Our next activation for Thursday, the 6th day of November 2025, was the Tresco West Bushland Reserve VKFF-5961. The reserve is about 22 km south of Swan Hill in Victoria.

Above: Map showing the location of Tresco West Bushland Reserve. Map c/o Google Maps

Before heading to the reserve, we had a bit of a walk around Lake Boga, next to the town of the same name. The lake is about 940 hectares (2,300 acres) in size and has a capacity of 37,794 megalitres. (Wikipedia 2024)

The Tresco district takes its name from the Tresco Estate, owned by William Cornish. He purchased Murrabit Station in 1897 and renamed it Tresco. His father resided in Trescowe, near Penzance in Cornwall, England, and he named his property and homestead in honour of his father’s town.. Tresco homestead overlooked Lake Boga. (Victorianplaces.com 2026)

In 1912, Australian Farms Limited commenced to draw water from Long Lake at Tresco for irrigation. One of the Australian Farms Limited ventures was John Rose Gorton, the father of future Australian Prime Minister John Grey Gorton. He managed an orchard at nearby Mystic Park prior to the First World War. (Victorianplaces.com 2026)

Above: John Gorton. Image c/o Wikipedia

In 1914, a school was opened, and this was followed by a post and railway station in 1915. Severe drought in the district at this time caused severe losses for farmers. However, by the 1920s, there was a boom in the district with a store being established, an Anglican church, a fruit packing shed, a Masonic Lodge, a hall, and the Baptist church. Tresco’s population was about 318 people. Sadly, by the end of the 1980s, most of these had closed. The school continued, but it also closed in 1992. (Victorianplaces.com 2026)

The Tresco West Bushland Reserve comprises three separate areas surrounding Golf Course Lake.

Above: the boundaries of Tresco West Bushland Reserve. Image c/o Google Earth

Marija and I accessed the park via Lake View Track, which runs off Wilson Road on the eastern side of the reserve.

The reserve is about 90 hectares in size and was established on the 1st day of May 1979. (Dcceew.gov.au 2026)

Marija and I parked the 4WD on Lake View Track and set up our station, comprising the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole, supported by the 7 metre heavy-duty telescopic squid pole.

The band conditions were absolutely awful, and it was a struggle to get contacts. There was also some sort of pulsing signal across the 40m band, which made it difficult to hear the low-down stations that were calling.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK2MOE
2. VK1MO
3. VK2VW
4. VK2HFI
5. VK2AKA
6. VK2BUG
7. VK3CLD
8. VK5QA
9. VK2DBF
10. VK5GY
11. VK2IO
12. VK2GEZ
13. VK2COS
14. VK3PF
15. VK3KAI
16. VK1AO
17. VK2MET
18. VK2VIC
19. VK1VIC
20. VK2GOY
21. VK5CS
22. VK1AD
23. VK1NAM
24. VK2NP
25. VK2AN
26. VK2VAR
27. VK2GOM
28. VK2JPR
29. VK5WE
30. VK5HS
31. VK5AYL
32. VK2HBG/p (VKFF-1177)

Marija worked the following stations on 40m AM:-

1. VK2VAR
2. VK2GOM
3. VK5WE
4. VK3PF
5. VK3KAI

Marija worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-

1. VK3PF
2. VK3KAI

Marija worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

1. VK2VW
2. VK2HFI
3. VK2AKA
4. VK2BUG

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK2MOE
2. VK1MO
3. VK2VW
4. VK2HFI
5. VK2AKA
6. VK2BUG
7. VK3CLD
8. VK5QA
9. VK2DBF
10. VK5GY
11. VK2IO
12. VK2GEZ
13. VK2COS
14. VK3PF
15. VK3KAI
16. VK1AO
17. VK2MET
18. VK2VIC
19. VK1VIC
20. VK2GOY
21. VK5CS
22. VK1AD
23. VK1NAM
24. VK2NP
25. VK2AN
26. VK2JPR
27. VK5WE
28. VK5HS
29. VK5AYL
30. VK2HBG/p (VKFF-1177)

I worked the following stations on 40m AM:-

1. VK5GY
2. VK5CS
3. VK2VAR
4. VK2GOM
5. VK5WE
6. VK3PF
7. VK3KAI

I worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-

1. VK3PF
2. VK3KAI

I worked the following stations on 20m SSBL-

1. VK2VW
2. VK2HFI
3. VK2AKA
4. VK2BUG

References.

1. Dcceew.gov.au. (2025). Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database 2024 – DCCEEW. [online] Available at: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/land/nrs/science/capad/2024. [Accessed 14 Apr. 2026]
2. ‌Victorianplaces.com.au. (2026). Tresco | Victorian Places. [online] Available at: https://www.victorianplaces.com.au/tresco [Accessed 13 Apr. 2026].‌
3. Wikipedia Contributors (2024). Lake Boga (Victoria). Wikipedia.‌

Our first activation for Thursday, 6th November 2025, was the Lake Boga silo VK-LKA3, for the Silos On The Air (SiOTA) program. Lake Boga is located about 17 km south of Swan Hill, and about 323 km north of Melbourne.

