On Saturday evening (6th May 2017) I headed to the Ferries McDonald Conservation Park 5CP-067 & VKFF-0881 to take part in the Harry Angel Memorial 80m Sprint.  Ferries McDonald is located about 38 km by road, south east of my home, and around 72 km south east of the city of Adelaide.

Map showing the location of the Ferries McDonald Conservation Park.  Map courtesy of Location SA Viewer.

I have activated Ferries McDonald a number of times previously.  In fact a total of 5 times.  More information on those previous activations can be found on my previous posts at….

https://vk5pas.org/2016/04/27/ax5pas-at-monarto-conservation-park-5cp-067-and-vkff-0881/

https://vk5pas.org/2015/08/03/ferries-mcdonald-conservation-park-vkff-881/

https://vk5pas.org/2015/01/08/ferries-mcdonald-conservation-park-3/

https://vk5pas.org/2014/05/18/ferries-mcdonald-conservation-park-2/

https://vk5pas.org/2013/05/26/ferries-mcdonald-conservation-park/

Aerial shot of the park, looking east.  The Murray River is visible in the background, and Lake Alexandrina is to the right of the picture.  Courtesy of google maps.

Ferries McDonald Conservation Park covers an area of about 880 hectares and contains one of the few pieces of remnant Mallee vegetation close to Adelaide.  It is important as it has never been cleared for farming, and is an example of the original vegetation of the area.  The dense mallee habitat provides a refuge for over 300 species of plants, including a number of rare and endangered species.

More than 90 species of birds have been recorded in the park including Superb Blue Wrens, Gold Whistlers, Rufous Whistlers, Yellow-rumped Thornbills, Mallee Ringneck Parrots, and White-browned Babblers.  Ferries McDonald is also home to the elusive and nationally endangered Malleefowl.  I have never seen Malleefowl in this park, and have only ever witnessed this rarely seen bird on one occasion during all of my park activations.  That was in Mount Boothby Conservation Park, further to the south east of Ferries McDonald.

Numerous native animals can be found in the park including echidnas, marsupial mouse, and Western Grey kangaroos.

Aerial shot of the park looking west.  My QTH is indicated with the blue marker.  Courtesy of google maps.

The park was once part of a vast area of mallee bushland which was cleared for farming during the late 1800’s.  Fortunately a few rocky outcrops were unsuitable for farming, and were preserved in their original state.  In January 1938, an area of 1,600 acres was gazetted under the Animals and Birds Protection Act, as a closed area for birds and animals, thus creating the first reserve in South Australian specifically for mallee fauna.  A total of 233 acres were made available by Robert Sweet McDonald of ‘Preamimma’, Monarto, 583 acres made available by Mr. G Lemmey of Two Well, whilst a further 779 acres allocated by the State.  It was initially known as Chaunceys Line Scrub.

An addition to the park was made in 1953 from a bequest from James Ferries, thus creating the Ferries-McDonald Conservation Park.

To get to the park I drove south out of Mount Barker, along Wellington Road until I reached the little town of Woodchester.  I then drove north east along the Callington Road until I reached Chaunceys Line Road where I turned right and drove into the now ‘ghost town’ of Hartley which is located a few km away from the park.

Hartley is located close to the Bremer River, which was originally known as the Hindmarsh River, and later named after distinguished British Royal Navy officer James Bremer.   It is located between the fertile foothills of the eastern Mount Lofty Ranges and the dry mallee plains before the Murray River.  The Hartley district was first referred to as ‘The Bremer’ and was settled in the early 1850’s by Methodist and Lutheran pioneers.  One of those pioneers was William Jacob Cross who named the area ‘Hartley’ after his farm in Devonshire in the United Kingdom.

Little remains of what once a bustling community.  The Hartley Methodist Church lays in ruins at the junction of Callington Road and Chaunceys Line Road, referred to by locals as ‘Chapel Corner’.  The church which was built in 1865, sat on an acre of land which was originally purchased by 13 trustees of the Mount Barker Methodist congregation in 1857 for the sum of 5 pound.

A little further along the road is the old Hartley Creamery which was opened in 1894 as a branch of the Mount Barker Butter Factory.  It is now a private residence.  Continue along Chaunceys Line Road and you will reach the Corner Tree-The Duke’s Tree.  This large gum tree commemorates the visit of His Royal Highness Prince Alfred Ernest Albert, Duke of Edinburgh on 5th November 1867,  who was travelling from Wellington to Mount Barker.  The Hartley community welcomed the Duke and his entourage with a luncheon under the Blue Gum tree.

The old Hartley Methodist church, c. 1865

The Hartley Creamery, c. 1894

The Corner Tree

Chauncey’s Line Road was originally surveyed to link Adelaide with the eastern States.  The route and line was surveyed in 1851 by Mr. William Chauncey who was engaged to survey the ‘Great Eastern Road’ between Hahndorf and Wellington.  The plan was abandoned when it was found that there was no suitable foundation for a bridge at Wellington.  Instead the bridge was built at Murray Bridge further upstream.

It was a slow drive approaching the park, as it was dusk and there were a lot of kangaroos out on the road.

Chaunceys Line Road

What about the Harry Angel Sprint?

The Harry Angel Sprint is an annual 80m contest which was first established in 1999 to commemorate the life of Harry Angel VK4HA, who, at the time of his death in 1998 at the age of 106, was the oldest licenced amateur in Australia.

Who was Harry Angel?

Henry Benjamin ‘Harry’ Angel was born on 14th December 1891 at Manor House, Essex, England.  His parents were Henry Samuel Martin Angel (1867-1911) and Elizabeth Jesse Angel nee Eyre (1871-1962).  In 1919 he married Rebecca Andrews (1891-1973).  They had 3 children: Lillian May Angel, Harold Vincent Angel, and Ronald Henry Angel.  Harry died in August 1998 at Brisbane, Queensland, aged 106 years.

Harry Angel.  Image courtesy of ancestry.com.au

The State Library of Queensland holds an extensive collection of QSL cards, previously belonging to Harry Angel.

A selection of JA cards in the Harry Angel QSL card collection.  Image courtesy of State Library of QLD

I soon reached the park.  It was now almost completely dark.

I operated from my normal operating spot at Ferries McDonald, which is the main car park area in the south eastern corner of the park.

Aerial shot of the park showing my operating spot.  Image courtesy of Location SA Viewer.

I was running a little late of my posted activation time of 0830 UTC, as I had stopped off at Hartley to get some photographs.  So I was set up and ready to go, 20 minutes late, just before 0850 UTC (6.20 p.m. South Australian local time).  I ran my normal portable station for this activation: Yaesu FT857d, 40 watts, 20/40/80m linked dipole-inverted vee supported on the 7m squid pole.

It was not a cold evening, not for me anyway, with the temperature being about 13 deg C, so I sat outside the vehicle on my deckchair with the gear on the fold up table.  I initially used a paper log, but later converted to VK Logger on the laptop for the Harry Angel Sprint.

My first contact was with my wife Marija VK5FMAZ.  I had dropped her a quick SMS message to let her know that I was set up and ready to go.  This was followed by Ray ZL4HSV on the North Island of New Zealand, Colin VK4PDX, and then Mick VK6AY.  Band conditions were quite poor, and I only logged 14 stations on 40m from VK2, VK4, VK5, VK6, and New Zealand.  There was lots of fading present on most signals from VK2 and VK4, and I also had to contend with some JA QRM on the frequency.  At around 0930 UTC some Indonesian and Malaysian stations came up on the frequency and totally took it over.  Their signals were S9 and it was just not viable to continue on 7.130.

I had about 25 minutes before the start of the Sprint, so I had a quick tune across the band but could not hear a lot of strong stations.  Even the normal USA stations were significantly lower in signal strength compared to normal.  So I set up the laptop and had one final read of the rules for the Sprint and had a tune across the 80m band.

The 80m band was very quiet leading up to the Sprint and then at 1000 UTC it came alive.  I was about to ask if the frequency was in use, when a VK2 started calling CQ Contest, so I moved up the band until I found a clear spot, and started calling CQ.  First in the log was Gerard VK6QM, followed by Tony VK3AN, and then Errol VK2EGC/4.

I worked a total of 63 stations during the Sprint from VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, VK6, VK7, and VK8.  No VK1’s were logged.  There were long periods of calling CQ with no takers.  However, considering I was operating portable I was happy with the results.

I remained on 80m for around 30 minutes after the Sprint and logged a further  14 stations including a number of regular park hunters.  I then decided to try one last time on 40m and called CQ on 7.155.  This was answered by Ted VK6NTE, followed by Les VK2CPC, and then Mark AF6TC in California, and Lawrence KN7D in Utah.

It was now 11 deg C, 10.15 p.m. local time, and time for me to pack and up and head home for some late dinner.  I had a total of 95 contacts in the log.

