When the Tassie Ham Conference & Expo wrapped up on Sunday afternoon (7th November 2022), Marija and I headed down to Hobart waterfront and Constitution Dock.

We then visited the Mawson’s Hut Replica Museum. Sir Douglas Mawson(b. 1882. d. 1958) was an Australian geologist, academic, and Antarctic explorer. He was a key expedition leader during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.

Next we walked over to Parliament House Gardens where the 2022 Nepal Festival was in full swing.

We then wandered over to historic Salamanca Place. Salamanca consists of rows of historic sandstone buildings which were formerly warehouses for the Port of Hobart Town. They have been converted into restaurants, galleries, craft shops and offices. Salamanca was named after the 1812 victory of the Duke of Wellington in the Battle of Salamanca in the Spanish province of Salamanca. 

Whilst in Salamanca Place we enjoyed some waffles and ice cream.

We then walked back to our car, stopping briefly to have a look at the very impressive Police boat and a navy ship docked.

As it was such a nice sunny afternoon, Marija and I decided to drive up to the top of Mount Wellington to do a joint activation for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program and the Summits On The Air (SOTA) program.

Above:- Map of Tasmania showing the location of Mount Wellington. Map c/o Google maps.

Mount Wellington qualifies for the SOTA program. It is VK7/ SC-001. The summit is 1,270 metres above sea level and is worth 10 points. It has been activated a total of 67 times.

Above:- An aerial view of Mount Wellington and Wellington Park. Image c/o Google maps.

Mount Wellington is known as kunanyi by the indigeneous people of Tasmania. The Tasmanian Goverment in 2013 announced a dual naming policy with Mount Wellington named as one of the inaugural dual named geographical features in Tasmania.

In 1791 the mountain was named Table Mountain by Captain William Bligh and First Lieutenant F.G. Bond for its similarity in appearance to Table Mountain in South Africa.

In 1793 Commodore John Hayes sighted the mountain and named it Skiddaw after the mountain in the Lake district of northwest England.

In 1802 French explored Nicholas Baudin referred to the mountain as ‘Montagne du Plateau’.

However, the British first settled in the Hobart area in 1804 and as a result Flinder’s name of ‘Table Mountain’ became more popular. Table Mountain remained the common name of the mountain until in 1832. At that time it was decided to rename the mountain in honour of the Duke of Wellington (b. 1769. d. 1852).

Above:- Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. Image c/o Wikipedia.

The summit is also located within Wellington Park Conservation Area VKFF-2932. The park is Tasmania’s second most visited attraction. Wellington Park is 18,250 hectares in size and is one of Tasmania’s largest reserved areas outside of the Tasmanian World Heritage Area.

Above:- the Wellington Park Conservation Area. Image c/o Google Earth.

Over 500 native species of flora have been recorded in the park, with over 80 species only found in Tasmania. A number of these are of conservation significance.

Native mammals who call the park home include the long–nose potoroo, pademelon, bettong, southern brown and eastern barred bandicoots, brush tail, ring–tail, pygmy and eastern pygmy possums, eastern quoll, platypus and echidna, swamp rat, long-tailed mouse, dusky antechinus and various species of bats. 

The Tasmanian and brown froglet, brown tree frog, southern toadlet, bull frogs, spotted grass frogs and the endangered green and gold frog can be found in the park.

Reptiles which can be located in Wellington Park include blue–tongued lizards, mountain dragons, a variety of skinks, all three of Tasmania’s snakes – the tiger, copperhead and white–lipped snake.

We drove up to the top of Mount Wellington and set up on the rocky area adjacent to the car park. We ran the Yaesu FT857d, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole for this activation.

During our activation we were visited by Hayden VK7HH and Ben VK4UMB. Marija and I convinced Ben to get behind the mic and qualify the park and summit.

We also had some very interested onlookers. This included three couples who were visiting from Singapore. We explained the hobby to them, and after some encouragement one of the gentlemen was game enough to pick up the mic and say hello to some of the amateurs we were working around Australia. It was a good advertisement for the hobby.

Hayden VK7HH took some video of our activation.

It was starting to get extremely cold and the sun was setting so Marija and I decided to pack up. Hayden and Justin had already moved off to a warmer location.

Between the two of us we had 77 QSOs in the log, with contacts into VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, VK7, New Zealand, USA, Portugal, Finland, Spain, France, Italy, Belgium, and Germany.

The highlight was working Portugal on 40m SSB.

