My first park for Sunday morning, 7th June 2015 was the Ewens Ponds Conservation Park which is situated about 36 km south east of Mount Gambier.  This was my only planned park activation for the day, but as it turned out, I also ventured over to Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park after this activation.  Ewen Ponds was another unique park for me for both the VK5 National & Conservation Parks Award, and the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.

Above:- Map showing the location of the park.  Map courtesy of mapcarta.com

Ewens Ponds Conservation Park was constituted in 1976 and covers a small area of about 24 hectares.  The park contains spring fed limestone ponds which are linked by shallow channels.  The channels actually connect three basin shaped ponds which are about 10 metres deep.  The clarity of the water enables water plants to grow underwater to a depth of about 6 metres.  Many of these plants are not found growing fully submerged underwater anywhere else in the world.

The ponds are very popular with scuba divers and snorkellers.  The minimum qualification for divers is ‘open water’.  In fact whilst I was set up, a couple arrived to go scuba diving in the ponds.  Due to the cold water and the potential for damage to the aquatic environment, swimming is not allowed.

The ponds have a large fish population including the endangered Gold Pygmy Perch.  In fact the ponds are one of only three recorded locations for the Gold Pygmy Perch.  The ponds are also home to populations of flatworms, freshwater crayfish, and mussels, and the larva of the carnivorous caddis fly.

The history behind the discovery of the ponds is extremely interesting.  The first European associated with the area was Thoms Ewens.  His dog chased a kangaroo into one of the ponds.  The land surrounding the ponds was gradually cleared for agricultural purposes and dairy farming.  A drainage system was constructed to draw water from the ponds for land sold for soldier settlement programs after the Second World War.  In 1978 a trout farm was established utilising the waters flowing through Ewens Ponds.

Above:- My operating spot.  Image courtesy of mapcarta.com

After setting up, I decided to head up to the WWFF calling frequency of 7.144.  It was only 8.20 a.m. and there was still quite a bit of DX on the band.  It was quite difficult to find a clear frequency below 7.100.  I called CQ on 7.144 and this was answered by Andy VK5AKH who was mobile at Kingston on Murray with a very strong 5/9 signal.  This was followed by Tony VK5FTVR, and then Mark VK5QI who was also mobile up in the Riverland for the Canoe Marathon.

Conditions on 40m were exceptionally good and I had a nice little park pile up going for quite a while with callers from VK2, VK3, VK5, VK6 & ZL.  I was quite surprised when I head Ken ZL4KD amongst all the park hunters calling me.  Ken had a very good 5/7 signal coming into Ewens Ponds from Christchurch.

It was also nice to get a couple of the regular QRP hunters in the log.  They were Adrian VK5FANA running his typical 5 watts from the Yorke Peninsula (5/9 both ways), and Amanda VK3FQSO running 500 milliwatts (5/8 sent and 5/9 received).

At about 2335 UTC I took a break to have a chat to the diver and his wife who had arrived at Ewens Ponds.  It was interesting to hear their comments about how the water within the ponds had become cloudier over the years, possibly due to run off from the surrounding farms.

By the time I had got back to the radio, the WIA broadcast had commenced on 7.140, so I headed back down the band and found Nigel VK5NIG calling CQ for the VK Shires Contest.  I gave Nigel a signal report and my Shire code which was GD5, and then headed for 7.100 and started calling CQ.  Most of the European DX had disappeared at this time.  My CQ call was answered by Brian VK5FMID at nearby Mount Gambier, and this was followed by Joe VK3YSP.  After the UTC rollover I was called by Mark VK1EM, Dave VK2BDR, John VK5FMJC and Julie VK3FOWL who was mobile.

I went on to work a further 25 stations on 7.100 in VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, and VK6.  The band was working perfectly, with great signals coming in from across Australia.  I had a few interesting contacts including Rob VK4AAB/5 on Kangaroo Island OC-139, and Ian VK5CZ who was portable on SOTA peak, Hallett Hill VK5-SE-003.

I also tried 20m and called CQ on 14.310 and this was answered by Paul VK2KKT, Peter VK6RZ, and David VK4DPM, all of whom were 5/9 to the South East of South AUstralia.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

After a little over 90 minutes operating, I had a total of 66 contacts in the log.  I had qualified another park for the WWFF program.  It was time to pack up and head off to Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park.  I wanted to sneak in that activation prior to getting back to Mount Gambier for the SERG Convention.

