After being rained out at the Strathmerton Bushland Reserve on Tuesday, 4th November 2025, Marija and I headed to the town of Cobram. Our intention was to activate the Cobram Regional Park VKFF-0961.
Above: Map showing the location of Cobram Regional Park. Map c/o Google Maps
The original run where Cobram is now located was Yarroweya, later to become Yarrawonga. It was taken up in 1842 by Mrs Elizabeth Hume, who was the widow of John Kennedy Hume, who had been killed by bushrangers in 1840. Yarowea is an Aboriginal word meaning ‘strong wind’. (Moira SHire 2007) (Trove 2026)
John Kennedy Hume was the brother of the explorer Hamilton Hume. On the 20th day of January 1840, he rode into Gunning after hearing gunshots. He was met by Thomas Whitton, @Captain Whitton, and his gang of bushrangers. Whitton shot Hume dead. He was just 39 years of age. (Findagrave.com 2017) (Trove 2026)
In 1845, Octavius Philpotts established the pastoral station Cobram which had been part of Yarroweya. It is believed that Cobram is an Aboriginal word meaning ‘head’ and that the station was named as such due it being the head pastoral station in the district. (Cockatoo Grove 2025) (Vict Places n.d.)
Above: from the NSW Govt Gazette, Sat 26 Aug 1848. Image c/o Trove
Octavius Philpotts was born in 1822 in Durham, England. His father, Henry Philpotts, was the Bishop of Exeter. In February 1860, he married Georgina Harriet Lane in Plymouth, Devon, England. In January 1855 the run was subdivided into the runs of Cobram and St James. In 1864, Philpotts sold the Cobram property. He died on the 31st day of January 1869 in Devon, England. (ancestry 2016) (Cockatoo Grove 2025)
During the 1870s, the era of the large pastoral stations was coming to a close. Farmers were taking up smaller sections of land. In the Cobram district, the initial crop was wheat, but orchards with local irigation them commenced. (Vict Places n.d.)
In 1879, a school was opened at Cobram East. In 1888, a school at Cobram was established. The survey of the township of Cobram was underway at the time, with the Cobram Railway League anticipating the extension of the railway line from Numurkah. In 1887, township sites were sold. In the following year, 1888, the railway terminus at Cobram was built. In 1889, a punt service was opened, connecting Victoria and New South Wales across the Murray River. (Vict Places n.d.)
During the mid 1890s, Cobram was described as a rising township. It had two hotels, three stores, two implement factories, a newspaper, a sawmill, a school, a mechanics’ institute, a Methodist church, and a Presbyterian church. (Vict Places n.d.)
We found this beautiful mural on the side of the chemist’s alongside the Grand Central Hotel. The mural features a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo and a Rosella
Another attraction in Cobram is the old log cabin. It was relocated from the Beattie family property in Yarrawonga to its present location. The log cabin dates back to 1874 and was made from large boxwood trees covered with a bark roof and earthen floors.
On the corner of Murray Valley Highway and Station Street is a cairn to commemorate Charles Sturt, the leader of the first European exploration party to pass through the area in June 1838.
Marija and I then drove out to Cobram Regional Park.
Above: an aerial view of Cobram Regional Park. Image c/o Google Maps
The park is 470 hectares in size and has Murray River frontage with several sandy beaches, including Big Toms Beach, Thompson’s Beach, and Dead River Beach. The park contains River Red Gum forest and is home to kangaroos, wallabies, and koalas. Birdlife includes Kingfishers and Egrets. (Parks Victoria n.d.)
We ran our normal portable station for this activation, the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole.
Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
- VK7PJM
- VK1AO
- VK2MET
- VK2VH
- VK4AAC
- VK3DAC
- VK3FE
- VK3PF
- VK2KAI
- VK3PT
- VK3GJG
- VK3ANL/P (VKFF-0742)
Marija worked the following station on 20m SSB:-
- ZL4NVW/p (ZLFF-0023)
I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
- VK7PJM
- VK1AO
- VK2MET
- VK2VH
- VK4AAC
- VK3DAC
- VK3FE
- VK3PF
- VK2KAI
- VK3PT
- VK3GJG
- VK3MCK
- VK3CLD
- VK5QA
- VK2DBF
- VK3OAK
- VK3GUM
- VK4ZPF
- VK3JW
- VK3PJF
- VK2ZR
- VK3MGM
- VK2YAK
- VK4YAK
- VK5IS
- VK3ANL/P (VKFF-0742)
- VK2KHA
- VK2JSW
- VK2EXA
- VK3EJ
- VK3UH
- VK5DW
- VK3UZI
- VK3SQ
- VK2BD
- VK3JT
- VK1DI
- VK3XEM
- VK5LA
- VK5KAW
- VK5AYL
- VK3APJ
- VK3UK
- VK3MIJ
- VK3KRL
- VK3MCA
- VK5BRU/P
- VK2VW
- VK2HFI
- VK2AKA
- VK2BUG
- VK3BAP
- VK3HQZ
- VK2NP
I worked the following sttaion on 20m SSB:-
- ZL4NVW/p (ZLFF-0023)
References.
- ancestry (2016). Ancestry® | Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records. [online] Ancestry.com.au. Available at: https://www.ancestry.com.au/. [Accessed 1 Apr. 2026]
- Findagrave.com. (2017). John Kennedy Hume (1800-1840) – Find a Grave… [online] Available at: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/115767755/john-kennedy-hume [Accessed 1 Apr. 2026].
- Moira Shire, 2007, The Environmental History
- Parks Victoria, n.d., Cobram Regional Park Visitor Guide
- Trove. (2026). THE SKETCHER. – History of Bushranging in New South Wales. WHITTON’S GANG. No. 2.—1840-1. – The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1871 – 1912) – 6 Jan 1894. [online] Available at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/163325849 [Accessed 1 Apr. 2026].
- Trove. (2026). HISTORY OF COBRAM – Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 – 1954) – 15 Nov 1930. [online] Available at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/224918755?searchTerm=cobram%20%2B%20octavius%20philpotts [Accessed 1 Apr. 2026].
- Victorianplaces.com.au. (2026). Yarroweyah | Victorian Places. [online] Available at: https://www.victorianplaces.com.au/yarroweyah [Accessed 1 Apr. 2026].
- www.victorianplaces.com.au. (n.d.). Cobram and Cobram Shire | Victorian Places. [online] Available at: https://www.victorianplaces.com.au/cobram-and-cobram-shire. [Accessed 1 Apr. 2026]
VK5PAS 