My final activation for 8th April 2025, was the White Sands silo VK-WHS5. White Sands is located about 9 km south of Murray Bridge and about 81 km southeast of Adelaide.
The White Sands silo is located on Flagstaff Road and is operated by Inghams.
The locality was named after the White Sands Ski Resort, a water skiing and wakeboarding facility, in March 2000. (Wikipedia 2024)
I parked on Flagstaff Road 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.
Above:- the activation zone at the WHite Sands silo. Image c/o SiOTA website.
I worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-
VK5MRE
VK2EXA
VK3VEF
VK3TCT
VK3CWM
VK7ALH
VK5LDM
I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
VK1AO
VK2MET
VK5MAZ
VK3PF
VK3ASU
VK3ZPF
VK7PJM
VK3ACZ
VK1CHW
VK3LOL
ZL1XS
VK1NC
VK2LEE
References.
Wikipedia Contributors (2024). White Sands. Wikipedia.
After leaving Apamurra, I headed into Murray Bridge, where I got an evening meal.
I then activated the Murray Bridge East silo VK-MRT5 and the Murray Bridge silo VK-MRE5. Again, I used the special event call of VI100IARU.
Above:- Map showing the location of Murray Bridge, east of Adelaide. Map c/o Google Maps.
On my way to the activation zone for both silos, I passed the old Murray Bridge Railway Station on Railway Terrace. The station was opened in the 1880s as part of the Adelaide-Wolseley railway line. (Wikipedia 2025)
The Murray Bridge silo VK-MRE5 is located on Hume Reserve Road. The Murray Bridge East silo VK-MRT5 is located on Mary Terrace.
In 2023 it was planned that the Murray Bridge silos would become part of the Australian silo art trail. Sadly, this was cancelled.
I parked on Railway Terrace within the activation zone of the two silos and operated from the 4WD. I ran the Icom IC-7000, 100 watts, and the Codan 9350 antenna with the 1.5 metre stainless steel whip.
Above:- Map showing the activation zone at the two silos. Image c/o SiOTA website.
I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
VK5MAZ
VK3PF
VK1AO
VK2MET
VK7IAN
VK2EXA
VK2LEE
VK2IO
VK2EG
VK7PJM
VK2USH
VK7LTD
VK5DMO
VK3BLG
References.
Wikipedia Contributors (2025). Murray Bridge railway station. Wikipedia.
After leaving Cambrai on 8th April 2025, I headed to the Apamurra silo VK-APA5. Apamurra is located about 12 km northwest of Mannum and about 77 km northeast of Adelaide.
I have activated the Apamurra silo several times previously.
Apamurra is a railway siding on the former Monarto-Sedan railway. Apamurra is an Aboriginal word meaning ‘fresh water’. The township of Apamurra was laid out in 1921 on part sections 30-31, Hundred of Finniss, by Johann Gottfried Hartmann. It comprised 19 allotments contiguous to the railway station. On the 17th day of February 1922, the Apamurra Post Office opened. It closed on the 31st day of July 1971. (Place Names 2023)
The Apamurra silos are located on Milendella Road.
I parked on Milendella Road outside of the silos 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.
Above:- the activation zone at the Apamurra silo. Image c/o SiOTA website.
After leaving the Derek Sutcliffe Reserve on 8th April 2025, I headed to the town of Cambrai where I intended to activate the Cambrai silo VK-CMI5 for the Silos On The Air (SiOTA) program.
Above:- Map showing the location of Cambrai. Map c/o Google Maps.
I headed west on Jutland Road and stopped briefly to admire the old South Rhine Presbyterian (later Uniting) Church. The Foundation Stone was laid on the 26th day of April 1882, by Thomas Gray. Its closing service was held on the 25th day of April 2010. (Facebook 2022)
The sun was setting as I headed to Cambrai, and I enjoyed a magnificent sunset.
I stopped briefly at one of the lookouts with some amazing views out across the plains towards Victoria.
I soon reached the town of Cambrai, which was formerly known as Rhine Villa. It was one of several towns that were renamed during World War One to remove any connection with German place names. It was renamed Cambrai after the Battle of Cambrai. (Wikipedia 2025)
The Cambrai silos are located on SIlo Road.
I parked near the gates of the silos ane operated from the 4WD. I ran the Icom IC-7000, 100 watts, and the Codan 9350 antenna with the 1.5 metre stainless steel whip.
Above:- the activation zone at the Cambrai silo. Image c/o SiOTA website.
My next activation for 8th April 2024 was the Derek Sutcliffe Memorial Reserve VKFF-6414. The park is located about 8 km east of the town of Springton and about 81 km northeast of the city of Adelaide.
The reserve is located on the southern side of Jutland Road, Springton.