Marija made the following QSOs on 40m SSB:-

1. VK5KG
2. VK2MET
3. VK1AO
4. VK3VIN
5. VK3PF
6. VK4TJ
7. VK3BBB
8. VK2CCP
9. VK4SMA
10. VK5DW
11. VK2EXA
12. VK7TW

I made the following QSOs on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3SGA
2. VK2MET
3. VK1AO
4. VK3ANL
5. VK3BBB
6. VK2CCP
7. VK3PF
8. VK4NH
9. VK4DXA
10. VK2EXA
11. VK3PT
12. VK3MTT
13. VK3UAO
14. VK2WP
15. VK3GJG
16. ZL2ATH
17. KG5CIK
18. VK/DP5LED
19. VK3VIN
20. VK2WOG
21. VK3ZPF
22. VK5BJE
23. VK4KLA
24. VVK4SMA
25. VK4TJ
26. VK5GY
27. VK5KG
28. VK3VKT
29. VK2HRX
30. CT1CJJ
31. VK3FMRC
32. VK5IS
33. VK3APJ
34. VK2IO
35. VK5HS
36. VK3AMO
37. VK3GRX
38. VK3DL
39. VK3SKT
40. VK2HMC
41. VK2YK
42. VK5GA
43. VK3NP
44. VK3DEM
45. VK5HAA
46. VK7CIA
47. VK2MI
48. VK5DW
49. VK2MOP
50. VK5FBIC

I made the following QSOs on 20m SSB:-

1. OH1MM
2. VK4KC
3. VK4MAD
4. VK4DOG
5. EA4FLS
6. VK4TJ
7. F1BLL
8. IW2NXI
9. ON4ON
10. IW2BNA
11. DJ5AV
12. F4WBN
13. DL2ND
14. VK5HS
15. F5JKK

References.

1. Summits On The Air, 2022, <https://www.sota.org.uk/>, viewed 28th December 2022.
2. Wellington Park Management Trust, 2022, <https://wellingtonpark.org.au/the-park>, viewed 28th December 2022.
3. Wikipedia, 2022, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Mawson>, viewed 28th December 2022.
4. Wikipedia, 2022, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salamanca_Place>, viewed 28th December 2022.
5. Wikipedia, 2022, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Wellington_(Tasmania)>, viewed 28th December 2022.

On Sunday 6th November 2022 Marija and I headed back to the University of Tasmania for day two of the Tassie Ham Conference and Expo.

Day two involved a number of displays.

Marija VK5MAZ and I manned a display table for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program. We were alongside of Tony VK7LTD who had a display table for the Summits On The Air (SOTA) program.

Other than a lot of questions being fielded at our display, it was a great day of catching up with some hams. This included Ken ZL4KD, the former ZLFF Co-Ordinator in New Zealand, and John VK4MUD.

Marija also went out for morning tea with the ladies from ALARA.

Marija and I would like to thank the organisers of the Tassie Ham Conference and Expo. It was an extremely well put together event and we were very grateful for being asked to attend to participate.

It was now Saturday 5th November 2022 and the first day of the Tassie Ham Conference and Expo, which was held in Hobart, Tasmania.

I delivered a presentation on the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program. There were about 130 amateurs in attendance.

Below is a video of my presentation which features on Hayden VK7HH’s You Tube channel.

Day eight of our Tasmania trip was already upon us (Friday 4th November 2022). We had decided to visit the historic towns of Kempton and Oatlands and then fit in another park activation.

After breakfast we headed north out of Hobart on the Midland Highway. Our first stop was to have a look from the road, of Wybra Hall. It is one of a number of majestic and historic homes along the Highway at Mangalore and Bagdad, north of Hobart. Wybra Hall was built in c. 1860. During the 1950s it was purchased by the Tasmanian Government and was a government run reformatory for boys and girls. It closed in 1988. It is now a private residence.

A little further along the Highway at Bagdad is the historic homestead of Oakwood. a two storey Georgian mansion which was built in the 1830s. The land on which the Oakwood homestead now stands was originally granted to John Ingle who arrived in Van Dieman’s Land in 1804. Oakwood is a private residence.

We then turned off the Midland Highway into the little town of Kempton. I had read a lot about this quaint little town on the internet and it was a must see for us. Kempton is is an early colonial settlement with numerous historic buildings. Kempton has been classified as an historic town.

By 1814 European settlers had arrived in the area and they named the district Green ponds due to its green ponds. In 1816 Anthony Fenn Kemp, a soldier-merchant settled in the area. He acquired 4,100 acres of land and developed a wool industry in the area, along with breeding horses and cattle. He also introduced a North American variety of corn.

It was due to Kemp that in the 1840s the settlement became known as Kemp Town, and later Kempton.

Our first stop was the old whisky distillery which is located in Dysart House, an old sandstone coaching in which was built in 1841. It was used as a coach staging post for travellers during their journey between Hobart and Launceston. Dysart House contains 22 rooms.