The following stations were worked on 40m SSB:-

1. VK5AKH/m
2. VK5FTVR
3. VK5QI/m
4. VK5FANA
5. VK3FONZ
6. VK3YE/p
7. VK6DW
8. VK3VH
9. VK5KLV
10. VK3OF
11. VK3FAAJ/p
12. VK3DBP
13. VK3TKK/m
14. VK5BJE
15. VK3PMG
16. VK5FTCT
17. VK5ZAR
18. VK2NP
19. VK3MCX
20. ZL4KD
21. VK5LSB
22. VK5FAJS/m
23. VK3PF
24. VK5KFB/m
25. VK2DEK
26. VK2YK
27. VK3FQSO
28. VK5NQP
29. VK6FLAB
30. VK5NJ
31. VK3HK
32. VK5HS/m
33. VK5FLEX/m
34. VK5ZRY
35. VK5NIG
36. VK5FMID
37. VK3YSP/m
38. VK1EM
39. VK2BDR
40. VK5FMJC
41. VK3FOWL/m
42. VK3TST/p
43. VK5WG
44. VK5IY
45. VK4AAC/5
46. VK2PAW
47. VK5FTRG
48. VK1DR
49. VK2MT/p
50. VK5IS
51. VK7FGGT
52. VK3VTH/m
53. VK1AT/3
54. VK2MCB
55. VK5CZ/p
56. VK5LY
57. VK5BGN
58. VK3FACI/p
59. VK5ND
60. VK5NRG
61. VK5JK
62. VK3AFW
63. VK3WMM

The following stations were worked on 20m SSB:-

1. VK2KTT
2. VK6RZ
3. VK4DPM

References

National Parks South Australia, 2015, <http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/Find_a_Park/Browse_by_region/Limestone_Coast/Ewens_Ponds_Conservation_Park&gt;, viewed 12th June 2015

Natural Resources Group, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, 1994, Small Inland Parks of the South East Management Plan.

Wikipedia, 2015, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ewens_Ponds&gt;, viewed 12th June 2015

On Saturday afternoon after the AHARS meeting I travelled to the Mark Oliphant Conservation Park, VKFF-782, for another unique activation for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.  The park was recently added to the WWFF program.

I set up at gate 11 off Evans Drive which runs through the middle of the park.  There is a nice cleared area here to string out a dipole.

Above:- My operating spot.  Image courtesy of mapcarta.com

I had spoken with Larry VK5LY on the way to Mark Oliphant.  Larry was operating portable with Ivan VK5HS and Peter Vk5FLEX, in the Pike River Conservation Park.  Larry had agree to hang around to get a ‘park to park’ contact.  So after setting up I quickly tuned to 7.105 and heard Larry calling with a very strong 5/9 signal.  I got Larry in the log and this was followed by Peter VK5FLEX.

I then headed up to 7.144 and started calling CQ.  My first taker there was Alan VK4AL (5/7 both ways), followed by Andrew VK1NAM mobile 3 (5/8 both ways), and then Andrew VK5NPP operating portable from near Mannum in the Riverland region of South Australia (5/9 both ways).

Whilst operating I had a local fella walk by on nearby Evans Drive and he waved to me and had obviously heard me on the radio.  He shouted out “I am QSYing”.  I took a quick break from the radio and had a chat with him and found out that he was not an amateur, but had studied radio back in his cadet days.  I think he said with the Army or the Air Force.

I went back to chatting on 7.144 and worked a few more VK’s and another local then walked by, with her dogs.  Again I stopped for a short time to have a quick chat.  She said she was on the way to the shops but would stop off for a look at me operating on her way back.  By the time I got back to the radio, a VK2 had moved in on 7.145.  So I QSYd down to 7.141 and called CQ and this was answered by David VK5KC.  I worked a further 15 stations in VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5 & VK6, before deciding to have a try on 20m.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Unfortunately I could not get on to my nominated operating frequency of 14.244 as the band was very busy.  So I headed up to 14.310 and started calling CQ.  To my surprise, my first taker was Swa, ON5SWA in Belgium followed by Luciano I5FLN and then Max IK1GPG.  I later worked out why the Europeans had found me.  Allen VK3HRA had spotted me on the DX cluster.  And this was followed by two more spots by ON5SWA and I5FLN.  Thanks for spotting me gentlemen.  It certainly helps enormously to drag in the park hunters.