Above: Map showing the location of Lake Boga, Victoria. Map c/o Google Maps

The Lake Boga silo is located on the western side of the Murray Valley Highway, opposite Lake Boga. The silos are operated by GrainCorp.

The Lake Boga silos are part of the Australian Silo Art Trail and feature magnificent art, the work of Tim Bowtell. They were completed in October 2023 and feature a Pelican, a speedboat on Lake Boga, a Catalina Flying Boat and its commanding officer, George ‘Scotty’ Urquhart Allan. (Australiansiloarttrail.com 2023)

George Urquhart Allan was born on the 2nd day of February 1900 in Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland, to James John Allan and Elspet Elsie Allan, nee Aitken. In 1917, when aged just 17 years old, he joined the Royal Flying Corps (RFC). During the First World War, he served on the Western Front. This included service with the 71 Squadron RFC. He later served with the Royal Air Force (RAF) in several squadrons, including 11, 47, and 58 Squadrons. At the conclusion of the war, he continued to serve with the RAF and was stationed in the Middle East. (ancestry 2016) (Australiansiloarttrail.com 2023)

Above: George Allan. Image c/o ancestry.com.au

In 1929, he emigrated to Australia and commenced work for Charles Ulm and Charles Kingsford Smith at Australian National Airways. He soon gained a reputation for his exceptional piloting skills, particularly in the Avro X aircraft. He was involved in the first airmail flights from Sydney to Brisbane with Kingsford-Smith and from Sydney to Melbourne with Pat Hall. He acted as a co-pilot for Kingsford-Smith and Ulm on several long-distance flights. In 1933, he flew aboard the aircraft ‘Faith in Australia’, with Charles Ulm and Sir Patrick Gordon Taylor on the record-breaking flight from England to Australia. The following year, in 1934, he joined QANTAS, where he flew aircraft between Brisbane and Singapore. (Australiansiloarttrail.com 2023)

Above: article from the Murrumbidgee Irrigator, Fri 3 Nov 1933. Image c/o Trove

Allan also worked as a flight instructor and trained Dr Robert Kingsbury Lee Brown, who sadly, was killed in a plane crash in April 1934 at Brighton Le Sands. (Australiansiloarttrail.com 2023)

On the 22nd day of June 1935, Allan married Dr Brown’s widow, Ailsa Lee-Brown, in Binnaway, New South Wales. Ailsa was also a pilot and an artist. (ancestry 2016) (Trove 2026) (Wikitree 2026)

Above: article from The Mail, Sat 22 Jun 1935. Image c/o Trove

In September 1940, Allen was commissioned in the Royal Australian Air Force for service during WWII. He was posted as the commanding officer of the Seaplane Training Flight at Rathmines, N.S.W. In 1941 he was the first pilot to fly a Catalina flying boat from San Diego, California, to Australia. This was only the third time that such a flight had been made, after Kingsford-Smith & Ulm, and Kingsford-Smith and P.G. Taylor. (Wikitree 2026)

In January 1942, at the rank of Flight Lieutenant, he was awarded the Air Force Cross. (Wikitree 2026)

Sadly, Allen’s wife Ailsa died in 1943 in Palm Beach, New South Wales, after being struck by a bicycle rider. Allan was in the United States of America at the time negotiating the purchase of a DC-4 Symaster aircraft. (Wikitree 2026)

Allan attained the rank of Wind Commander and was posted to the No. 1 Flying Boat Repair Depot at Lake Boga. (Wikitree 2026)

In 1945, Allan married Barbara Millbourn in England. (ancestry 2016).

Above: article from The Telegraph, Sat 24 Mar 1945. Image c/o Trove

Following WWII he became Deputy General Manager for QANTAS. In the 1957 New Year’s Honours, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his service to QANTAS. (Wikitree 2026)

George Allan died on the 12th day of August 1996, in Sydney, New South Wales. He is buried in the New South Wales Garden of Remembrance, Rookwood, N.S.W. (ancestry 2016) (Wikitree 2026)

Marija and I parked alongside the silo and operated from the 4WD, running the Icom IC-7000, 100 watts, and the Codan 9350 antenna with the 1.5 metre stainless steel whip.

Unfortunately, we found band conditions to be very poor. We called CQ for 5 solid minutes on 40m before getting our first contact in the log.

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

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK2IO
2. VK5NHG
3. VK7HOB

Marija worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-

1. VK3PF
2. VK5LA
3. VK5KAW

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK2IO
2. VK5NHG
3. VK7HOB

I worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-

1. VK3PF
2. VK5LA
3. VK5KAW

I worked the following station on 20m SSB:-

1. VK4LP

References.

1. ancestry (2016). Ancestry® | Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records. [online] Ancestry.com.au. Available at: https://www.ancestry.com.au/. [Accessed 13 Apr. 2026]
2. ‌Australiansiloarttrail.com. (2023). \r\n \n Graincorp Silo Art Lake Boga\n \r\n. [online] Available at: https://www.australiansiloarttrail.com/lake-boga [Accessed 13 Apr. 2026].‌
3. Wikitree.com. (2026). George Urquhart Allan CBE AFC (1900-1996) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree. [online] Available at: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Allan-5500. [Accessed 13 Apr. 2026]‌

I received the three DXCC certificates in the mail a few days ago for VK5IPA.