We then had a look at the Little Quoin Rivulet bridge at Kempton. It can be located at the northern end of Kempton’s main street, not far from the Midlands Highway. The bridge was constructed in 1840 by a convict road gang which included 88 Americans and Canadians. They had been transported to Van Diemen’s Land for the part they played in the failed uprisings against British rule in
Upper Canada during 1837 and 1838.

We then drove back into the main street of Kempton to admire some more of the heritage buildings. This included the WIlmot Arms Inn which was built in 1844 by convicts. It operated as a licenced inn until 1897. Kent Cottage was built in 1843 and is reportedly the oldest shop in Kempton. It was used as a grocery, drapery and ironmongery. The Green Ponds Probation Station was established in 1828 as part of a number of military posts in Tasmania established by Governor Arthur. It was used as a post to protect European settlers from the local aboriginal tribes.

We then drove on to the equally historic town of Oatlands. It was lunch time, so we stopped in at The Pancake and Crepe shop and had a magnificent lunch including a devonshire tea.

After lunch we commenced our exploration of the town and its many historic buildings. Oatlands has the largest collection of sandstone Georgian houses in Australia. A total of 138 sandstone buildings can be found in Oatlands, with 87 of those in Oatlands main street. 

In June 1821, Major General Lachlan Macquarie, the Governor of New South Wales, visited the area. He recognised the present site of the town of Oatlands as a “a most eligible situation for a town”. He named it Oatlands in honour of the Duke of York. Oatlands was the name of the seat of the Duke of York in Surrey.

Above:- Major General Lachlan Macquarie. Image c/o Wikipedia.

During our walk around the town we visited the Commissariat Store and Guard House which was built in 1827. This is one of the oldest buildings in the Military precinct of Oatlands. This building was built of stone, unlike many of the early buildings in Oatlands which were constructed using timber. This was because of the stores which were housed in the building which needed to be protected from thieves.

The Oatlands Court House was built by convicts in 1829. It was originally constructed as a Chapel and Police Office. In 1835 more rooms were added to the building. It was used as a Supreme Court and is one of the oldest Supreme Court Houses in Australia.

A number of death sentences were handed out in the court, however, all but eighteen were later commuted to life sentences. These men were executed in the nearby gaol. Solomon Blay was the executioner for Oatlands, Launceston and Hobart. He resided in Oatlands.

We then visited the old Oatlands Gaol. Work commenced on the construction of the gaol in 1827. The first Oatlands Gaol was constructed of logs which were hauled to the site by bullock teams. In 1834 work commenced on the new gaol. Two years later it was completed. A total of 2,000 loads of stones were used to complete the structure which was built by a total of 68 convicts. The gaol was closed in 1863.

Sadly the 1930s saw the demolition of the majority of the gaol.

Next was Callington Mill on Old Mill Lane. The mill was built in 1836 by John Vincent who had arrived in Hobart Town in 1823. It is the only working Lincolnshire style windmills in the Southern Hemisphere.

We then viewed numerous other historic buildings in the town including Lake Frederick Inn which was built in 1834 by George Atkinson. In 1836 the name of the Inn was changed to Dulverton Inn and in 1853 it was known as the White Horse Inn. Oatlands Lodge was built in the 1830s as a private residence. It later became a girl’s school and a shop.

We then continued north on the Midlands Highway to the town of Ross. In 1821, Governor Macquarie was on his second journey through Van Dieman’s Land. He decided on a new settlement in the area and called it Ross in honour of the name of the home of his friend H.M. Buchanan who lived on Loch Lomond in Scotland.

Our first visit in Ross was the site of the Ross Female Factory. It was originally used as a male road gang station. Between 1848 and 1854 the buildings were used as a probation station housing between 60 to 120 female convicts at any one time. In the 1880s the prison was demolished leaving the foundations intact. The original Overseers Cottage also remains.

We then headed back into the town of Ross to admire the numerous historic buildings. There are over 40 heritage buildings in the town of Ross.

The Ross Uniting Church is a traditional gothic style sandstone church which was opened in 1885. The church was hand carved sandstone walls, Tasmanian blackwood pews, an oregon ceiling, an Italian marble front, and stained glass windows.

We also visited the Tasmanian Wool Centre which apart from being the largest retailer of woollens in the state, has an excellent museum detailing the history of Ross.

Our final piece of sightseeing in Ross was the Ross bridge, a magnificent stone bridge which was built by convicts in 1836. It is the third oldest bridge in Australia. The bridge was designed by John Lee Archer and was constructed under the orders of Lieutenant Governor Sir George Arthur. The stonemasonry and carvings on the bridge are the work of Daniel Herbert and James Colbeck. Herbert had been sentenced to death for highway robbery, but his sentence was commuted to transportation for life. He arrived in Van Dieman’s Land in 1827. Both Herbert and Colbeck were freed upon completion of the bridge.