Conditions on 20m were not great.  It was quite a struggle at times.  But I did manage to get a total of 30 stations in the log on 20m.  Countries worked were Belgium, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, Slovak Republic, and Slovenia.  VK’s worked on 20m were Greg VK8GM with a booming signal, and Daniel VK6LCK.  And again I managed a contact with my great mate, Marnix OP7M.

I headed back to 40m where I intended to stay for just a short while as it was getting extremely cold.  But pleasingly, I had a lot of callers, so I was there for a little longer than planned.  First taker upon returning to 40m was Rob VK4FFAB who is a very keen park activator and hunter.  This was followed by another eager activator and hunter, Mick Vk3PMG.  A few calls later, perrin VK3XPT gave me a shout whilst he was mobile, using his Codan 9350 antenna, minus the whip.  Considering that, Perrin had a great 5/7 signal and Perrin gave me a 5/9 signal report.

A few calls later, Brian ZL2ASH gave me a call from Wellington.  Although not as strong as normal, Brian was still 5/9 and also gave me a 5/9 signal report.  A few QSOs later I was very pleased to receive 4 calls in a row from VK6 Foundation operators.  They being Simon VK6FSYM, Ahmed VK6FHAM, Chris VK6FDKR, and George VK6FADD.  It was a little difficult at times with Simon and Ahmed, as some VK3’s and some USA stations had moved in on 7.140 and were bleeding over onto 7.138.

My last contact for the activation was Darren, VK2NNN in Bondi in New South Wales.  I then hurriedly packed up, as it was now extremely cold.  It was down to just 4 degrees celsius and was almost completely dark.  I had a total of 77 contacts in the log.

The following stations were worked on 40m SSB:-

1. VK5LY/p (Pike River Conservation Park)
2. VK5FLEX/p (Pike River Conservation Park)
3. VK4AL
4. VK1NAM/3
5. VK5MPP/p
6. VK2XPL
7. VK3FCAS
8. VK5FCDL
9. VK5KC
10. VK5NRG
11. VK2YK
12. VK5KFB
13. VK3MCX
14. VK3PF
15. VK3ZPF
16. VK3OF
17. VK4FAAS
18. VK5HS
19. VK5LY
20. VK5TR
21. VK5NQP
22. VK3FQSO/p (VKFF-759)
23. VK2LX
24. VK6MB
25. VK4FFAB
26. VK3PMG
27. VK5FANA
28. VK5ZGY
29. VK3MPM
30. VK6FCBG
31. VK3XPT/m
32. VK3DBP
33. VK5KYM
34. VK3AV
35. VK5FTRG
36. ZL2ASH
37. VK5KLV
38. VK3DAC
39. VK3HRA
40. VK3AXF
41. VK5BW
42. VK3CQC
43. VK6FSYM
44. VK6FHAM
45. VK6FDKR
46. VK6FADD
47. VK6NTE
48. VK2NNN

The following stations were worked on 20m SSB:-

1. ON5SWA
2. I5FLN
3. IK1GPG
4. ON4BB
5. IZ0VXF
6. EA3MP
7. VK8GM
8. EI4II
9. IZ5YHD
10. IZ2IHO
11. DL1EBR
12. HA0LG
13. DK4RM
14. EA1ACP
15. OP7M
16. DL5EBG
17. ON1JU
18. EA3ARP
19. DL2ND
20. EA4DTV
21. HB9ELE
22. OM7OM
23. S58AL
24. HA6OB
25. EA2KV
26. DF4PT
27. S52KM
28. DL3APO
29. VK6LCK
30. DF1YQ

On Friday afternoon (22nd May 2015) I headed over to the Mylor Conservation Park (CP).  I had activated the park twice before, but this would be my first activation under the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.  The Mylor CP was recently added to the WWFF program.

For information on my previous activations, have a look at…..

https://vk5pas.org/2013/09/29/mylor-conservation-park/

https://vk5pas.org/2014/09/14/mylor-conservation-park-2/

I set up in my normal spot, just inside the gate off Whitehead Road, which runs off the Strathalbyn Road.  The park is very well signposted on the Strathalbyn Road so there are no problems in locating the park.

