) (Wikipedia 2025)

Native animals found in the reserve include Grey Kangaroos, Swamp Wallabies, Brushtail possums, and Ringtail Possums.

We accessed the reserve via Mahomets Road, which runs off the Olympic Highway. There is no vehicular access to the park.

We ran the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole supported on a 7 metre heavy-duty squid pole. Sadly, we found the band conditions during the activation to be quite poor.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK3AUN/P (VKFF-2122)
  2. VK2IO/P (VKFF-1271)
  3. VK2GEZ/P (VKFF-1271)
  4. VK2HRX/P (VKFF-0054)
  5. VK1AD/P (SOTA VK1/ AC-043)
  6. VK1AO
  7. VK2MET
  8. VK1MA
  9. VK3PF/P (VKFF-4984)
  10. VK2VW
  11. VK2HFI
  12. VK2AKA
  13. VK2BUG

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK3AUN/P (VKFF-2122)
  2. VK2HRX/P (VKFF-0054)
  3. VK2IO/P (VKFF-1271)
  4. VK2GEZ/P (VKFF-1271)
  5. VK1AD/P (SOTA VK1/ AC-043)
  6. VK1AO
  7. VK2MET
  8. VK1MA
  9. VK3PF/P (VKFF-4984)
  10. VK2VW
  11. VK2HFI
  12. VK2AKA
  13. VK2BUG
  14. VK3ZSC
  15. VK3CEO
  16. VK3WSG
  17. VK3VIN
  18. VK3UH
  19. VK3CLD
  20. VK2DBF
  21. VK5QA
  22. VK5WU
  23. VK2HLM
  24. VK5CZ/M
  25. VK5XE/M

References.

  1. NSW National Parks. (2026). Ulandra Nature Reserve. [online] Available at: https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/ulandra-nature-reserve [Accessed 13 Jan. 2026].
  2. ‌NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, 1994, Ulandra Nature Reserve Plan of Management
  3. http://www.environment.gov.au. (n.d.). Australian Heritage Database. [online] Available at: https://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/ahdb/search.pl?mode=place_detail. [Accessed 13 Jan 2025]‌
  4. Wikipedia Contributors (2025). Ulandra Nature Reserve. Wikipedia.‌
  5. Wikipedia Contributors (2024). Bethungra. Wikipedia.‌

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