After finishing our sightseeing at Ross we headed back to Oatlands and headed to the Lake Dulverton Conservation Area VKFF-2907 on the edge of the town.

Above:- An aerial view of the Lake Dulverton Conservation Area. Image c/o Google maps

The Lake Dulverton Conservation Area is about 232 hectares in size and comprises Lake Dulverton and sections of the foreshore. It was gazetted as a Conservation Area in 1999, being formerly known as the Lake Dulverton Wildlife Sanctuary. The park is an important habitat for birdlife. Over 105 bird species have been recorded in the park. It is a known breeding area for the rare Great Crested Grebe

We operated from Lairmairenepair Park and the site of the former Flax Mill site which is located on Freds Point headland.

Above:- An aerial view of the park showing our operating spot. Image c/o Google Earth.

Lairmairenepair takes its name from the Big River tribe of aboriginals who lands encompassed the Oatlands district. During World War Two the flax mill was established by the Australian Federal Government. It was part of the Oatland’s district war effort. In April 1941 construction of the site office, men’s mess room, store rooms, deseeding shed and scutching shed was completed. Between 1941 and 1945 a total of 132 people were employed at the flax mill. Flax was grown at Oatlands, Ross and Bothwell and was brought to the mill for processing.

We strung out the 20/40/80m dipole for this activation and ran the Yaesu FT857d and 40 watts output.

Marija made the following QSOs on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3PF
2. Vk3DCQ
3. VK2HHA
4. VK5HS
5. VK2MET
6. VK1AO
7. Vk5PE
8. VK5BJE
9. VK3ZPF
10. VK2NP
11. VK2IO

I made the following QSOs on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3PF
2. Vk3DCQ
3. VK2HHA
4. VK5HS
5. VK2MET
6. VK1AO
7. VK5PE
8. VK5BJE
9. VK3ZPF
10. VK2NP
11. VK2IO
12. VK3EJ
13. VK3VIN
14. VK5FANA
15. VK2EXA
16. VK3AMO
17. VK3ACZ
18. VK3SPX
19. VK1DI
20. VK5CZ
21. VK4TJ
22. VK7XX
23. VK5FB
24. VK3AHR
25. VK1AAF
26. KG5CIK
27. ZL3MR
28. VK4NH
29. VK4DXA
30. VK2VW
31. VK2HFI
32. VK3LF/m
33. VK4CZ
34. VK5WU
35. VK2KCT
36. VK4GJP
37. VK3STV
38. VK1PDW

I made the following QSOs on 20m SSB:-

1. VK5KLV
2. VK4TJ
3. VK4XCS
4. VK7FI
5. VK5AAR
6. VK4CZ
7. IK4IDF
8. IW2BNA
9. IW2NXI
10. ZL3VW

We packed up and headed back into Hobart and went out for tea that night in the restaurant at our accomodation.

References.

1. Aussie Towns, 2022, <https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/kempton-tas>, viewed 28th December 2022.
2. Aussie Towns, 2022, <https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/oatlands-tas>, viewed 28th December 2022.
3. Aussie Towns, 2022, <https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/ross-tas>, viewed 28th December 2022.
4. Bagdad Tasmania, 2022, <http://www.bagdadtashistory.com/historic-buildings-bagdad-tasmania/oakwood-bagdad-tasmania.html>, viewed 27th December 2022.
5. eBird, 2022, <https://ebird.org/hotspot/L1479677>, viewed 28th December 2022.
6. Find and Connect, 2022, <http://www.bagdadtashistory.com/historic-buildings-bagdad-tasmania/oakwood-bagdad-tasmania.html>, viewed 27th December 2022.
7. Heritage Tasmania, Tasmanian Heritage Council.
8. Hobart and Beyond, 2022, <https://hobartandbeyond.com.au/blog/9-things-to-do-at-lake-dulverton/>, viewed 28th December 2022.
9. Lake Dulverton and Dulverton Walkway Action Plan, 2021.

We had now reached day seven (Thursday 3rd November 2022) of our Tasmania trip, and after just one night at Swansea we needed to travel to the Tasmanian capital, Hobart. In reflection, we should have spent longer in Swansea. One night was nowhere near enough and we were very pushed for time seeing everything in the area.

Above:- Map showing the route between Swansea and Hobart. Map c/o Google maps

On the day we had planned on activating Freycinet National Park and then visit Oatlands and Ross on our way to Hobart. The quickest way from Swansea to Hobart was via the coast and Triabunna, but Oatlands was a must for us. As it turned out our plans changed quite significantly.

We drove north on the Tasman Highway admiring the magnificent views of Moulting Lagoon Game Reserve and the Freycinet National Park.