Above:- My operating spot.  Image courtesy of mapcarta.com

I started off on 40m and called CQ on 7.144.  It took a few minutes before some of the regulars found me.  First up was Mick VK3PMG in western Victoria (5/9 both ways), followed by Paul VK3DBP (5/9 both ways), Peter VK3PF (5/9 both ways), and then Amanda VK3FQSO running just 500 milliwatts (5/8 sent and 5/9 received).

I worked a total of 16 stations on 40m from VK1, VK2, VK3, and VK5, before QSYing to 20m.  I could not get on my nominated operating frequency of 14.244 as there were stations either side from Europe.  So I headed up to 14.310 and called CQ.  After a few calls, I was called by Baden VK7BRY, followed by John VK2EJP and then Adam VK2YK.  My fourth contact on 20m was John VK5BJE.

Thanks to Adam VK2YK who spotted me on the DX cluster, as this resulted in the European park hunters finding me.  After working John, I was called by a number of European and UK callers.  First taker was Danny ON4VT, followed by Axel DL1EBR and then Luciano I5FLN.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

After working a total of 36 stations, things slowed down.  So I took the opportunity of tuning around the band.  I found a very rare DXCC working a pile up on 14.225.  It was Bruce ZD7VC on St Helena Island.  I had worked Bruce before, from home and also whilst out portable, but I was determined to get Bruce in the log from another park.  I persevered for about 20 minutes and finally made contact (5/8 sent and 5/6 received).

Below is a video of how well Bruce was coming in to Mylor CP…..

After working Bruce I quickly went back to 40m to hopefully get Adrian VK5FANA in the log.  Adrian had sent me an SMS message asking me if I was going to go back to 40m.  I could not get back onto 7.144 as it was occupied by some other stations, so I called CQ a few times on 7.140 and I was very pleasantly surprised to receive a call from the man himself, Adrian.  This was followed by another park stalwart, Rob VK4FFAB.  Peter VK2NEO who was mobile then called me, followed by another dedicated park hunter, Doug VK2FMIA.  My last caller was Leo VK3FLMR mobile.

At 5.30 p.m. (0800 UTC) I packed up my gear and headed home.  My son was coming up for tea and to watch the Aussie Rules football with me.  This was another successful activation with a total of 58 stations in my log.

The following stations were worked on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3PMG
2. VK3DBP
3. VK3PF
4. VK3FQSO
5. VK5ZAR
6. VK2YW
7. VK5GJ
8. VK2IO
9. VK3FARO
10. VK1HW
11. VK5OI/m
12. VK3OF
13. VK5HS
14. VK5KC
15. VK5NQP
16. VK5HCF
17. VK5FANA
18. VK4FFAB
19. VK2NEO/m
20. VK2FMIA
21. VK3FLMR/m

The following stations were worked on 20m SSB:-

1. VK7BRY
2. VK2EJP
3. VK2YK
4. VK5BJE
5. ON4VT
6. DL1EBR
7. VK2HOG
8. I5FLN
9. 2E0JJM
10. F2YT
11. SP5INQ
12. HA6OB
13. DL5EBG
14. EA4DTV
15. ON1JU
16. VK2NN/m
17. F4FTA
18. F4ELJ
19. DJ3GG
20. VK3IJB/5
21. S58AL
22. DJ8QP
23. EA3MP
24. G0KIK
25. SP6KEP
26. VK2IO
27. DL4PT
28. S52KM
29. DL2ND
30. K1MAA
31. CU3AC
32. G0RQL
33. DF1YQ
34. OP7M
35. G3MWV
36. VK3FD/6
37. ZD7VC

Most of Saturday (2nd May 2015) I spent around the home of Ivan VK5HS at Renmark, having my new Codan 9350 antenna installed on my Toyota Hi Lux.  During the morning Peter VK5FLEX called in, as did John VK5FANG.  It was a long day.  In fact we didn’t finish until late in the afternoon, and after a few beers I headed back to my motel room.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

But there wasn’t a lot on the television, so I decided to head out to activate the Pike River Conservation Park, which was to be another new unique park for me as an activator.  The park is just a short drive out of Renmark along the Sturt Highway towards the Victorian/South Australian border.