I worked the following stations on 40m before the contest:-

1. VK5FMAZ
2. ZL4HSV
3. VK4PDX
4. VK6AY
5. VK4FW
6. VK2YES/p
7. VK4TJ
8. VK4DA
9. VK2FOUZ
10. ZL1TM
11. VK6FSEA
12. VK2WDD
13. VK4FMAX
14. VK6ATM
15. VK6NTE
16. VK2CPC
17. AF6TC
18. KN7D

I worked the following stations on 80m after the contest:-

1. VK5FANA
2. VK4EKA
3. VK2NP
4. VK5SFA
5. VK2NZ
6. VK3UCD
7. VK4HHA
8. VK3ANL
9. VK4FE
10. VK3FSLG
11. VK3FPSR
12. VK2SR
13. VK5GR
14. VK3SFG

I worked the following stations on 80m during the contest:-

1. VK6QM
2. VK3AN
3. VK2EGC/4
4. VK3BSE
5. VK4LAT
6. VK5CP
7. VK4PDX
8. VK3PH
9. VK3QD
10. VK2VU
11. VK2TTL
12. VK3ZVX
13. VK2CDS
14. VK3JL
15. VK2YW
16. VK3LDB
17. VK7JGD
18. VK5FMAZ
19. VK5KX
20. VK3FVKI
21. VK5KBJ
22. VK5TE
23. VK4FMAX
24. VK5DT
25. VK2AC
26. VK5MU
27. VK6NC
28. VK2DEK
29. VK5LJ
30. VK2MT
31. VK3PAT
32. VK5FFAU
33. VK8GM
34. VK3XL
35. VK2FOUZ
36. VK2QN
37. VK2NED/p
38. VK5ST
39. VK2MTM
40. VK2AU
41. VK6AY
42. VK3FSPG
43. VK3MPR
44. VK3FCEV
45. VK2VK
46. VK2XIC
47. VK2KQB
48. VK3IO
49. VK5WOW
50. VK2HJ
51. VK4ADC
52. VK6AHR
53. VK3GB
54. VK4KET
55. VK2YX
56. VK4WJW
57. VK4NA
58. VK2TTP
59. VK4SN
60. VK2SR
61. VK4YZ
62. VK5FANA
63. VK5BC

References.

Ancestry.com.au, 2017, <https://www.ancestry.com.au&gt;, viewed 7th May 2017

National Parks South Australia, 2017, <http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/Find_a_Park/Browse_by_region/Fleurieu_Peninsula/ferries-mcdonald-conservation-park&gt;, viewed 7th May 2017

Redcliffe & Districts Radio Club, 2017, <http://www.redclifferadioclub.org.au/oldsite/harry_angel_38.html&gt;, viewed 8th May 2017

Wikipedia, 2017, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bremer_River_(South_Australia)&gt;, viewed 7th May 2017

Yesterday (Thursday 4th May 2017) I had a day off work and spent the vast majority of the day bogged down behind the computer in a sea of emails.  So around 3.00 p.m. I decided I had endured enough paperwork and decided to head out to the Totness Recreation Park VKFF-1754 and operate for a few hours using the special call of VK5WOW.  Totness is located about 35 km east of Adelaide in the ‘Adelaide Hills’ Mount Lofty Ranges.

Map showing the location of the Totness Recreation Park in the Adelaide Hills.  Map courtesy of Protected Planet.

VK5WOW is one of the special calls being used to celebrate the upcoming Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) & Convention in Hahndorf in a few weeks time.  Contacts with VK5WOW count towards the AGM & Convention Award.  More details can be found at…..

http://www.wia.org.au/members/wiaawards/agm2017/

Totness is just a short drive from my home QTH, around 2.5km.

Aerial shot showing the location of the park with respect to my home QTH.  Image courtesy of Protected Planet.

The park is also a short distance, ‘as far as the crow flies’ from Hahndorf, the venue for the 2017 WIA AGM & Convention.

As the park is close to my home, I have activated it many times previously.  It has a very interesting history which I have covered in previous posts which can be located at…..

https://vk5pas.org/2017/03/19/totness-recreation-park-vkff-1754-and-the-john-moyle-memorial-field-day-2017/

https://vk5pas.org/2017/03/15/totness-recreation-park-vkff-1754-2/

https://vk5pas.org/2016/08/15/totness-recreation-park-vkff-1754-and-the-rd-contest/

https://vk5pas.org/2016/08/15/totness-recreation-park-vkff-1754-and-the-rd-contest/

Aerial shot of Totness Recreation Park, with Hahndorf just a few km away.  Image courtesy of Google maps.

I headed to my normal operating position in the park, which is just off Haines Fire Track.  This is in the southern section of the park.

Aerial shot of the park showing my operating spot.  Image courtesy of Protected Planet.

I was all set up and ready to go by just after 0600 UTC (3.30 p.m. South Australian local time).  As it was a sunny day I walked a little further into the park from the gate, to an area which had sunshine, and set up the solar panels.  I ran my normal portable set up for this activation, comprising the Yaesu FT-857d, 40 watts output, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole supported on the 7m heavy duty telescopic squid pole.

I headed to my nominating operating frequency of 7.144 and asked if the frequency was in use, and this was answered by Bill VK4FW and John VK5BJE.  I didn’t even get the opportunity of calling CQ.  This is quite common nowadays when activating parks, with eager park hunters waiting for you when you’ve announced you are going to be in a park at a particular time on a particular frequency.  So of course, Bill and John become number 1 and number 2 in the log.

It didn’t take long for a mini pile up to ensure, even though it was a weekday afternoon.  Contact number 44 came in just 38 minutes and that was with regular park hunter VK4RF/VK4HA.  I worked a total of 55 stations on 40m from VK2, VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, and VK7.

Yaesu FT-857d

20/40/80m linked dipople suppported on 7m squid pole

‘the shack’

I then moved over to the 20m band and called CQ on 14.310.  This was answered by Bill VK4FW, followed by Steve VK4QQ, Mark VK4SMA, and then Rick VK4RF/VK4HA.  Sadly there was very little long path propagation into Europe, with just one European station logged, Michael DL8DSL.  Michael had a good 5/7 signal into Totness, with my signal being 5/2 into Germany.  I heard my good friend Marnix OP7M calling from Belgium, along with F4GYG in France, but their signals were very very low.  And sadly they were unable to hear me.  My only other DX logged on 20m was with Kazu JL1ELQ in Japan.  Greg VK8GM in Alice Springs was the strongest station worked on 20m, being 5/9 +.

So with 11 stations logged on 20m from VK4, VK6, VK8, Germany, and Japan, I headed back to the 40m band.  The band had become very busy and I could not get back on to 7.144, so I called CQ on 7.142.  This was answered by my lovely wife Marija VK5FMAZ who was 5/9 +++, as you would expect, being just 2.5 km away.  This was followed by Greg VK4VXX/2 who was portable in the Welford National Park VKFF-0527.  This was to be my only Park to Park contact during this activation.

I logged a total of 21 stations from VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, VK6 and New Zealand.  But unfortunately I started to experience strong QRM from some USA stations on 7.140, which was compounded by OZ8BV who came onto the frequency and started calling CQ.  So after working Gavin ZL1TBA in Taupo, I moved up to 7.144 which had become clear where I worked a further 7 stations from VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, VK6, and New Zealand.  This included Alan ZL3II in Christchurch who had a strong 5/9 + signal.

It was now 6.00 p.m. local time and almost completely dark.  The temperature had dropped to just 7 deg C, and I had rugged up with my beanie and jacket, and donned the head torch.  I lowered the squid pole and inserted the links for the 80m band and headed to 3.610 where I called CQ.  John VK5BJE was there waiting for me, with a lovely 5/9 + signal from Scott Creek in the Adelaide Hills.  This was followed by Ivan VK5HS in Renmark in the Riverland region of South Australia, with a huge signal.

I logged a total of 24 stations on 80m from VK2, VK3, VK4, and VK5.  The band was in great shape, but sadly there were not a lot of callers, despite John VK5BJE doing his best to drum up business for me on parksnpeaks and Facebook.

I headed back to 40m hoping to get some North American stations in the log, but I was to be sadly disappointed. I only logged 2 stations, Glen VK4FARR in Ipswich Queensland, and Roy ZL4HSV at Wanganui on the North Island of New Zealand.  I now had 120 contacts in the log, and it had not got any warmer.  The temperature had now dropped to 5 deg C.

I moved back to 80m for one last crack before going QRT.  I logged an additional 10 stations from VK3, VK5, VK7, and VK8.  This included my wife Marija VK5FMAZ, and my good mate Greg VK8GM in Alice Springs.  My last contact for the activation was with John VK5NJ in Mount Gambier in the South East of South Australia.

With a total of 130 contacts in the log it was time to head home for some dinner.  Hopefully I helped a few hams in their endeavour to qualify for the WIA AGM & Convention Award.  I have now used the VK5WOW call more times than I have logged the call.