Upon reaching the park we saw a cruise ship and Marija made some enquiries about a cruise to Wineglass Bay. Fortunately they were not booked out and planned to sail later that morning. So we decided to go on the 4 hour & 30 minute cruise to Wineglass Bay. This was a big shift in our plans for the day.

We had a little bit of time up our sleeve so we drove out of Coles Bay and into the Freycinet National Park VKFF-0188.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Freycinet National Park. Map c/o Google maps.

Freycinet National Park is 169 km² in size and was established in 1916. It is Tasmania’s oldest park.

Above: Article from the Examinder Launceston, Wed 22 Apr 1914. Image c/o Trove

The park was named after French Navy officer and navigator Louise de Freycinet (b. 1779. d. 1841). In 1811 de Freycinet published the first map to show a full outline of the coastline of Australia.

Above:- Louis de Fteycinet. Image c/o Wikipedia.

The park comprises a large section of the Freycinet Peninsula and also Schouten Island, named after Joost Schouten, a member of the Council of the Dutch East India Company. Freycinet has rugged coastline and includes the secluded Wineglass Bay. A series of jagged granite peaks in a line, called The Hazards, can be located in the park.

More than 500 species of plant have been recorded in the park, including over 80 species of native orchid. Numerous native mammals can be found in the park including Red-necked wallaby, Eastern Quoll and the Tasmanian pademelon.

We found a nice little quiet spot off Freycinet Drive and decided to do a quick park activation from the 4WD. We ran the Icom IC7000, 100 watts, and the Codan 9350 self tuning antenna mounted on the back of the 4WD.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK2VW
2. VK2HFI
3. VK3VIN
4. VK2NP
5. Vk2MET
6. VK1AO
7. VK3AMO
8. VK3NBL
9. VK2IO
10. VK3PF
11. VK2PKT

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK2VW
2. VK2HFI
3. VK3VIN
4. VK2NP
5. VK2MET
6. VK1AO
7. VK3AMO
8. Vk3NBL
9. VK2IO
10. VK3PF
11. VK2PKT
12. VK1ARQ
13. ZL1BQD
14. VK2VH
15. VK4AAC

We were both happy as we had qualified the park fof the VKFF program with 10 QSOs.

We then headed back into Coles Bay for our cruise to Wineglass Bay.

The boat left Coles Bay and travelled the short distance to Honeymoon Bay where we picked up some more passengers. There are some amazing ‘coastal pavilions’ tucked in amongst the scrub at Freycinet Lodge within the National Park.

We then set out across Coles Bay and then out into the open ocean and along the spectacular coastline.

There was numerous wildlife to be observed along the way,

We then reached Wineglass Bay, one of the ‘must sees’ when in Tasmania. The boat moored in the bay and we sat back and enjoyed a brilliant lunch consisting of Tasmanian produce and a few cold beers.

We then sailed back to Coles Bay and departed the cruise. It had been a very enjoyable day.

As I had only 15 QSOs in the log for Freycinet National Park, Marija and I decided to set up again, hoping that I might be able to reach 44 QSOs and qualify the park for the global WWFF program.

Above:- An aerial view of the Freycinet National Park. Image c/o Google maps

This time around I ran the Yaesu FT857d, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole, inverted vee, supported on a 7 metre telescopic squid pole.

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3SQ
2. VK3PF
3. VK2MET
4. VK1AO
5. VK2IO
6. VK2NP
7. VK3FFF
8. VK3JG
9. VK5IS
10. VK4KLA
11. VK7CIA
12. VK2HHA
13. VK3ZSC
14. VK3APJ
15. VK5FANA
16. VK3MTT
17. VK3PWG
18. VK7KJL
19. VK5CZ
20. VK3VIN
21. VK3NZC
22. VK3STV
23. VK3IDX
24. VK1AD
25. VK1NAM
26. VK7QP
27. VK4HAT
28. VK2XSE/m
29. VK7GN
30. VK5GY
31. VK5MOS/m

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

1. VK4HAT
2. VK4TJ
3. VK4KC
4. VK4MAD
5. VK4DOG
6. VK2MET
7. VK1AO

We then packed up and continued along. We stopped briefly at Moulting Bay Game Reserve to enjoy the view. We even saw some wild deer in the scrub.

It was slow going on the road out of the park as there was a lot of wildlife on the roadway.

We then commenced our journey to Hobart via the Tasman Highway.

We stopped off at Spiky Bridge which is part of the old convict built coach road which connected Swansea with Little Swanport and the east coast road to Hobart.

By the 1820’s the reaches of white settlement were being pushed further up Tasmania’s east coast. Settlers such as George Meredith and Francis Cotton, were drawn to the area by the prospects of farming and whaling. Despite constant complaints from the settlers to the Government regarding the lack of road access, by 1840 there was still no road between Little Swanport and the Swansea district.

