Our final activation for Thursday, the 6th day of November 2025, was Mystic Park Bushland Reserve VKFF-5618. The park is located about 17km southeast of Lake Boga.
Above: Map showing the location of Mystic Park Bushland Reserve. Map c/o Google Maps
We drove along the western side of Kangaroo Lake.
We crossed several irrigation channels.
Mystic Park Bushland Reserve is located on the western side of Murray Valley Highway. The southern boundary is Mystic Park E Road. The northern boundary is Bailey Road.
Above: the boundaries of Mystic Park Bushland Reserve. Image c/o Google Earth
The locality of Mystic Park takes its name from the Mystic Park Hotel, which was established in 1879 on the stagecoach run to Swan Hill. The publican had an affection for horse racing, and as there was a Mystic Park race track in Massachusetts, USA. In 1890, a railway station was opened on the Piangil Railway line. In 1893, a township was gazetted. In its heyday, it contained a church, a school, a mechanics institute and a football club. (Victorianplaces.com.au, 2026) (Wikipedia 2024)
Above: article from The Kerang Times, Fri 9 Jun 1893. Image c/o Trove
John Gorton was the Prime Minister of Australia from 1968 to 1971. He lived in Mystic Park for a significant portion of his life. (Wikipedia 2024)
Above: John Gorton. Image c/o Wikipedia
In April 1946, at Mystic Park Hall, Gorton delivered an address to a welcome-home gathering for returned soldiers. It was described by some as “Australia’s best unknown political speech.
I want you to forget it is I who am standing here. And I want you to see instead Bob Davey. And behind him I want you to see an army; regiment on regiment of young men, dead. They say to you, burning in tanks and aeroplanes, drowning in submarines, shattered and broken by high explosive shells, we gave the last full measure of devotion. We bought your freedom with our lives. So take this freedom. Guard it as we have guarded it, use it as we can no longer use it, and with it as a foundation, build. Build a world in which meanness and poverty, tyranny and hate, have no existence. If you see and hear these men behind me – do not fail them. (Wikipedia 2019)
Mystic Park Bushland Reserve is about 645 hectares in size and was established on the 8th day of May 1990. Sadly, we found that vandals had spray-painted graffiti on the park sign. (Dcceew.gov.au 2025)
We ran the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole.
Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
- VK5NJ
- VK3PF/M
- VK3KAI/M
- VK4SMA
- VK2IO
- VK2GEZ
- VK5FANA
- VK4FODM
- VK3TDK
- VK3NYC
I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
- VK5NJ
- VK3PF/M
- VK3KAI/M
- VK4SMA
- VK2IO
- VK2GEZ
- VK5FANA
- VK4FODM
- VK3TDK
- VK3NYC
- VK4EMP
- VK4TI
- VK4GKO
- VK4QRZ
- VK4GAP
- VK2NP
- VK2EXA
- VK2BL
- VK2USH
- VK3KBC
- VK3NS
- VK2HAK
- VK3DAC
- VK3MIJ
- VK2VIC
- VK1VIC
- VK2GOY
- VK3APJ
- VK4CK
- VK1CHW
- VK3AIK
- VK2DA
- VK1DA
- VK3UH
- VK3JDO
- VK7KT
- VK3AIW
I worked the following stations on 40m AM:-
- VK3KBC
- VK3NS
- VK4CPS
- VK2USH
- VK2JPR
- VK3DAC
- VK2VIC
- VK1VIC
- VK2GOY
- VK4CK
- VK2CHW
- VK1CHW
- VK2HAK
Marija and I packed up and we headed back towards Swan Hill.
We stopped at the site of Burke and Wills Camp 14 on the Murray Valley Highway between Mystic Park and Lake Boga. It is one of 54 recognised camp sites between Melbourne and Coopers Creek during the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition in 1860.
Below is an excellent video on the Burke and Wills expedition.
Marija and I then headed out for dinner. It had been a great day of activating.
References.
- 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 17 Apr. 2026]
- Victorianplaces.com.au. (2026). Mystic Park | Victorian Places. [online] Available at: https://www.victorianplaces.com.au/mystic-park [Accessed 17 Apr. 2026].
- Wikipedia Contributors (2024). Mystic Park. Wikipedia.
- Wikipedia Contributors (2019). John Gorton. [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gorton. [Accessed 17 Apr. 2026]
VK5PAS 