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK4FW
2. VK5BJE
3. VK3OHM
4. VK3VIN
5. VK3SQ
6. VK2PDW/m
7. VK2NEO
8.  VK5AFZ
9. VK5MBD
10. VK3VEF
11. VK2HOT
12. VK4SMA
13. VK3GGG
14. VK3PMG
15. VK2IO
16. VK3MCD
17. VK5WG
18. VK2NP
19. VK5FSPJ/m
20. VK5MA
21. VK3PF
22. VK3VBI
23. VK5FMLO
24. VK3ZPF
25. VK2VW
26. VK5RM
27. VK1JY
28. VK2MOR
29. VK2OD
30. VK3FGMO
31. VK5KLV
32. VK3TKK/m
33. VK4HNS
34. VK4QQ
35. VK5FMID
36. VK2YES/p
37. VK3HBG
38. VK5JW
39. VK7JON
40. VK3ZMD
41. VK3YUN
42. VK5HDW
43. VK1AT
44. VK4RF
45. VK4HA
46. VK3STU
47. VK3BNC
48. VK5TW
49. VK5ZGY
50. VK3FRJD
51. VK3FLCS
52. VK3VKT/m
53. VK6ATM
54. VK2FDAV
55. VK4MWB
56. VK5FMAZ
57. VK4VXX/2 (Welford National Park VKFF-0527)
58. VK3FTRI/m
59. VK3FSPG
60. VK3MPR
61. VK1DI
62. VK2NSS
63. VK3KRH
64. VK3FLJD
65. VK4OZI
66. VK2ARA
67. VK6XN
68. VK2FBBB
69. VK4FAAJ
70. VK3FBIC
71. VK2BHO
72. VK6NU
73. VK7NWT
74. VK3LK
75. VK2ND
76. ZL1TBA
77. VK2QK
78. VK4BX
79. VK6LGF
80. ZL3II
81. VK2FOUZ
82. VK3UH
83. VK5HS
84. VK4FARR
85. ZL4HSV

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

1. VK4FW
2. VK4QQ
3. VK4SMA
4. VK4RF
5. VK4HA
6. VK6XN
7. VK5KX
8. VK8GM
9. DL8DSL
10. JL1ELQ
11. VK4ABH

I worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-

1. VK5BJE
2. VK5HS
3. VK5FANA
4. VK3OHM
5. VK3GGG
6. VK3PMG
7. VK3SFG
8. VK4LAT
9. VK6DEW/5
10. VK3PF
11. VK5FMWW
12. VK3AJA
13. VK5BRT
14. VK5YX
15. VK5MLB
16. VK3SQ
17. VK5FMLO
18. VK3ZPF
19. VK5PE
20. VK4TJ
21. VK3ARH
22. VK4FW
23. VK2LL
24. VK3FPHG
25. VK3VBI
26. VK3HMV
27. VK7CW
28. VK3LDB
29. VK5MRT
30. VK5KC
31. VK8GM
32. VK5FMAZ
33. VK5WG
34. VK5NJ

My latest Park to Park (P2P) certificate for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program was received via email yesterday.  It is issued for making 308 Park to Park contacts.

Thanks to the WWFF P2P Awards Manager, Danny ON4VT

Here is my latest DXFF certificate for World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF).  Issued by the YOFF (Romanian) program for working 40 different DXCC entities.

Thanks to Pit YO3JW, the WWFF Awards Manager.

Yesterday afternoon/evening (Friday 28th April 2017) I ventured out to the Monarto Conservation Park 5CP-138 & VKFF-0828, using the special call of VK5WOW.

All contacts with VK5WOW count towards the 2017 WIA AGM & Convention Award.  More details can be found at…..

http://www.wia.org.au/members/wiaawards/agm2017/

This was the third time I have used VK5WOW.  More times as an activator than I have logged the station unfortunately, due to close in propagation being non existant when others have used the call.

Monarto Conservation Park is just a short 20 minute drive down the South Eastern Freeway for me.  The park is situated about 62 km east of Adelaide, and 30 km east of my home.

Map showing the location of the Monarto Conservation Park, east of Adelaide.  Map courtesy of Protected Planet.

I have activated Monarto Conservation Park many times in the past.  For information on those activations and more information on the park, please see my previous posts at…..

https://vk5pas.org/2016/10/16/2016-vkff-team-championship-and-monarto-cp-vkff-0828/

https://vk5pas.org/2015/04/27/monarto-conservation-park-vkff-828/

https://vk5pas.org/2015/01/31/monarto-cp-and-the-2nd-activation-afternoon/

https://vk5pas.org/2014/12/04/monarto-conservation-park-3/

https://vk5pas.org/2014/05/18/monarto-conservation-park-2/

https://vk5pas.org/2013/06/01/monarto-conservation-park/

Aerial shot showing the park with reference to my home QTH, 20 minutes down the road.  Image courtesy of Google maps

I activated the park from my normal spot, the carpark in the north western corner of the park.  I ran my normal portable station for this activation, consisting of the Yaesu FT-857d, 40 watts output, and the 80/40/20 m linked dipole, inverted vee, supported on the 7m heavy duty telescopic squid pole.

It was a dull and overcast afternoon with the temperature being 19 deg C.  There were some dark clouds in the sky but no forecast of rain.

Aerial shot of the park, showing my operating spot.  Image courtesy of Protected Planet.

I started off on 7.134 on the 40m band.  I could not get onto my nominated operating frequency of 7.144 as there was an EA5 operating there.  Although he was a good strong 5/8 signal, sadly he was unable to hear me.   My first contact was a Park to Park contact with Greg VK4VXX/2 in the Sturt National Park VKFF-0470.  You can always count on some amateurs giving you a shout during an activation, and Rick VK4RF/VK4HA is one of those.  Rick was next in my log with his normal strong 5/9 signal.  I worked 11 contacts into VK2, VK3, VK5 and VK7, and was then asked to QSY as I was causing interference to a European net on 7.137.

I QSYd up the band to 7.170.  It was very hard to find a clear frequency on 40m, with good signals from VK and Europe.  The first station logged on 7.170 was Brett VK2VW.  This was followed by Danny ON4VT in Belgium who was calling in amongst the VK’s.  Danny had a good 5/5 signal and gave me a 4/4 into Belgium.  I went on to work a total of 26 stations on 7.170 from VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, VK7 and Belgium.  This included Gerard VK2IO/p, Park to Park, who was in Karuah National Park VKFF-0596.  I was pleased that a handful of VK5’s appeared in the log, with close in propagation (within 50 km) possible.

My operating spot in the carpark

The shack

I then headed off to 14.310 on the 20m band where I logged 14 stations including a little bit of DX from France, Czech Republic, Italy, and England.  Long path conditions into Europe were less than ideal.  I also had three Park to Park contacts: Gerard VK2IP/p in the Karuah National Park VKFF-0596; Neil VK4HNS/p in the Connondale National Park VKFF-0109; and Simon VK6MSC who was on SOTA peak VK6/ SW-036 in the Helena National Park VKFF-0645.

I then headed back to 7.170 on 40m where I logged a further 22 stations from VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, VK6, VK7, VK8, and the USA.  This included my good wife Marija VK5FMAZ who had just arrived home from work, and Mark AF6TC in California USA.  Mark was to be my only North American contact for the activation.

I was also called by Simon VK6MSC, for a second band, on SOTA peak VK6/ SW-036 in the Helena National Park VKFF-0645.  It’s always nice to log Western Australian stations.  Here in Australia we take these sort of contacts for granted as local contacts.  Although for me this is a distance of around 2,500 km.

It was now approaching 6.00 p.m. local time and it was almost dark, so I decided to try 80m again.  This time I logged 22 stations on 80m, from VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, and VK8.  I was pleased to log my mate Greg VK8GM in Alice Springs who was a strong 5/9.  I also made contact with Gerard VK2IO, for a third band, who was in Karuah National Park VKFF-0596.

As it was nearly 7.00 p.m. local time, I headed back to 40m for the commencement of the 7130 DX Net.  Sadly, band conditions on 40m were less than ideal, and Roy VK7ROY the net control was struggling to hear me.  I made just 6 contacts on the net into VK2, VK6, New Zealand and French Polynesia.

I decided to give 80m one last go before packing up and heading home for dinner.  I called CQ on 3.610 and this was answered by Bill VK4FW, followed by Danny VK4SD/2, and then Zorro VK3ZIP.  Next up was John VK3TCT who was in London in the UK, and was operating remote from his home station in Mildura Victoria.  I logged a further 7 stations, and despite numerous CQ calls I had no further takers.  The temperature was now down to 10 deg C and it was well and truly time to pack up and head home for something to eat.

I had a total of 113 contacts in the log and another successful park activation using VK5WOW, considering pretty average band conditions.

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK4VXX/2 (Sturt National Park VKFF-0470)
2. VK4RF
3. VK4HA
4. VK2NEO
5. VK3GGG
6. VK3PMG
7. VK5FAKV
8. VK5ST
9. VK7VDL
10. VK2QR
11. VK2SWL
12. VK2BN
13. ON4VT
14. VK5GI
15. VK4PDX
16. VK5KLD
17. VK5PET
18. VK3PAT
19. VK5KLV
20. VK3ARH
21. VK2NP
22. VK7CW
23. VK3FORD
24. VK5FMLO
25. VK3MCK
26. VK3VKT/m
27. VK3GMC
28. VK4TJ
29. VK2IO/p (Karuah National Park VKFF-0596)
30. VK4ARW
31. VK3FOWL
32. VK3SRC
33. VK3ZMD
34. VK5HS
35. VK5FANA
36. VK4FW
37. VK3VEF
38. VK3YSP
39. VK5FMAZ
40. VK4FMAX
41. VK7ZGK
42. VK7JON
43. VK2ZH
44. VK7VZ/p
45. VK1AD
46. VK3FRAB
47. VK4KUS
48. VK7DW
49. VK6MSC/p (SOTA VK6/ SW-036 & Helena National Park VKFF-0645)
50. VK6QM
51. AF6TC
52. VK7FOLK
53. VK3ZD
54. VK3NCC/8
55. VK4FAAJ
56. VK3HKK
57. VK7VDS
58. VK4FAID
59. VK4GMH
60. ZL2ASH
61. VK7ROY
62. VK6VZZ/m
63. FO5JV
64. VK6WB
65. VK2NED

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

1. VK5YX
2. F4FEP
3. VK6MAC/p
4. OK2TS
5. IK2ZJN
6. IK8FIQ
7. IU3FBL
8. VK2IO/p (Karuah National Park VKFF-0596)
9. VK4RZ
10. VK4HNS/p (Connondale National Park VKFF-0109)
11. VK6MSC/p (SOTA VK6/ SW-036 & Helena National Park VKFF-0645)
12. VK2ZH
13. F1BLL
14. M5JON

I worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-

1. VK3FQ
2. VK5FMLO
3. VK4ZD
4. VK3ANL
5. VK5KLV
6. VK5ST
7. VK4MAX
8. VK4DI
9. VK8GM
10. VK5FANA
11. VK5FMWW
12. VK2NED
13. VK3PKY
14. VK5FWMT
15. VK3FLAK
16. VK4RZ
17. VK3FPHG
18. VK2IO/p (Karuah National Park VKFF-0596)
19. VK3ERW
20. VK3LDB
21. VK5ALR
22. VK1DI
23. VK3PAT
24. VK4FW
25. VK4SD/2
26. VK3ZIP
27. VK3TCT
28. VK5FRSM
29. VK6VCK/p
30. VK4QS
31. VK6VET
32. VK6VNZ
33. VK2NCS
34. VK2NEO

On Tuesday 25th April 2017, Marija VK5FMAZ and I headed down to the Tolderol Game Reserve VKFF-1752, which is located about 77 km south east of Adelaide, and about 11 km south east of  Langhorne Creek.  It was ANZAC Day and we had the opportunity of working with the special AX prefix.  Each year, on just 3 occasions, Australian amateurs can replace the VK prefix with AX.  And ANZAC Day is one of those.