In 1841, a ready supply of labour for the grueling tasks involved in road building became available with the establishment of the Rocky Hills Probation Station. Under the convict probation system that operated in the 1840’s, all convicts had to initially serve time in a government work gang. Previously , convicts had generally been assigned to work for private settlers upon their arrival in the colony. James Radcliffe’s “Lisdillon” estate and associated salt works were just two of a number of properties in the district that had relied on assigned convict labour.

At Rocky Hills Probation Station, the convicts were primarily employed on road works in the area, as well as clearing land and constructing station buildings. The Spiky Bridge and parts of the old coach road which are still visible today, remain enduring legacies of the convict workers from this station.

Our next stop was the Three Arch bridge at Mayfield Beach, a little further along on the Tasman Highway. It is not signposted, and is just a small bridge which was constructed in 1845 by convict labour from the nearby Rocky Hills Probation Station. It spans the outlet of the Old Man Creek at Mayfield Beach. The existing road is built over the top of the bridge. You can view the bridge after a short walk from Mayfield Bay campground.

We continued along the coast admiring the beautiful views.

We soon reached the town of Triabunna, but as we were running late we did not get the opportunity of stopping sadly.

Our next brief stop was at the small town of Buckland where we had a look at the old St John The Baptist church. Like so many other buildings in Tasmania, the church was constructed by convict labour in 1846. It is believed that the East Window in the church dates b ack to the 14th century.

We got into Hobart quite late and booked into our accomodation, the Rydges Hobart.

References.

1. Discover Tasmania, 2022, <https://www.discovertasmania.com.au/things-to-do/heritage-and-history/threearchbridgemayfieldbreach/>, viewed 27th December 2022.
2. Discover Tasmania, 2022, <https://www.discovertasmania.com.au/things-to-do/heritage-and-history/stjohnthebaptistchurchbuckland/>, viewed 27th December 2022.
3. Wikipedia, 2022, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freycinet_National_Park>, viewed 27th December 2022.

Our final park activation for 2nd November 2022 was the Wye River State Reserve VKFF-1841. The park is located about 23 km north west of Swansea.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Wye River State Reserve. Map c/o Google maps

The Wye River State Reserve was created to protect forest communities and threatened flora species. Wye River is predominantly dry sclerophyll forest with some areas of wet eucalypt forest and in the north areas of Oyster Bay pine forest.

Above:- An aerial view of the Wye River State Reserve. Image c/o Google Earth.

The Reserve which comprises the former Bluemans Creek State Reserve and Wye River Bluemans Creek State Reserve, was proclaimed on the 31st day of May 2000. The area of the Wye River State Reserve which was formerly Bluemans Creek State Reserve is listed on the Register of the National Estate in Tasmania.

We operated from the Bluemans Creek roadside stop area on the Lake Leake Highway. Equipment used was the Yaesu FT857d, 40 watts output and the 20/40/80m linked dipole, inverted vee, supported on a 7 metre heavy duty telescopic squid pole.

I enjoyed a nice little opening on the 20m band, long path into Europe, working Italy, Spain, France, Czech Republic, Finland, Poland, Romania, Germany, and Greece.

Marija made the following QSOs on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3PF
2. VK3SQ
3. VK3VIN
4. VK2VH
5. VK4AAC
6. VK4TJ
7. VK3GRX
8. VK3MTT
9. VK2MET
10. VK1AO
11. VK5FB

I made the following QSOs on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3PF
2. VK3SQ
3. VK3VIN
4. VK2VH
5. VK4AAC
6. VK4TJ
7. VK3GRX
8. VK3MTT
9. VK2MET
10. VK1AO
11. VK5FB
12. VK4NH
13. VK4DXA
14. VK2MOE
15. VK2NP
16. VK5FANA
17. VK5IS
18. VK5KVA
19. VK2IO
20. VK3NP
21. Vk7XX
22. VK3ZPF
23. VK1DI
24. VK3EJ
25. VK2YAK/m
26. VK3KST
27. VK3DNB
28. VK1FPRV
29. VK2PCT/m
30. VK2ACK
31. VK7HBR
32. VK5CZ
33. VK4PDX
34. VK3NZC
35. VK3YSA/m
36. VK3ACZ
37. VK3QA
38. VK3DJC
39. VK5WU
40. ZL3MR
41. VK3BKO
42. VK2PKT
43. VK2DA
44. VK1DA
45. VK2EXA

I made the following QSOs on 20m SSB:-

1. ZL4NVW
2. IK4IDF
3. VK4NH
4. VK4DXA
5. IK1GPG
6. IK3QAN
7. VK4EMP
8. EA4FLS
9. F4CIM
10. IZ5CML
11. VK4HAT
12. OK7WA
13. VK4KC
14. VK4MAD
15. VK4DOG
16. EA3AKP
17. EA3HZX
18. VK4EW
19. VK4BXX
20. OH1MM
21. SP7MW
22. F1BLL
23. VK4PDX
24. YO3APJ
25. IK8NSR
26. DK4RM
27. EA3IM
28. IW2BNA
29. VK4MUD
30. SV3SFJ
31. DJ1AL
32. SP9AW
33. KG5CIK

Unfortunately we had to conclude the activation, even with callers still calling, due to us needing to get to our accomodation. It was nearly 6.00 p.m.