The park commemorates Derek Sutcliffe, who was the first President of the Mount Pleasant Area Trees for Life Group. (Monument Aust 2025)
The reserve is about 20 hectares in size. It is surrounded by three other Heritage Agreements, including Guthrie Gorge.
I ran the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole.
My next activation for Tuesday 8th April 2024, was the Mount Gawler summit VK5/ SE-013 for the Summits On The Air (SOTA) program and the Mount Gawler Native Forest Reserve VKFF-2888 for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.
Above:- Map showing the location of Mount Gawler. Map c/o Google Maps.
I have activated this summit and the park several times previously.
Mount Gawler Native Forest Reserve is about 1,044 hectares in size and consists of remnant native vegetation.
Mount Gawler is about 541 metres above sea level. It has been activated a total of 162 times for the SOTA program and is worth 2 points. (Sotadata.org.uk, 2025)
There are some nice views from the summit out to the east and the west.
I ran the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole.
I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
VK3PF
VK3KAI
VK5NRG
VK5CZ
VK5XE
VK2EXA
VK3ZSC/P (VKFF-2031)
VK7DD
VK2HAK
VK5KVA
VK5JW
VKWYW
VK5IS
VK4NH
VK4DXA
I worked the following stations on 40m FT8:-
VK2HAK
VK3PF
VK3SQ
VK3KAI
VK1DI
VK2IO
I worked the following stations on 20m FT8:-
UA3PAB
VK2IO
VK2HAK
VK4MGL
VK5CZ
VK1DI
VK7XX
VK3APJ
LZ1YF
I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-
VK2VW
VK2HFI
VK2AKA
VK2BUG
VK2HAK
VK3PF
VK3KAI
KG5CIK
VK4DXA
VK4NH
VK5QA/M
VK2DBF/M
VK3CLD/M
VK4MGL
VK2USH/P (VKFF-1008)
VK1DI
VK3SQ
VK2BD
VK3JT
VK3TBS
VK4SMA
VK4CK
UT5PI
References.
Forestry SA, 2016, Mount Gawler Native Forest Reserve Management Plan
On Tuesday 8th April 2025, I activated Mount Barker VK5/ HSE-019 for the HEMA program. I used the special event call of VI100IARU. The summit is about 43 km southeast of Adelaide in the Mount Lofty Ranges ‘Adelaide Hills’.
Above:- Map showing the location of Mount Barker summit. Map c/o Google Maps.
Mount Barker summit is 517 metres above sea level.
Above:- An aerial view of Mount Barker summit. Image c/o Google Earth.
Mount Barker summit was first sighted in 1830 by explorer Captain Charles Napier Sturt (b. 1795. d. 1869). At the time, he believed he was looking at Mount Lofty, which had previously been discovered. (Wikipedia 2025)
Above:- Captain Charles Sturt. Image c/o Wikipedia
In 1831, the area was surveyed by Captain Collet Barker. He fixed the error made by Sturt. Sturt named the summit in honour of Captain Barker following his death at the hands of Aboriginal people just 2 days later. (Wikipedia 2025)
On the 27th day of November 1837, six years after its discovery, the Mount Barker summit was first climbed by Europeans. A six-man party climbed the summit, which comprised John Barton Hack, John Morphett, Samuel Stephens, Charles Stuart, Thomas Davis, and John Wade.
Above:- John Barton Hack (left) and John Morphet (right). Image sc/o Wikipedia
A steep dirt track leads up to the car park at the summit. The track is passable with a conventional vehicle.
There is a sign in the car park which details the history & heritage, the geology, and the vegetation of the summit.
Mount Barker summit has a large transmission tower that services the SA Government Radio Network and mobile phone transmissions. There is also microwave radio equipment on the tower. (Wikipedia 2025)
There are some nice views out to the west, back towards Adelaide, across Mount Barker, from the car park.
There is a track from the car park leading up to the top of the summit. Along the way, many of the native plants are marked.
At the top of the summit, you can find an obelisk and a trig point.
Again, there are some excellent views of the surrounding district.
I ran the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole for this activation.
I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
VK2YW
VK5QA
VK3ZSC/P (VKFF-2031)
VK3PF
VK3SQ
VK2BD
VK3JT
I worked the following stations on 40m FT8:-
VK3PF
VK2IO
VK4EW
VK3SQ
I worked the following stations on 20m FT8:-
VK1AD
VK4EW
VK1NAM
VK3PF
VK2IO
I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-
VK3PF
VK1AO
VK2MET
VK1AD
VK1NAM
VK2VW
VK2HFI
VK2AKA
VK2BUG
References.
Wikipedia Contributors (2025). Mount Barker (South Australia). Wikipedia.
After leaving Hindmarsh Valley, I headed to the Hesperilla Conservation Park VKFF-1038. The park is located about 2 km south of Mount Compass and about 60 km south of Adelaide.