Map showing the location of the Tolderol Game Reserve.  Map courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.

I have activated Tolderol once before, back in August 2016, and qualified the park on that occasion for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.  But this was to be a unique park for Marija as an activator.  For more information on my previous activation, please see my previous post at…..

https://vk5pas.org/2016/08/06/tolderol-game-reserve-vkff-1752/

Tolderol Game Reserve is 428 hectares (4.28 km² ) in size. and is located on the north eastern side of Lake Alexandrina.  It was established on the 1st January 1970 as an experimental area for growing of variety of waterfowl food crops, in particular three-cornered bulrush, with duck shooting permitted during open seasons.  It consists of a series of man made open and shallow basins with connecting channels and levee banks.

Aerial shot showing the park in relation to my home QTH and the city of Adelaide.  Image courtesy of Google maps

Tolderol is a well regarded bird watching location, although on our visit this time we did not see a lot of birds.  The weather was quite poor at times, with very heavy showers, and I suspect this contributed to the lack of birds.  It was also the wrong time of the year.  The best time to make the most of bird watching opportunities is to visit the park in late spring and summer.

There is an excellent Tolderol Game Reserve Community Facebook page, which can be located at…..

https://www.facebook.com/tolderolgamereserve/

One of the down sides of visiting the park is that this is Tiger snake territory.  Tiger snakes have an aggressive nature and toxic venom.  The snake’s large size, often aggressive defence and toxic venom make it extremely dangerous to humans.

Fortunately, the only reptile we encountered during our visit, was the little fella below, a Shingleback lizard.

As we approached the park Marija and I logged from the mobile, Peter VK3PF/2 who was activating the Pilliger West State Conservation Area VKFF-1373.  Peter had a strong 5/8 signal into the mobile.

The park is well sign posted from the Langhorne Creek Road.  Follow Dog Lake Road, down through a few gates until you reach the park.  Please ensure that you leave gates as you find them.  So if they are closed, please close them behind you.  We soon reached the western side of the reserve.

We followed the track down to the northern banks of Lake Alexandrina.  There was a nice cleared area here, giving us plenty of room of vision if there were any snakes approaching us.  And there was a concrete table and benches here.

We ran the usual equipment for this activation comprising the Yaesu FT-857d, 10 watts (for Marija) and 40 watts (for me), and the 80/40/20m linked dipole supported on the 7m heavy duty telescopic squid pole.

Aerial shot of the park showing our operating spot.  Image courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.

Prior to calling CQ both Marija and I logged Nick VK3ANL on 7.150, who was activating Reef Hills State Park VKFF-0773.  I then moved down to 7.140 and called CQ which was answered by Greg VK2EXA, followed by Bill VK4FW and then VK6MB/4 who was in Bill’s shack.  A mini pile up then ensued with a total of 24 stations logged from VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5 and VK7, before Marija and I swapped operator spots.  Included in these contacts was a Park to Park with Gerard VK2IO who was mobile in Ghin-Doo-Ee National Park VKFF-0196.

Marija then called CQ which was answered by Ian VK3VIN, followed by Ken VK2KYO and then Adrian VK5FANA.  All with good 5/9 signals.  The 40m band appeared to be in very good condition.  Contact number 10, qualifying the park for Marija for VKFF, was with Peter VK3ZPF.

It only took Marija 30 minutes to qualify the park for the global WWFF program, with contact number 44 being Allan VK3BF.  It was great to see so many stations calling in, and many thanks to those that did.  A number of those logged were using the AX prefix to help commemorate ANZAC Day.  Included in the callers were a number of Park to Park contacts: Peter VK3PF/2 in the Pilliger West State Conservation Area VKFF-1373; Gerard VK2IO on SOTA peak VK2/ MN-047 in the Ghin-Doo-Ee National Park  VKFF-0196; and Dave VK2ZK in the Blue Mountains National Park VKFF-0041.  Marija and I swapped the mic to log the P2P callers.

Marija logged a total of 51 stations before I again jumped onto the mic, calling CQ on 7.140.  I logged 20 further contacts from VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, VK6 before heading up to 14.310 on the 20m band.  First taker there was Rick VK4RF/VK4HA, followed by Mick AX6AY and then Hans VK6XN.  I logged a further 5 stations from VK4 and VK6.  Sadly no DX.  Signals from Western Australia were generally strong.

I then headed to 21.244 where I called CQ for around 5 minutes, with sadly, no takers.  The weather was starting to cloud over and the temperature had dropped significantly, with some strong winds off the lake.  We could see the shower activity to the south of us, and I expected I may have had a 5 minute window before the rain hit us.  So it was back to 40m where I worked Steve VK4QQ on 7.144.  I was just in the middle of a QSO telling Steve that the weather was closing in, when it hit very quickly.  We were caught in the rain and made a mad dash to pack up the gear and head to the comfort of the vehicle.  I had a total of 57 contacts in the log.

Marija and I then went for a drive through the park whilst the rain cleared.  There are a series of tracks through the reeds and along the levee banks.  I was hoping to get some bird photos, but the weather was lousy, and activity was minimal.

As we drove down some of the tracks, we encountered some of the locals.

The rain had cleared and we decided to set up again.  It was now  just before 5.00 p.m. local time and I was hoping to log a little bit of North American DX on 40m.  This time we set up at the information board and used one of the permapine posts as an anchor point for the squid pole, with the help of some trusty octopus straps.  It was now very cool, and there was still the threat of some rain, so rather than setting up the table and deck chair again, I operated from the comfort of the driver’s seat of the Hi Lux.  Although I have the Icom IC-7000 in the vehicle, I ran the Yaesu FT-857, propped up against the steering wheel and the dashboard.

I called CQ on 7.135 and this was answered by Paul AX3KHZ, followed by Rob VK2MZ and then Stephen VK3DQL.  A few QSOs later I was called by Peter AX3HSB/p who advised he was bogged in the Alpine National Park VKFF-0619.  I offered Peter whatever help I could, but he assured me that he had help on the way and would be ok.

I was pleased that we had set up again, as I had a very steady flow of callers from all across Australia and New Zealand.  Kiwi callers included John ZL1API, Oliver ZL1XS, Gavin ZL1TBA, and James ZL3FV.  The band was also wide open to the other side of the country, with a number of Western Australian stations logged includingRich AX6BEC, John VK6NU, Bert VK6/PA3EPA, and Daniel VK6WE.  I also logged Peter VK3PF/2 who was portable in the Timallallie National Park VKFF-0609.  Marija also logged Peter.

I then headed to the 80m band where I made a Park to Park contact with Peter VK3PF/2 in the Timallallie National Park VKFF-0609 on a second band.  I moved up to 3.615 where I called CQ and logged 27 stations from VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, VK7 and New Zealand.  I was pleased to speak with Andrei ZL1TM in Auckland in the North Island of NZ.

I had a total of 121 contacts in the log and it was time to head home.  Marija had also succesfully qualified the park, with a total of 55 contacts.  Thankyou to everyone who called.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. AX3ANL/p (Reef Hills State Park VKFF-0773)
2. VK3VIN
3. VK2KYO
4. VK5FANA
5. VK7PRN
6. VK2STO
7. VK3ZMD
8. VK3VEF
9. VK3FLCS
10. VK3ZPF
11. VK2LX
12. VK5KX
13. VK5FFAU
14. VK3UH
15. VK3FRJD
16. VK5JK
17. VK1AT/3
18. VK3GGG
19. VK3PMG
20. VK2NP
21. VK3IRS
22. VK2YW
23. VK5QI
24. VK7FOLK
25. VK7DW
26. AX5KC
27. VK5KLV
28. VK3FSPG
29. VK3MPR
30. AX7QP
31. VK3SX
32. VK4RF
33. VK4HA
34. VK5MAP
35. VK5NAW
36. VK7EV
37. AX2LX
38. VK3ELH
39. AX5MAP
40. VK3PF/2 (Pilliger West State Conservation Area VKFF-1373)
41. VK2IO/p (SOTA VK2/ MN-047 &Ghin-Doo-Ee National Park VKFF-0196)
42. VK2ZK/p (Blue Mountains National Park VKFF-0041)
43. VK2JDC/p (Blue Mountains National Park VKFF-0041)
44. VK3BF
45. VK3AWT
46. AX2HOT
47. VK1RZ
48. AX2LEE
49. VK2LAD
50. VK3ZD
51. VK7VDL
52. VK4FW
53. VK3PF/2 (Timallallie National Park VKFF-0609)
54. AX4DXA