We headed in to the little town of Swansea and checked in to our accomodation at the Swansea Beach Chalets.

Below are some of the views of the bay and the coastline from where we were staying.

The town of Swansea is situated on the east coast of Tasmania on the north west shore of Great Oyster Bay and overlooks Frecinet National Park. The town was established in 1821 and was named Swansea by George Meredith, a Welshman who settled in the area, after Swansea in Wales.

There are a number of historic buildings in the town including Morris’ General Store which was built in 1838, and Schouten House which was built in 1845.

After freshening up we headed out for dinner at the Saltshaker Restaurant in Swansea, enjoying some of the local seafood.

References.

1. Aussie Towns, 2022, <https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/swansea-tas>, viewed 17th December 2022.
2. Freycinet National Park and Wye River Management Plan, 2000, Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania
3. Wikipedia, 2022, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swansea,_Tasmania>, viewed 17th December 2022.

After packing up at the Tom Gibson Nature Reserve (2nd November 2022), Marija and I travelled south on the Midland Highway and soon reached the little town of Cleveland.

Cleveland was established in 1842 and takes its name from a breed of horses which were imported into the district in the 1830s and bred in the area. Cleveland was as a stopping point on the coaching route between Hobart and Launceston. It was reportedly a stopping point for travelers prior to them venturing though Epping Forest which was a notorious area for bushrangers.

There are some historic buildings that remain in Cleveland and these including St Andrews Inn built in 1854 and the Cleveland church and historic graveyard.

We continued south and arrived in the very historic town of Campbell Town, about 68 km south of Launceston.

The original inhabitants of the area which is now Campbell Town were the Tyerrernotepanner aboriginal people. Lachlan Macquarie, a British Army Officer and Colonial Administrator from Scotland. In 1811 whilst travelling from Hobart to Launceston, Macquarie renamed Relief Creek to Elizabeth after his wife. In 1821 Macquarie named the site of Campbell Town in honour of his wife, whose maiden name was Campbell.

Thomas Kenton was the first European settler in the area. He was a Constable, and in 1821 erected a cottage at Campbell Town. By 1823 a causeway had been erected over the river and in 1824 an Inn was opened.

As a town, Campbell Town was established in 1826. It was one of four garrison towns which linked Hobart and Launceston.

Above:- Major General Lachlan Macquarie. Image c/o Wikipedia.

Our first stop in Campbell Town was the Harold Gatty Memorial. Harold Charles Gatty (b. 1903. d. 1957) was an Australian navigator and aviation pioneer who was born in Campbell Town. The famous Charles Lindbergh called Gatty the ‘Prince of Navigators’. He devised the ground-speed and drift indicator which formed the basis of the automatic pilot now standard equipment on most aircraft. In 1931 Gatty flew around the world with Wiley Post. This flight set the record for aerial circumnavigation of the world, flying a distance of 15,747 miles (24,903 km) in a Lockheed Vega named the Winnie Mae, in 8 days, 15 hours and 51 minutes. In 1951 he founded Pacific Airways Ltd in Fiji.

Above:- Harold Gatty. Image c/o Wikipedia.

The monument which is located on the corner of the Midland Highway and Pedder Street commemorates the life of Gatty who I had not heard of prior to my visit to Campbell Town.

We then had a look at St Andrews Church which was completed and dedicated in 1857. Following its construction when the scaffolding was removed it was found that there was still a rope hanging from the steeple. Before the opening of the church a ‘crack rifle shot’ was called in to shoot it down. The church contains an organ and desk that belonged to Bishop Nixon, first Anglican Bishop of Tasmania.

We then drove to Valentine Park in Campbell Town and viewed the Eliza and the Ram monument.

Eliza Forlong (b. 1784. d. 1859) was a founder of the super-fine wool industry in Tasmania. In 1804 she married John Forlong who was a Glasgow wine merchant. They had six children, but by the mid 1820s four of their six children had died from tuberculosis. A decision was made that they would move to a warmer climate in Australia.

They were aware that the fine wool from Merino sheep in Saxony were bringing high prices and they travelled to Leipzig to study methods of sheep rearing and wool preparation. Between 1828 and 1830 Eliza Forlong walked through Saxony purchasing sheep and drove them to Hamburg. She walked about 1,500 miles across Saxony.