To get to the park, you need to cross the historic Paringa lifting bridge which I took the opportunity of stopping here for some photographs.  The Paringa Bridge, which was constructed in 1927, is one of only two opening bridges in South Australia.  The other is at Port Adelaide.  The Paringa Bridge is technically a ‘lift span’ bridge as it has a section that lifts up to allow large vessels through.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The Pike River CP is about 296 hectares in size and consists of a major floodplain and a branch system of the River Murray.  The park has a number of species of national significance including the Southern Bell Frog, Murray Cod, and the Regent Parrot.  It also contained an additional 18 species with State Conservation significance.

Again, this park is not at all signposted.  So you will need to rely upon your GPS.  There is an open and unlocked gate on the western side of the Sturt Highway which takes you into the park.  The track is okay, but in 2WD, you will only be able to reach a certain point.  I drove all the way down to the water’s edge and set up on the edge of the track.

As it was quite late  (4.45 p.m.) I headed straight to 20m.  For this activation I ran the Yaesu Ft-857d, 70 watts and the 40m/20m linked dipole supported on the 7 metre telescopic squid pole.  I called CQ only once, on 14.310, and to my surprise, my CQ call was immediately answered by ON6PV in Belgium.  And I was even more surprised when my second caller was Danny OT6V who was portable in a park in Belgium, Rodebos en Laanvallei, ONFF-391 (5/3 sent and 5/5 received).  Here is a link to Danny’s page about that activation…..

http://www.on4vt.be/

I was then called by Rod VK4NUM, followed by Ray VK4NH portable near Bourketown, and then Aaron AL4Y in Alaska.  Aaron was a very nice 5/8 signal and he gave me a 5/6 signal report.  Aaron was also kind enough to spot me on the DX cluster and this resulted in a large pile up.  In fact I worked a total of 60 stations in Belgium, VK4, Alaska, Italy, VK6, Denmark, Hungary, Germany, France, Switzerland, Slovenia, Lithuania, Sweden, Azores Islands, Russia, Slovak Republic, Spain, Estonia, Portugal, Canary Islands, Ireland, Netherlands, USA, and England.  And again, I spoke to my good friend Marnix, OP7M in Belgium.

Thanks to everyone that spotted me on the DX cluster.

Image courtesy of http://www.dxwatch.com

I then moved over to 40m.  It was now totally dark and the local time was 6.00 p.m.  I called CQ on 7.110 and this was answered by Adam VK2YK in Newcastle, followed by John VK5NJ in Mount Gambier, and then Rex VK3OF.

I had some excellent QRP contacts on 40m whilst in the park.  This included Amanda VK3FQSO running 500 milliwatts (5/7 both ways), Roald VK1FIVE running 5 watts (5/6 sent and 5/9 received), Tony VK3VTH running 500 millwatts (5/8 sent and 5/9 received), Adrian VK5FANA running 5 watts (5/9 both ways), Peter VK3PF running 5 watts (5/9 both ways), Dave VK2BDR rnning 5 watts (5/9 both ways), Steve VK2FAJF also running 5 watts (5/9 both ways), Alan VK2AJG running 5 watts (5/8 both ways); Doug VK2FMIA running 5 watts (5/8 sent and 5/9 received), and Rob VK3EY running 1.5 watts (5/7 sent and 5/9 received).  Band conditions on 40m were excellent.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I also managed a park to park contact with newly licenced amateur, Brendon VK5FFCC who was operating portable from the Morialta Conservation Park.  Brendon had a nice sounding station with his Elecraft KX3, 10 watts and end fed antenna.  Not a bad effort at all Brendon.  Licenced for one week, and already out in a park, and sounding like a pro.  Congratulations.  Below is a quick video of what Brendon sounded like to me……

I also worked Ken ZL4KD in new Zealand, who has now become a familiar caller and is a member of the VK5 Parks Yahoo group.

There was an annoying noise on 7.110 though.  I am not sure what it was.  I’ve attached a video below, so if anyone knows what the noise is, I would be pleased to hear from you…..

When things slowed down a little I had a tune around the band and heard NP4A calling CQ on 7.129.  I patiently waited my turn and gave Pedro a call and got through on the first go.  I have worked Pedro a few times before whilst I’ve been out in a park, and he always puts a great signal into Australia.

This was a very successful activation, with a total of 118 contacts in the log, including some nice DX contacts.