Marija worked the following station on 80m SSB:-

1. VK3PF/p (VKFF-0609)

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. AX3ANL/p (Reef Hills State Park VKFF-0773)
2. VK2EXA
3. VK4FW
4. VK6MB/4
5. VK3SIM
6. VK5KLV
7. VK3GGG
8. VK3PMG
9. VK3CWF
10. VK3VIN
11. VK3ARH
12. VK2NP
13. VK2YW
14. VK3FOGY
15. VK3KIM
16. VK2KYO
17. VK2QK
18. VK2GAZ
19. VK7DW
20. VK5FANA
21. VK2IO/m (Ghin-Doo-Ee National Park VKFF-0196)
22. VK5JW
23. VK3FLCS
24. VK7PRN
25. VK3PF/2 (Pilliger West State Conservation Area VKFF-1373)
26. VK2IO/p (SOTA VK2/ MN-047 & VKFF-0196)
27. VK2ZK/p (Blue Mountains National Park VKFF-0041)
28. VK2JDC/p (Blue Mountains National Park VKFF-0041)
29. VK1RZ
30. VK1MTS
31. VK3TKK/m
32. VK3ZPF
33. VK4PDX
34. VK3PAT
35. VK7DIK
36. VK4FFAB
37. VK3YX
38. VK3YE
39. VK3FSPG
40. VK3MPR
41. VK4TJ
42. AX2HOT
43. VK3FORD
44. VK3UH
45. VK4RF
46. VK4HA
47. VK7KW
48. VK3HQZ
49. VK4QQ
50. AX3KHZ
51. VK2MZ
52. VK3DQL
53. VK3KMH
54. AX3HSB/p (Alpine National Park VKFF-0619)
55. AX3HN
56. VK3MCK
57. AX3FRAB
58. AX1FWBD
59. AX2JDR
60. VK4SMA
61. VK3SOT
62. VK3HK
63. AX4DXA
64. VK4NH
65. VK2FJ/m
66. VK5FRSM
67. AX2LEE
68. AX7ZGK
69. AX6BEC
70. VK5FAKV
71. AX2LX
72. VK6NU
73. ZL1API
74. VK7JON/m
75. VK3PF/2 (Timallallie National Park VKFF-0609)
76. VK7FOLK
77. VK4CG
78. VK7VZ/p
79. ZL1XS
80. VK6/PA3EPA
81. VK2UMA
82. ZL1TBA
83. ZL3FV
84. VK6WE

I worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-

1. VK3PF/p (Timallallie National Park VKFF-0609)
2. VK7VZ/p
3. VK3GGG
4. VK3PMG
5. VK7ALB
6. AX7ALB
7. VK5SFA
8. VK5HS
9. VK3FQSO
10. VK4SMA
11. VK5QI/m
12. VK5KLV
13. VK1DI
14. VK2SR
15. VK3YUN/m
16. VK5FANA
17. VK5FMWW
18. VK5FAAT
19. VK3HSB
20. VK3FSLG
21. VK3GK
22. VK7JON
23. VK3LBW
24. VK2NP
25. AX4ITT
26. ZL1TM
27. VK7MPR
28. VK2PH

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

1. VK4RF
2. VK4HA
3. AX6AY
4. VK6XN
5. VK6NU
6. VK4ARW
7. AX6RC/m
8. AX4QQ
9. AX4DXA

References

Australian Museum, 2017, <https://australianmuseum.net.au/tiger-snake&gt;, viewed 28th April 2017

National Parks South Australia, 2017, <https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/Find-a-Park/Browse-by-region/Limestone-Coast/tolderol-game-reserve&gt;, viewed 28th April 2017

Wikipedia, 2017, <>, viewed 28th April 2017

After packing up at Hogwash Bend, Marija and I headed off to our second planned park activation for the day, the Morgan Conservation Park 5CP-141 & VKFF-0911.  The park is located about 166 km north east of Adelaide and on the eastern side of the Murray River opposite the town of Morgan.

Map showing the location of the Morgan Conservation Park, north east of Adelaide.  Map courtesy of Protected Planet.

We travelled along the Morgan-Cadell Road, and soon passed the park on both our left and right.  Sadly, the wet weather which had been predicted, had now hit, and the shower activity was quite persistent.  Before activating the park, we headed across the Murray River on the ferry, and had some lunch at the local take away.

Morgan is a historic little town located on the banks of the Murray River, just downstream of where the Murray turns from flowing roughly westwards, to roughly southwards.  Morgan has a population of around 500 people and boasts two pubs, directly opposite each other.  The town was proclaimed in 1878, the year that the railway line from Adelaide via Kapunda was opened.  The town was named after Sir William Morgan, then Chief Secretary, later Premier of South Australia.

William Morgan.  Image courtesy of Wikipedia

The town has a number of heritage listed buildings, most of which have interpretive signs displaying the history of the building.  At its peak, Morgan was the second busiest port in South Australia, behind only Port Adelaide, with six trains a day carrying freight from the Murray to the sea at Port Adelaide.

After lunch we headed to the small lookout which overlooks the town.  It was a real shame that the showers had set in.

Just down from the lookout is a memorial cairn to commemorate Captain Charles Sturt, who passed by this location during his Central Australian Exploring Expedition in 1844.

We also briefly had a look at the old Morgan Railway station and Station Master’s House, and the old Morgan wharf which at its longest, was 168 metres long.

We then lined up at the ferry, and from the mobile we logged John VK5BJE/p who was activating the Lake Tyers State Park VKFF-0761 in Victoria.  John had a good 5/7 signal into the mobile, and he reciprocated with a 5/9 for us.  We crossed the ferry again and entered the park via a dirt track on the southern side of the Morgan-Cadell Road.  The park consists of a system of lagoons, swamps, creeks and Murray River anabranches bordered by majestic River Red Gum woodlands.  Morgan CP is 361 hectares in size and was first dedicated on 23rd September 1976 to protect the wetlands.  An additional 11 hectares were added on 4th November 1993.

About 150 species of bird have been recorded in the park including Grey Teal, White-faced Heron, Whistling Kite, Australian Darter, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Yellow Rosella, Striped honeyeater, and Zebra finch.

There were already two couples camping on the edge of the Morgan Lagoon, so we drove along the track a little further to the south and set up in a clearing amongst the scrub, right alongside the lagoon.  We ran the Yaesu FT-857d, initially at 10 watts PEP for Marija, and then 40 watts for me, and the 80/40/20m linked dipole, inverted vee @ 7 metres.

Aerial shot of the park, showing our operating spot in the southern section.  Image courtesy of Protected Planet.

As it was still drizzling with rain we set up underneath the awning of the Toyota Hi Lux.  Despite it being quite a miserable afternoon weather wise, it was a sensational operating spot, looking out across the Morgan Lagoon.

Marija started off on air first, and was just keen to get her 10 contacts to qualify the park for VKFF.  Her first 2 contacts were Park to Park QSOs with Jonathan VK7JON/p and Helen VK7FOLK/p who were activating the Hellyer Gorge State Reserve VKFF-1139.  I also logged Jonathan and Helen.

Marija then moved up to 7.150 and called CQ.  Her first taker was Michael VK3FCMC, followed by Mark VK3FOTO and then John VK5BJE/3 who was activating Lake Tyers State Park VKFF-0761.  We started to experience a little bit of European QRM and pondered on whether we should remain on the frequency of QSY.  We decided to stay and battle it out.

Marija was then called by Peter VK3TKK/p who was activating the Twelve Apostles Marine National Park VKFF-0955, and this was followed by another Park to Park (P2P) contact, this time with Derek VK3FAFC/p who was in the French Island National Park VKFF-0622.  Marija and I swapped the mic to log the P2P contacts.

About 7 contacts later, two further Park to Park log entries.  This time with Greg VK4VXX who was in the Mutawintji National Park VKFF-0374, and this was followed by Peter VK3TKK who was activating the Port Campbell National Park VKFF-0420.

Marija had 16 contacts in the log and had qualified the park for VKFF.  She kindly handed the mic over to me.

I called CQ on 7.150 and this was answered by Damien VK3FRAB, followed by Geoff VK3SQ, Lee VK3FLJD, and then Steve VK3FSPG/VK3MPR.  Despite it being a holiday, it was quite slow going on 40m, with just a steady flow of callers from VK2, VK3, VK4, and VK7.  No VK5’s appeared in the log at this stage, with close in propagation on 40m, again not working.

About 30 contacts into the activation and OZ8BV came onto the frequency and started calling CQ.  He was a strong 5/8 and at times was drowing out some of the VK callers.  I battled on for a few more minutes, but with 36 contacts in the log I decided it was time to QSY up to 7.135.  I there spoke with Nick Vk3ANL/p who was on SOTA peak Mount McKay VK3/ VE-007.  Marija also logged Nick.

With a total of 40 contacts in the log I decided to try my luck on 3.610 on the 80m band.  First taker there was Roy VK5NRG in Adelaide with a strong 5/8 signal (5/8 received).  This was followed by Les VK5KLV at Port Augusta.  It was nice to log some VK5’s.  But despite the 80m band being open around South Australia, they were the only VK5 callers.  I logged a further 4 stations on 80m from VK2 and VK3.  Contact number 44 for me was the ever reliable Mick VK3GGG from western Victoria.

I then QSYd to 14.310 on the 20m band and called CQ.  Sadly the only station logged there was Bill VK4FW in Queensland.  No DX.