Above:- Map showing the location of the Hesperilla Conservation Park. Map c/o Google Maps.
The park is located on the western side of Victor Harbor Road.
Above:- An aerial view of the Hersperilla Conservation Park. Image c/o Google Earth.
The park is about 11 hectares in size and was established on the 18th day of February 2010. (CAPAD 2022)
Hesperilla Conservation Park protects an important remnant of the critically endangered Fleurieu Peninsula Swamp ecological community. (Nature Glenelg Trust, 2024)
A total of seven bird species that are listed as threatened at State level can be found in the park, including the Southern emu-wren. The nationally threatened Mount Compass oak-bush, and 7 other plant species that are listed as threatened at the state level, are also found in the park. (NPWS 2023)
I ran the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole.
My third activation for Monday 7th April 2025, as VI100IARU, was the Hindmarsh Valley National Park VKFF-3190. The park is located about 79 km south of the city of Adelaide. This was the first time the park had been activated for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.
Above:- Map showing the location of the Hindmarsh Valley National Park. Map c/o Google Maps.
As I drove to the park from the Spring Mount Conservation Park, I was rewarded with some magnificent views of the Fleurieu Peninsula.
The Fleurieu Peninsula was named in honour of the French explorer and hydrographer Charles Pierre Claret de Fleurieu by the French explorer Nicolas Baudin during his 1802 exploration of the south coast of Australia. (Wikipedia 2023)
Above:- Nicolas Baudin (left) and Charles Pierre Claret de Fleurieu (right). Images c/o Wikipedia
Despite this being a new park with plenty of hype from the South Australian State Government, it was not easy to find. Access to this park is via a narrow strip of land on Nettle Hill Road. There is a gate at this location; however, there are no signs.
The National Parks brochure shows that there is a car park and picnic area here, but I could not find them. The aerial view also indicates that the park extends all the way to Hindmarsh Tiers Road, but this is not the case according to Location SA Map viewer and CAPAD data.
Above:- Map of the park. Image c/o NPWS SA.
The Hindmarsh Valley National Park is in close proximity to the Mount Billy Conservation Park, and has a handful of Heritage Agreements that surround the park.
Above:- An aerial view of the Hindmarsh Valley National Park. Image c/o Google Earth.
Hindmarsh Valley is named in honour of Rear Admiral Sir John Hindmarsh (b. 1785. d. 1860), the first Governor of South Australia. (Wikipedia 2022)
Above:- Sir John Hindmarsh. Image c/o Wikipedia.
The Hindmarsh Valley National Park is 423 hectares in size and was established in December 2021. The land was previously owned by SA Water and was transferred to the Department for Environment and Water in mid-2021. (National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia,2025)
The park is home to the nationally endangered Southern Brown Bandicoot, the Chestnut Rumped Heath-wren, the nationally-vulnerable Bassian thrush and locally critically endangered western pygmy Possum. (National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia,2025)
I ran the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole for this activation.
I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-
VK5MAZ
VK2TM
KG55CIK
VK3PF
VK3KAI
VK4NH
VK4DXA
VK7AAE
VK2GJC
VK1AO
VK2MET
VK1DI
VK2LEE
VK4XCS
VK7XX
VK4JT
ZL2BAQ
VK2MW
VK2HDT
VK4GRZ
VK5VR
ZL2GLG
VK2IO/M
VK3UH
WA6SZE
DL8NDG
VI100SIG
VK2COS
IW2BNA
F5PYI
VK6JK
UT5PI
I worked the following stations on 20m FT8:-
SP9W
IZ7HNO
VK3APJ
VK3PF
NJ3T
YU7NW
I3QDK
RU3GC
IS0ANW
PA0ABM
F4EIK
VK2EG
IK5UIS
OK2QA
F5RRS
I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
VK2HAK
VK5MAZ
VK7PJM
VK5CZ
VK5XE
VK3PF
VK3KAI
VK2VW
VK2HFI
VK2AKA
VK2BUG
VK1AD
VK1NAM
VK3UH
VK5LA
VK5KAW
VK3YV
VK3VIN
VK4NH
VK4DXA
VK2LEE
VK3ANL
VK2MOE
VK1MO
VK3HJV
VK2EXA
VK4HMI
VK2FALL
VK3OHM
VK3CEO
VK3ARD
VK7AN
VK5HS
VK3AEI
At the conclusion of the activation, I visited the Hindmarsh Falls, which are fed by the Hindmarsh River catchment area between Mt Cone and Spring Mount. (Victor Harbor 2022)
I left Hindmarsh Valley and headed towards home. I intended to activate on more park and a silo before reaching home. Despite it being a rather bleak day, I was still rewarded with some nice views of the Fleurieu as I made my way towards my next park.
VK5PAS 