The following stations were worked on 20m SSB:-

1. ON6PV
2. OT4V/p (ONFF-391)
3. VK4NUM
4. VK4NH/p
5. AL4Y
6. VK4MWG
7. I5FLN
8. VK6MB
9. OZ5HP
10. ON7AB
11. HA6OB
12. IZ0UIM
13. IK1GPG
14. DL7UXG
15. IZ5JMZ
16. F5IDJ
17. HB9CXZ
18. F5OUD
19. F2YT
20. S58AL
21. LY3A
22. SM5EPO
23. DK0EE
24. F6CAM
25. CU3BL
26. DL1EBR
27. S52KM
28. DL5EBG
29. RY3D
30. IZ1JMN
31. ON5SWA
32. EA3MP
33. OM7OM
34. ES1IP
35. CT1EEQ
36. EA2DT
37. DJ8QP
38. HA0LG
39. CR8ABC
40. ON4CB
41. EI2HW
42. I8OCA
43. DK4RM
44. EA1DFP
45. PA5WK
46. OZ4RT
47. OK2TS
48. EA4DTV
49. DL9GWD
50. W1ASB
51. EA8AIN
52. DK9JI
53. W4FOA
54. EI4II
55. ON1JU
56. EA8UP
57. G8CMU
58. G0MJS
59. EI7IP
60. OP7M

The following stations were worked on 40m SSB:-

1. VK2YK
2. VK5NJ
3. VK3OF
4. VK3PMG
5. VK3VCE
6. VK3TKK/m
7. VK4HNS/m
8. VK3FQSO
9. VK1FIVE
10. VK3MOW
11. VK3VTH
12. VK5FANA
13. VK3PF
14. ZL4KD
15. VK2BDR
16. VK2FAJF
17. VK2AJG
18. VK2FMIA
19. VK5PO
20. VK3EY
21. VK3GUY
22. VK3NSC
23. VK3DAC
24. VK5NQP
25. VK5HS
26. VK5ZAR
27. VK5AV
28. VK3ANL
29. VK5JP
30. VK2MZZ/m
31. VK5LI
32. VK2JNG/p
33. VK5FFCC/p (Morialta Conservation Park)
34. VK2JCC
35. VK2FDJO/m
36. VK5HSX
37. VK3FEUG
38. VK3TAL
39. VK4FAAS
40. VK5FMJC
41. VK2EIR
42. VK3FMDS
43. VK3HRA
44. VK3GDM
45. VK3IO
46. VK2IO
47. VK5CZ
48. VK3HSR
49. VK5FEKH
50. VK3FILB
51. VK5FTRG
52. VK4QQ
53. VK5EE
54. VK5FLEX
55. VK4FBMW
56. NP4A
57. ZL2ASH
58. VK2JE

References.

Paringa House, 2015, <http://www.paringahouse.com.au/History.html&gt;, viewed 12th May 2015.

Pike River Land Management Group, 2015, <http://pikeriver.net/about/&gt;, viewed 12th May 2015.

On Friday night (1st May 2015) after checking in to my motel I drove east out of Renmark along the Sturt Highway and headed into the Cooltong Conservation Park, via Santos Road.  This was to be another unique park for me as an activator for both the VK5 National & Conservation Parks Award and the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.

Cooltong Conservation Park is situated about 250 km north east of Adelaide, and is located between Renmark and Berri.  Cooltong is a large park.  It is 3,681 hectares in size and was dedicated to preserve quality males vegetation and habitat for the mallee bird species that frequent the area, in particular the Malleefowl.  The park is a typical mallee park, with undulating dunes and shales.  The park is accessible to conventional vehicles, however some sections of the park are only accessible by 4WD.

Above:- Map showing the location of Cooltong CP.  Image courtesy of mapcarta.com

I drove a few km into the park and found a little track off to the east and in turn a nice clearing in the scrub.  It was an ideal spot to set up.  It was slow going into the park as it was fully dark (6.30 p.m.) and the local wildlife was out in force, including the kangaroos.

Above:- My operating spot.  Image courtesy of mapcarta.com

The entire 40m band above 7.135 was decimated by the Over the Horizon Radar (OTHR).  This made it totally impossible to operate in that portion of the band.  The OTHR radar was still audible on 7.135, but I couldn’t go any lower on the band, as the 7.130 DX Net would kick off at 0930 UTC, and everything below 7.130 was taken up by stations from South East Asia.

Below is a video of the radar…..