I had my 44 contacts and it was time for me to do a bit of bird watching/photography, of the feathered variety.  I encouraged Marija to try her luck again on 40m to see if she could pick up 44 contacts.  Whilst I was off on my walk, Marija managed to add a further 11 stations to her log from VK2, VK3, and VK4.  Unfortunately the magical number of 44 wasn’t reached, with numerous CQ calls going unanswered.

Marija and I packed up and hit the road.  It was 4.00 p.m. local time and we wanted to call into the Mount Mary Hotel for a drink.  We still had a 2 hour drive to get home.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK7JON/p (Hellyer Gorge State Reserve VKFF-1139)
2. VK7FOLK/p (Hellyer Gorge State Reserve VKFF-1139)
3. VK3FCMC
4. VK3FOTO
5. VK5BJE/3 (Lake Tyers State Park VKFF-0761)
6. VK3TKK/p (Twelve Apostles Marine National Park VKFF-0955)
7. VK3FAFC/p (French Island National Park VKFF-0622)
8. VK3SQ
9. VK3FSPG
10. VK3MPR
11. VK2HOT
12. VK3BQ
13. VK4HNS
14. VK3KMH
15. VK4VXX/2 (Mutawintji National Park VKFF-0374)
16. VK3TKK/p (Port Campbell National Park VKFF-0420)
17. VK3ANL/p (SOTA Mount McKay VK3/ VE-007)
18. VK2EJW
19. VK1FWBD
20. VK3TKK/m
21. VK3FRAB/p
22. VK3GRW
23. VK2NP
24. VK3VIN
25. VK4SMA
26. VK3HQZ
27. VK3NBL
28. VK1AT/3

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK7JON/p (Hellyer Gorge State Reserve VKFF-1139)
2. VK7FOLK/p (Hellyer Gorge State Reserve VKFF-1139)
3. VK5BJE/3 (Lake Tyers State Park VKFF-0761)
4. VK3TKK/p (Twelve Apostles Marine National Park VKFF-0955)
5. VK3FAFC/p (French Island National Park VKFF-0622)
6. VK4VXX/2 (Mutawintji National Park VKFF-0374)
7. VK3TKK/p (Port Campbell National Park VKFF-0420)
8. VK3FRAB
9. VK3SQ
10. VK3FLJD
11. VK3FSPG
12. VK3MPR
13. VK2NP
14. VK3BQ
15. VK4HNS
16. VK3FOTO/p
17. VK3SFG
18. VK4RF
19. VK4HA
20. VK4MAD
21. VK2FOUZ
22. VK3ARH
23. VK2IO/m
24. VK2JNG/p
25. VK7DW
26. VK3KMH
27. VK3VFR
28. VK3MIJ
29. VK3CWF
30. VK4TJ
31. VK4/VE6XT
32. VK4/AC8WN
33. VK4WID
34. VK3ZMD
35. VK5FD/p
36. VK3FCMC/p
37. VK3ANL/p (SOTA Mount McKay VK3/ VE-007)
38. VK1RZ
39. VK1MTS
40. VK2HOT

I worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-

1. VK5NRG
2. VK5KLV
3. VK3PAH
4. VK3GGG
5. VK3PMG
6. VK2EXA

I worked the following station on 20m SSB:-

1. VK4FW

After packing up, we crossed the ferry again and headed west on the Thiele Highway.  We stopped briefly at the old Eba railway siding.  In days gone by Eba had its own school, a post office, blacksmith, grocery store, sawmill, and even a race track.  Today little remains.  Sadly, a sign of the times……someone has stolen the lady cutout from the old railway siding.

We continued on to the little town of Mount Mary, formerly Krichauff and then Beatty,  which is located on the Thiele Highway between Eudunda and Morgan.  The town was originally surveyed in 1883 and features the historic Mount Mary Hotel.  We stopped in for a couple of drinks.  This is a must if you are driving through the area.  The pub is currently for sale and the current owners did their best to try to convince me to buy the pub.

We continued on our way home, travelling along Bower Boundary Road, a dirt road between the Thiele Highway and the Sturt Highway.  It was very slow going as there were kangaroos everywhere.  Along the way I chatted with a number of stations from the mobile including Peter VK7PRN, Peter VK2STO, John VK6VZZ/m and Mark AF6TC.  We stopped off at the Mount Pleasant Hotel for a meal and then drove the final 45 minutes back home.  It was the end of a very enjoyable 4 days away.

References.

Birds SA, 2017, <http://www.birdssa.asn.au/location/morgan-conservation-park/&gt;, viewed 27th April 2017

National Parks South Australia, 2017, <http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/Find-a-Park/Browse-by-region/Murray-River/morgan-conservation-park&gt;, viewed 27th April 2017

Wikipedia, 2017, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan,_South_Australia&gt;, viewed 27th April 2017

Wikipedia, 2017, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Mary,_South_Australia&gt;, viewed 27th April 2017

Marija and I had two planned park activations for Monday 24th April 2017, the final day of our Riverland trip.  The first being the Hogwash Bend Conservation Park 5CP-092 & VKFF-0892 which is located about 183 km north east of Adelaide and just a few km north west of the little town of Cadell.

Map showing the location of the Hogwash Bend Conservation Park.  Map courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.

We had a 110 km drive from Renmark to the park, which took us along the Sturt Highway to Waikerie, and then out along the Ramco Road through Qualco and on to the park via the Cadell Valley Road.  Along the way Marija and I stopped briefly to have a look at the memorial cairn which commemorates police officers, Corporal William Murray Wickham and Mounted Constable John Dunning Carter, who drowned on the 7th day of May 1847.  They were enroute from Mourundee, near Blanchetown, to Overland Corner for police duty in response to disturbances in the area.  They were the first police to die in the line of duty in South Australia.

Sadly, the memorial had been desecrated.  I have photo shopped the photo below and removed the grafitti.

We continued on to Waikerie and stopped briefly at the Pooginook lookout at Waikerie.  There are some great views of the mighty Murray River from here.  It was along these cliff tops that the village settlers walked between the settlements of Holder and Waikerie.

We soon reached Hogwash Road which runs off the northern side of the Cadell Valley Road.  The park sign, which had been at this intersection on our previous visit, was no longer there, so we initially missed the turnoff.  Not sure what has happened to the sign?

I have activated the park once before, back on April 2015, but this was prior to the park being allocated a VKFF reference number for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.  The previous activation only qualified for the VK5 National & Conservation Parks Award.  This was to be a unique park for Marija as an activator.

https://vk5pas.org/2015/04/23/hogwash-bend-conservation-park/

Hogwash Bend Conservation Park was proclaimed on the 6th day of September, 2012.  The park contains some majestic River Red Gums.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The park is 286 hectares in size and comprises three sections.  We operated from the section which is adjacent to the eastern side of the Murray River.

Aerial shot showing showing the park (indicated by the arrows.  Image courtesy of Google maps.

The park was acquired by the South Australian State Government and the Australian Federal Government under the National Reserve System program to protect the largest breeding colony of Regent Parrots in South Australia.  There are thought to be only 300 breeding pairs of Regent parrots along the Murray.  And in Hogwash Bend, around 50 pairs use the ideal breeding habitat of mature river red gums, nesting sites and large areas of mature mallee scrubland.  Hogwash Bend plays an important role in the bird’s future which is listed as vulnerable at both State and National level.

Regent Parrot.  Image courtesy of Birdlife.

There is an excellent website dedicated to Regent parrots which can be found at…..

http://regentparrot.org

In fact, the group is very keen to hear from people who sight a Regent Parrot.  You can telephone 1800PARROT.

Our operating spot was on the southern side of Hogwash Road, adjacent to the main camping area.  We ran the Yaesu FT-857d, initially set at 10 watts PEP, and later 40 watts for me, and the 80/40/20m linked dipole.

Aerial view of the park showing our operating spot.  Image courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.

Marija started off on air first, with her first contact being Cliff VK2NP, followed by Russell VK4ARW, and then Geoff VK3SQ.  Wade VK1FWBD/p then called in from SOTA peak Black Mountain VK1/ AC-042 in the Black Mountain Nature Reserve VKFF-0834.  Marija and I swapped the mic so I could log Wade.  Marija continued on and soon reached 10 contacts, with contact number 10 being John VK4/AC8WN.

Contact number 12 was another Park to Park, this time with Gerard VK2IO/m who was activating the Watagans National Park VKFF-0522.  Five QSOs later Andrew VK1AD/2 called in from SOTA peak Mount Marulan VK2/ ST-039 east of Goulburn.

Marija logged a total of 17 contacts, qualifying the park for VKFF and threw the mic over to me.  Marija headed off to take some photographs and explore the park.

My first contact after calling CQ was regular park hunter Rick VK4RF/VK4HA, followed by Peter VK3TKK/m, then Geoff VK3SQ, and then Allen VK3ARH.  It was a warm day, about 30 deg C, and an idealic location, not far from the banks of the Murray River.  During contact number 12 with Helen VK7FOLK, the magnificent paddlesteamer, PS Murray Princess came into view, cruising along the Murray.

The PS Murray Princess is the largest inland paddlesteamer in the southern hemisphere and can cater for around 120 passengers.

It was quite slow going on the band, with signals from Victoria being well down compared to normal.  Having said this I was pleased to log Nick VK3ANL who was activating SOTA peak Mount Nelse VK3/ VE-004 which is located in the Alpine National Park VKFF-0619 with a good 5/7 signal.  Sadly Marija was still off on her walk so she missed working Nick.

Soon after I was called by Bob VK2AOR/p and Rod VK2LAX/p who were activating Popran National Park VKFF-0417.  Bob and Rod were running a magnetic loop and although quite weak, 5/3, they were very readable as there was no man made noise on the band from the park.  Marija must have heard Park to Park, because she picked up her stride and made it back in time to log Bob and Rod.  A few QSOs later Nick called back in to log Marija.

About 8 QSOs later, Gerard VK2IO/p called in from SOTA peak Barraba Trig VK2/ HU-065 with a very nice 5/7 signal.

With 36 contacts in the log for me, and 21 contacts in the log for Marija, we decided to try the 80m band and hopefully log some VK5 stations, as it was clear that close in propagation on the 40m band was not working.  I called CQ on 3.610 and this was answered by Ivan VK5HS who was 5/7.  Ivan had tried to make contact with us earlier on 40m but we couldn’t successfully exchange signal reports.  So it was a pleasure to get Ivan in the log on 80.  Marija and I swapped the mic for our 80m contacts, and logged a total of 7 stations from VK2 and VK5.

I was now sitting on 43 contacts, just 1 short of qualifying the park for the global WWFF program, so with no further callers on 80m, we headed to 14.310 on the 20m band.  I put out 10 minutes of CQ calls and did not log a single station.  So it was back to 7.144 on 40m.  I called CQ and this was answered by Bill VK3CWF.  Bill earnt the packet of smarties, being my 44th contact.  I was then called by Peter VK3TKK/p who was activating the Bay of Islands Coastal Park VKFF-0743.  As I now had my 44 contacts I handed the mic back to Marija who logged Peter and then called CQ.

It was another 20 minutes, and Marija had picked up the remaining 15 contacts, to get over the line with 44 contacts, thus qualifying the park for the global WWFF awards.  Contact number 44 was with Mark VK3FOTO/m.

It was coming up to 12.30 p.m. local time.  We packed up and headed off to Morgan for some lunch, with our next activation being the Morgan Conservation Park.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. Vk2NP
2. VK4ARW
3. VK3SQ
4. VK1FWBD/p (SOTA Black Mountain VK1/ AC-042 & VKFF-0834)
5. VK3FRAB
6. VK3HBG
7. VK4RF
8. VK4HA
9. VK4TJ
10. VK4/AC8WN
11. VK4/VE6XT
12. VK2IO/m (Watagans National Park VKFF-0522)
13. VK7JON
14. VK3TKK/m
15. VK3QB
16. VK3ARH
17. VK1AD/2 (Mount Marulan SOTA VK2/ ST-039)
18. VK2AOR/p (Popran National Park VKFF-0417)
19. VK2LAX/p (Popran National Park VKFF-0417)
20. VK3ANL/p (SOTA VK3/ VE-004 & Alpine National Park VKFF-0619)
21. VK2IO/p (SOTA Barraba Trig VK2/ HU-065)
22. VK3TKK/p (Bay of Islands Coastal Park VKFF-0743)
23. VK7CW
24. VK3GGG
25. VK3PMG
26. VK3CWF
27. VK3SFG
28. VK1AT/3
29. VK2QR
30. VK2SWL
31. VK4QQ
32. VK5FD/p
33. VK2GGA
34. VK3ELH
35. VK3TJC/m
36. VK7DW
37. VK3FOTO/m

Marija worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-

1. VK5HS
2. VK5FDEC
3. VK2AWJ
4. VK5YX
5. VK5KLV
6. VK5FANA
7. VK5PET

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK1FWBD/p (SOTA Black Mountain VK1/ AC-042 & VKFF-0834)
2. VK2IO/m (Watagans National Park VKFF-0522)
3. VK1AD/2 (SOTA VK2/ ST-039)
4. VK4RF
5. VK4HA
6. VK3TKK/m
7. VK3SQ
8. VK3ARH
9. VK4ARW
10. VK2NWB
11. VK2FADV
12. VK7FOLK/m
13. VK3FMPB
14. VK4HNS
15. VK7BC
16. VK3ANL/p (SOTA VK3/ VE-004 & Alpine National Park VKFF-0619)
17. VK2RH/p
18. VK2LAX/p (Popran National Park VKFF-0417)
19. VK2AOR/p (Popran National Park VKFF-0417)
20. VK3QB
21. VK5HS
22. VK4TJ
23. VK4/AC8WN
24. VK4/VE6XT
25. VK4WID
26. VK2RI
27. VK2IO/p (SOTA Barraba Trig VK2/ HU-065)
28. VK2QR
29. VK7VZ/p
30. VK3KMH
31. VK2KT
32. VK3KMB/p
33. VK2GKA
34. VK1AT/3
35. VK7DW
36. VK3CWF
37. VK3TKK/p (Bay of Islands Coastal Park VKFF-0743)

I worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-

1. VK5HS
2. VK5FDEC
3. VK2AWJ
4. VK5YX
5. VK5KLV
6. VK5FANA
7. VK5PET

On our way to Morgan, from the mobile, Marija and I both logged Peter VK3TKK/p who was activating the Bay of Islands Coastal Park VKFF-0743.  Peter had a strong 5/9 signal into the mobile.

References.

Monument Australia, 2017, <http://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/government—state/display/98413-corporal-william-murray-wickham-and-mounted-constable-john-dunning&gt;, viewed 27th April 2017

Government of South Australia, 2014, River Murray-South East Nature Link

Marija and I had one planned park activation for Sunday (23rd April 2017).  That being the Cooltong Conservation Park 5CP-046 & VKFF-0823 which is located about 257 km north east of Adelaide, and just a few km to the west of the town of Renmark.

Map showing the location of the Cooltong Conservation in the Riverland region of South Australia.  Map courtesy of Protected Planet.

Marija and I have activated this park previously, for both the VK5 National & Conservation Parks Award and the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.  We visited the park together back in April 2015 when Marija had made 15 contacts, qualifying the park for VKFF, but falling a bit short of the 44 QSOs required for the global WWFF program.  So Marija was hoping to pick up a few more contacts to get over the 44 line.

https://vk5pas.org/2016/04/20/cooltong-conservation-park-5cp-046-and-vkff-0823/

And I had activated the park back in May 2015 and well and truly had qualified the park for both VKFF and WWFF.

https://vk5pas.org/2015/05/12/cooltong-conservation-park-vkff-823/

However, I had been given permission to use the special call of VK5WOW, issued to help celebrate the upcoming 2017 WIA AGM & Convention in Handorf.

We made an early start and had breakfast at the motel and then headed to the home of Ivan VK5HS.  As it turned out my wife Marija and Ivan had secretly arranged to instal a BHI noise eliminating speaker in the Toyota Hi Lux.  Many thanks to both Marija and Ivan.  It is a really welcome addition to the vehicle.  Peter VK5PE also popped around.

Whilst there we all worked Andrew VK1AD who was on SOTA summitBobbara Mountain VK2/ ST-044, and then John VK5BJE/3 who was portable in the Snowy River National Park VKFF-0455.  And we also worked VK5WOW on the callback after the VK5 WIA Broadcast.

Marija and I then headed across the historic Paringa bridge into the little town of Paringa.  The bridge was constructed in 1927 for the railway extension over the River Murray to Renmark.  It is one of South Australia’s significant engineering monuments and is a State Heritage Place protected by the Heritage Places Act 1993.

We then headed out to Lock 5 which was built during the 1920’s to regulate the flow and the levels of the Murray River.  There are a number of information boards here explaining how the lock was installed.  You can also view the 80 ton barge, the Bunyip.  Along the way we workd Nick VK3ANL who was activating SOTA peak Mount Torbreck VK3/ VN-001.

Our next stop was the Black Stump at Paringa, the largest of 11 known black stumps in Australia.

We then visited the Olivewood historic homestead and museum.  This was the home of the Chaffey Bros, founders of Australia’s first irrigation settlement in Renmark in 1887.  The old homestead is open for inspection and is furnished from this period.

The adjacent museum contains numerous early photos and memorabillia, including an amount of old radio gear.

We then called in to the Twenty Third Distillery in Renmark for some lunch….wood fire oven pizzas and a few cold Ciders.

It was now approaching 1.30 p.m. local time and we headed out to the Cooltong Conservation Park.  We accessed the park via Santos Road which runs off the Sturt Highway.  There are no signs on the Highway indicating the park.   But a few km up Santos Road we reached the park which is signposted.

Cooltong Conservation Park was dedicated in 1993 and comprised 3,681 hectares of mallee vegetation.  The name Cooltong is derived from a local aboriginal name meaning ‘lizard place’.  A large number of native birds can be found in the park including the rarely seen Malleefowl.

Marija and I drove a short distance in the park and found a clearing in amongst the scrub off Santos Road.  It was a hot da7, 29 deg C, so we erected the awning on the Toyota Hi Lux and set up the deck chairs and fold up table underneath the awning.  We ran the Yaesu FT-857d for this activation, initially set at 10 watts PEP for Marija, and then at 40 watts for me.  The antenna was the 80/40/20m linked dipole supported on the 7m telescopic squid pole.

Aerial shot of the park showing our operating spot.  Image courtesy of Protected Planet.

Marija started off first, with contact number one on 40m SSB being Mark VK5QI/m who was mobile on his way home from the Riverland.  Mark is an active member of AREG and had taken part in the balloon launch the day previous.  Contact number two for Marija was Jonathon VK7JON, followed by Damien VK3FRAB/p, Bruce VK3FBNG, and then Bill VK5MBD/p who was portable near Overland Corner.  Contact number 7 was a Park to Park contact with Greg VK4VXX/2 who was activating the Mutawintji National Park VKFF-0374.

The band was in good shape and there were a lot of amateurs about due to it being the Easter weekend.  Marija very soon had the required 29 contacts in the log (to add to her previous 15) to qualify the park for WWFF.  The honour of contact 29 goes to Ian VK3VIN in Corio.