So I called CQ on 7.135 and it wasn’t long, before the hungry park hunters started to respond.  First up was Theo VK3AP with a nice 5/9 plus signal, followed by three regular park hunters: Andrew VK1NAM, Dave VK3VCE and John VK5BJE.  Local Renmark resident and mate of mine, Ivan VK5HS then called in.  Interestingly Ivan said he could not hear the radar and thought the noise I was hearing might be something generated out of my vehicle.  I assured him that it was definitely the OTHR.

Some of the usual QRP suspects called in for this activation.  They were Adrian VK5FANA on 5 watts from the Yorke Peninsula (4/6 sent and 5/7 received), and also Peter VK3PF running 5 watts (5/9 both ways).  I was also called by Adrian VK4FBMW running 5 watts.  Unfortunately the JA QRM was also quite heavy on the frequency, but still, I was able to copy Adrian well with his QRP signal (4/7 sent and 5/8 received).

I also worked some stations outside of VK.  They were John Zl2BH in Blenheim in New Zealand, and Ken ZL4KD in Christchurch.  Ken informed me that he had seen me spotted on parksnpeaks and had decided to give me a call, and that I was his first ever VK5 Conservation Park contact.  I was very pleased to have Ken in the log.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

It was a beautiful mild evening in the park.  The moon was out and due to the cloud cover, it had a very distinctive ring around it.  There were quite a few bumps and crashes in the scrub whilst I was operating and I had the occasional fleeting glimpse of some of the local kangaroos.

Within the park I did see some signs that surveillance cameras were in operation.  I thought this may have been due to bird trapping, but as I later found out, it is due to the dumping of rubbish.  It never ceases to amaze me how poorly some people treat our environment.

https://www.murraypioneer.com.au/dump-n-dash/

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-07/tonnes-of-rubbish-dumped-illegally-left-to-rot-in-sa/5949786

I worked 38 stations on 7.135 and then at 8.10 p.m. I decided to head down to the 7.130 DX Net which is held on 7.130 every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  I worked a total of 6 stations on the net, bringing me to my required 44 contacts for the global WWFF program.  I was very pleased to work the special New Zealand ANZAC call, ZL100ANZAC on the net, and also Brian ZL2ASH in Wellington.

The following stations were worked on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3AP
2. VK1NAM
3. VK3VCE
4. VK5BJE
5. VK5HS
6. VK5AKH
7. VK5FANA
8. VK2IO
9. VK3PF
10. VK1AT/3
11. VK3DAC
12. VK3JAP
13. VK3FSPG
14. VK2FMIA
15. ZL2BH
16. VK5HCF
17. VK5ZGY
18. VK3ANL
19. VK2QM
20. ZL4KD
21. VK3YW/m
22. VK4FFAB
23. VK5KLV
24. VK2GKA
25. VK2MRX
26. VK3HRA
27. VK2PKT
28. VK5EE/m
29. VK3BBB
30. VK3AN
31. VK3FIRM
32. VK3NSC
33. VK2BDR
34. VK4FBMW
35. VK2FAAA
36. VK7LCW
37. VK3TKK
38. VK3EY
39. ZL100ANZAC
40. ZL2ASH
41. VK5MJ
42. VK2FROX
43. VK7ROY
44. VK6FBMW

References.

Department of Environment and Heritage, 2011. Parks of the Riverland.

Our first park activation for Sunday (19th April 2015) was the Maize Island Lagoon Conservation Park, which is located about 160 km north east of Adelaide, near the town of Waikerie.  The park qualifies for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program and is VKFF-827.  This was to be a unique park for me as an activator.

Above: Map showing the location of Maize Island Lagoon CP.  Map courtesy of mapcarta.com

On the way we stopped off to view the memorial cairn for two police officers killed in the line of duty back in the 1800’s.  As a serviving police officer, I am always extremely interested in police history.  Corporal William Murray Wickham and Mounted Constable John Dunning Carter who lost their lives on the 7th of May 1847.  In early May, 1847, the pair received orders to travel to Overland Corner, where they were to deal with reported disturbances.  Overland Corner, although used as a resting and grazing area by drovers, had neither facilities nor status as a township.  The pair set out from Moorundee on horseback and, dressed in full uniform – heavy tunics, trousers, riding boots, sabres and firearms – rode through mallee scrub.  Some way into their journey on May 7, the officers decided to stay overnight at the river-front station of J.H. Wigley.  Then, undeterred by major risks, the officers bravely attempted the river-crossing that killed them.  Local Aborigines later recovered the two bodies, which they laid to rest on the river bank.  At a later date, the bodies were exhumed and reburied at West Terrace Cemetery.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Maize Island Lagoon CP is about 215 hectares in size and is backed by magnificent cliffs created by the mighty River Murray.  The park contains many backwater lagoons lined by majestic River Red Gums.  The park is alive with a variety of waterbirds.  The park was so named because early pioneers had grown crops of maize as fodder for cattle and horses on the drying lagoon bed following high rivers.