Marija worked a total of 66 stations on 40 from VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, and VK7.  This included further Park to Park contacts with John VK5BJE/3 who was portable in the Lake Tyers State Park VKFF-0761, David VK5HYZ/p in the Scott Creek Conservation Park VKFF-0788, Peter VK3PF/4 on SOTA peak VK4/ SE-043 in the D’Aguilar National Park VKFF-0129, Bill VK4FW/p in the Nour Nour National Park VKFF-0701, and Bill VK3CWF/p in the Brisbane Ranges National Park VKFF-0055.

Craig VK3CRG streamed Marija’s contacts via VK3RTV, Digital Amateur TV in Melbourne.

Marija swapped the mic with me, allowing me to log the Park activators.

It was my turn to jump on the mic and operate as VK5WOW.  And WOW (sorry for the pun), what a pile up.  I reached contact number 44 in just 30 minutes (Kevin VK2VKB).  In around 1 hour & 20 minutes I had contact number 100 in the log (Ray VK3RW).  I logged a total of 104 contacts on 40m with most contacts around Australia into VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, and VK7.  I logged 2 DX stations on 40m: Brian ZL2ASH in Wellington, New Zealand, and Vicente EA3GP in Tarragona, Spain.  I made one Park to Park contact, and that was with Peter VK3PF/4 who was in the D’Aguilar National Park VKFF-0129.

During my time on 40m, Shaun VK5FAKV called me.  Shaun lives very close by to the park and I gave him directions on how to find me.  I have spoken with Shaun many times on air, and it was a pleasure to meet him finally in person.

I then gave the 20m band a crack, but had very little success there.  Long path propagation into Europe was non existant.  I logged just 6 stations on 20m from VK2, VK4, VK6 and Japan.

I then moved back to 40m where I logged a further 20 stations from VK2, VK3, VK4, and VK6.  This included a Park to Park with Bill VK4FW who was in the Nour Nour National Park VKFF-0701.

It was starting to get dark, 5.30 p.m. local time, and I decided to give the 80m band a shot.  I called CQ on 3.610 and this was answered by Bernie VK4KX who had followed me down from 40.  This was followed by Ivan VK5HS at nearby Renmark who was of course 5/9 +++.  I worked a total of 19 stations on 80m from VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, and VK7.

I decided to give 40m one last try, hoping to get some North American DX in the log.  Sadly, this was not to happen.  But I did log a further 12 stations from VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, and VK6.

It was now 6.30 p.m. local time and it was time to pack up and head back into Renmark for a bite to eat.  I had a total of 161 contacts in the VK5WOW log.  Thanks to everyone who called, and I apologise to those who missed out in the pile up.  Be patient and persistent and I am sure to work you.

In the Cooltong CP

At the end of the activation Marija and I enjoyed a very nice meal at the Renmark Club and it was then back to the motel room, for another early start in the morning.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK5QI/m
2. VK7JON
3. VK3FRAB/p
4. VK3FBNG
5. VK5MBD/p
6. VK3CGB
7. VK4VXX/2 (Mutawintji National Park VKFF-0374)
8. VK3YXC
9. VK1AT/p
10. VK5KLV
11. VK5HS
12. VK5PE
13. VK7FOLK
14. VK3FSPG
15. VK3MPR
16. VK2HPN/m
17. VK5AYD
18. VK7DW
19. VK2NP
20. VK2PDW
21. VK2GAZ
22. VK3FOWL
23. VK3SQ
24. VK2QK
25. VK5WG
26. VK2OD
27. VK3TKK
28. VK3AXF
29. VK7AU
30. VK3VIN
31. VK3HKV
32. VK5BJE/3 (Lake Tyers State Park VKFF-0761)
33. VK3ZLD
34. VK2LX
35. VK5HYZ/p (Scott Creek Conservation Park VKFF-0788)
36. VK3PF/4 (SOTA VK4/ SE-043 & D’Aguilar National Park VKFF-0129)
37. VK3FPSR
38. VK3FAJH
39. VK3FLJD
40. VK3FPHG
41. VK5TR
42. VK5AFZ
43. VK2KYO
44. VK3YSP
45. VK5YL
46. VK3CRG
47. VK3PAT
48. VK5MA/p
49. VK4FW/p (Nour Nour National Park VKFF-0701)
50. VK3CWF/p (Brisbane Ranges National Park VKFF-0055)
51. VK3ZZS/p
52. VK5FANA/m
53. VK7NWT
54. VK5IS
55. VK5CP
56. VK2HI
57. VK5HEL
58. VK3GGG
59. VK3PMG
60. VK5FMJC
61. VK4RF
62. VK4HA
63. VK2GPT/p
64. VK3TL
65. VK3MIC
66. VK3ZL

I worked the following stations (under VK5PAS) on 40m SSB:-

1. VK4VXX/2 (Mutawintji National Park VKFF-0374)
2. VK5BJE/3 (Lake Tyers State Park VKFF-0761)
3. VK5HYZ/p (Scott Creek Conservation Park)
4. VK3PF/4 (SOTA VK4/ SE-043 & D’Aguilar National Park VKFF-0129)
5. VK4FW/p (Nour Nour National Park VKFF-0701)
6. VK3CWF/p (Brisbane Ranges National Park VKFF-0055)

I worked the following stations (under VK5WOW) on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3SQ
2. VK3HSB
3. VK3PF/4
4. VK4RF
5. VK4HA
6. VK5MBD/p
7. VK3FOWL
8. VK5MA/p
9. VK3TKK
10. VK5NE
11. VK3TL
12. VK5WG
13. VK2HOT
14. VK3ZLD
15. VK3PAT
16. VK5HEL
17. VK2LX
18. VK3GYH/p
19. VK5KLV
20. VK2GAZ
21. VK2FRKO
22. VK3CRG
23. VK2VW
24. VK3FRAB/p
25. VK3FPHG
26. VK3YSP
27. VK3SRC
28. VK2EJW
29. VK3YQS
30. Vk5FANA/m
31. VK7JON
32. VK3BL
33. VK7VZ/p
34. VK3GGG
35. VK3PMG
36. VK5JK
37. VK3VLY
38. ZL2ASH
39. VK3JM
40. VK2PDW/m
41. VK2NP
42. VK3MNZ
43. VK4HNS
44. VK2VKB
45. VK2SK
46. VK2EXA
47. VK7FOLK
48. VK3ZPF
49. VK3FADM/2
50. VK2JXA/p
51. VK3YSP/p
52. VK4FFAB
53. VK4BX
54. VK4ARW
55. VK3FAJH
56. VK5DJW
57. VK5ZGY/m
58. VK2NSS
59. VK2VOL
60. VK5FAKV
61. VK4QQ
62. VK3PLP
63. VK5PE
64. VK3VIN
65. VK3BSG
66. VK7DW
67. VK4VXX
68. VK5WF
69. VK3PI
70. VK2IO/m
71. VK4SMA
72. VK1RZ
73. VK7FEAT/m
74. VK7AN
75. VK3RU
76. VK3TJS
77. VK3MCK
78. VK5KFB
79. VK2ZQ
80. VK2BMU
81. VK5BC
82. VK5NJ
83. VK2UCT
84. VK3FSPG
85. VK3MPR
86. VK2NWB
87. VK4ND
88. VK2YW
89. VK3BGE
90. VK5NAW
91. EA3GP
92. VK5HS
93. VK3MAB
94. VK5ZKU
95. VK3FMPC
96. VK7AU
97. VK3ZD
98. VK3MJR
99. VK3ELH
100. VK3RW
101. VK3STU
102. VK3MCD
103. VK5YX
104. VK3HBG
105. VK2QQ
106. VK3TJK
107. VK2HHS
108. VK4FW/p (VKFF-0701)
109. VK2QK
110. VK2HBT
111. VK3UH
112. VK3SOT
113. VK4HHA
114. VK3WAR
115. VK2FSAV
116. VK5FD/p
117. VK6WC
118. VK2SOL
119. VK3SX
120. VK3NLK
121. VK3FMDC
122. VK4DA
123. VK2BTO
124. VK4KX
125. VK4GAZ
126. VK3FEVT
127. VK3AND
128. VK3FLES
129. VK4FSCC
130. VK4FRAL/m
131. VK6NU
132. VK3LBW
133. VK2TMC
134. VK2SVN
135. VK2WWV
136. VK5FDEC

I worked the following stations (under VK5WOW) on 20m SSB:-

1. VK4QQ
2. VK2MI
3. VK5BC
4. JA1VRY
5. VK2CMP
6. VK6GLX

I worked the following stations (under VK5WOW) on 80m SSB:-

1. VK4KX
2. VK5HS
3. VK3NLK
4. VK4VCO/p
5. VK5FANA
6. VK5HYZ
7. VK3STU
8. VK5FD/p
9. VK7JON
10. VK5ATQ
11. VK3GGG
12. VK3PMG
13. VK3VLY
14. VK3SQ
15. VK5MG
16. VK4TJ
17. VK3DQL
18. VK5FMAZ/m
19. VK2MTM

References.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources, 2011, ‘Parks of the Riverland’

Discover Murray, 2017, <http://www.murrayriver.com.au/paddleboats/river-boat-trail-renmark/&gt;, viewed 27th April 2017

Renmark Paringa Visitor Information Centre, 2015, ‘Renmark, Paringa & Lyrup Visitor Guide’

Wikipedia, 2017, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooltong,_South_Australia&gt;, viewed 27th April 2017