The area was first settled in 1880 by the Shephard brothers who named their sheep run Waikerie Station, and built the little homestead still standing on Holder Bottom Road.  In 1888 the Government cancelled pastoral leases and began surveing the country for closer settlement.  Village settlers arrived in 1894 to establish themselves on horticultural allotments in the area of Holder Bottom Road.  In 1921 a pipeline was built to Maize Island and orchards were established there.  In 1956, the infamous Murray River flood struck, with more high rivers in the following years, which convinced the Government to resettle people in 1975 and control the area as a Conservation Park.

Above: Image chowing our operating spot.  Courtesy of mapcarta.com

Again for this activation I had nominated an operating frequency of 7.144.  I called CQ a few times and this was answered by Les VK5KLV at Port Augusta, followed by Tony VK5FTVR at Strathalbyn, Tony VK3VTH mobile near Hay in New South Wales, and then Adrian VK5FANA on the Yorke Peninsula.

Tony was the first of a number of mobile and QRP stations that called me.  I also worked Mike VK3NMK in the Lake Colac Caravan Park, John VK3PXJ mobile at Nagambie, Bernard Vk3AV QRP 5 watts, Peter VK3PF who was QRP, and Peter VK3TKK mobile.

At about the commencement of the new UTC day, after working 34 stations I started to experience a little bit of QRM.  It was one of the many Sunday morning WIA broadcasts.  So, not wanting to cause any grief to anyone listening to the broadcast, I QSYd down the band to 7.095.  But not before I had worked John VK5BJE who was operating portable in the Terrick Terrick National Park, VKFF-630 (5/9 both ways).

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

After QSYing to 7.095 I worked a further 14 stations in VK3, VK5 & VK7.  This included Mike VK3XL mobile, Alan VK5AR mobile at Mitcham in the Adelaide suburbs, and Stef VK5HSX mobile at STokes Hill lookout in the Flinders Ranges,

I did call CQ on 14.310 a number of times, but had no takers.  I had a total of 48 stations in the log. So we packed up and headed in to Waikerie for some morning tea at the Waikerie bakery, which we can highly recommend.  We alo stopped off at the lookout taking in the views of the Murray River and the park we had just activated.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The following stations were worked:-

1. VK5KLV
2. VK5FTVR
3. VK3VTH/m
4. VK5FANA
5. VK3NMK/p
6. VK3PXJ/m
7. VK3AV
8. VK5ZAR
9. VK5KC
10. VK3DAC
11. VK3PF
12. VK3HRA
13. VK2NEO
14. VK5EE
15. VK5ZLR
16. VK5NJ
17. VK3OF
18. VK5NQP
19. VK3TKK/m
20. VK5TN
21. VK5AV
22. VK5LA
23. VK2LEE
24. VK5IS
25. VK5KLV
26. VK5ADL
27. VK5ZGY
28. VK3NMK/p
29. VK5WG
30. VK2LX
31. VK5BJE/3 (Terrick Terrick National Park)
32. VK3KAI
33. VK1MA
34. VK5FMID
35. VK5NRG
36. VK5HCF
37. VK3SQ
38. VK3XL.m
39. VK5FTVR
40. VK5AR/m
41. VK3HSR
42. VK7VDL
43. VK3OHM
44. VK3UP
45. VK3AFW
46. VK5FTRG
47. VK5KBM
48. VK5HSX/m

References.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Parks of the Riverland

Monument Australia, 2015, <http://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/government—state/display/98413-corporal-william-murray-wickham-and-mounted-constable-john-dunning&gt;, viewed 23rd April 2015

National Parks South Ausralia, 2015, <http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/Find_a_park/Browse_by_region/Murray_River/Maize_Island_Lagoon_Conservation_Park&gt;, viewed 23rd April 2015