In 1829 her 16 year old son William emigrated to Australia aboard the Clansman with seven rams and ninety ewes. He was bound for New South Wales, but the Clansman stopped at Hobart Town on the way where Governor Arthur who recognised the high quality of the flock, persuaded William Forlong to take up a large grant of land consisting of 2,600 acres near Campbell Town.

In 1831 Eliza and John and their son Andrew, together with the remainder of the sheep, emigrated to Australia aboard the Czar. Their Saxon sheep became the basis of many of the fine wool flocks throughout the new colony of Australia.

From Valentine Park you can also view The Grange, originally the home of Dr. William Valentine and built in 1847. Valentine Park is named in his honour. In 1839 Valentine emigrated to Van Dieman’s Land from Somerset England. He took over the position of Doctor in Campbell Town and helped establish the first public hospital. He was a lay preacher at the Anglican church and played a role in the building of St Luke’s Sunday School. He set up a reading room, Turkish baths and a library.

Also in Valentine Park is a sundial built in 2004 to commemorate the transit of the planet Venus across the face of the sun. The event was observed at The Grange by scientists from the United States Naval Observatory in 1874.

We also viewed the Convict Brick Trail which is dedicated to the nearly 200,000 convicts who were transported to Australia for almost 100 years from 1788 onwards.

We then visited the famous Red Bridge which crosses the Elizabeth River at Campbell Town. The bridge was constructed in 1838 using convict labour. It is the oldest surviving brick arch bridge in Australia. It contains three arch spans of 7.6 m (25 ft) each and holds two lanes of traffic as well as pedestrian walkways. It carries over two million vehicles per year.

The bridge was designed by James Blackburn (b. 1803. d. 1854), an English civil Engineer, surveyor, architect, and convict who had been transported to Australia after being sentenced for Forgery. The bridge was constructed of 1,250,000 handmade bricks on dry land, and after its completion the river was diverted to flow under the bridge.

Adjacent to the bridge in Blackburn Park are a number of wooden sculptures. They are the creation of Campbell Town’s chainsaw sculptor, Eddie Freeman. They were created using 80 year old pine trees.

We then drove around the town to admire the numerous historic heritage buildings.

We also stopped off briefly at the Campbell Town Museum and Visitor Information Centre which is located in the old Town Hall. It contains a large amount of local history of the Midlands area of Tasmania.

Just a short distance away is A Little Piece of Heaven, a lolly shop, which we visited of course.

We then had a late lunch at one of the local cafes in Campbell Town.

We then continued on our journey, leaving the Midland Highway and taking the Lake Leake Highway. We stopped briefly to have a look at Lake Leake, a man made water storage reservoir which can hold 22.076 gigalitres (779,600,000 cu ft) of water. The lake was named after Charles Henry Leake, a member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council.

We then drove out to Lost Falls Conservation Area VKFF-2908 for a park activation for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.

Above:- Map of Tasmania showing the location of Lost Falls. Map c/o Google maps.

The park also appears on some maps as the Lost Falls Forest Reserve.

Above:- An aerial view of Lost Falls. Image c/o Google maps.

Lost Falls Conservation Area is about 486 hectares in size. The park contains Lost Falls, a seasonal waterfall on Last Falls Creek. It is often dry, relying on heavy rain and snow meltage. Due to the recent heavy rain, the Creek and waterfall were flowing well during our visit.

We followed Crossins Road to the campground in the park.

Above:- An aerial view of the park showing our operating spot. Image c/o Google Earth

We ran the Yaesu FT857d, 40 watts output and the 20/40/80m linked dipole for this activation.

Unfortunately I only made 30 contacts in about 30 minutes and did not reach the 44 QSOs as we were really running short of time. However, Marija and I both qualified the park for the VKFF program with 10 QSOs.

Marija made the following QSOs on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3PF
2. VK3SMW
3. VK3VIN
4. VK3SQ
5. VK3PMC
6. VK2VH’VK4AAC
7. VK2AX
8. VK2YW
9. VK5IS
10. VK7AN

I made the following QSOs on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3PF
2. VK3SMW
3. VK3VIN
4. VK3SQ
5. VK3PMC
6. VK2VH
7. VK4AAC
8. VK2AX
9. VK2YW
10. VK5IS
11. VK7AN
12. VK1TTY
13. VK3PRG
14. VK7HAM
15. VK2NP
16. VK3MTT
17. VK2MET
18. VK1AO
19. VK3DCQ
20. VK2IO
21. VK3NP
22. VK7OT
23. VK3APJ

I made the following QSOs on 20m SSB:-

1. VK4HAT
2. VK4NH
3. VK4DXA
4. VK4TJ
5. VK4KC
6. VK4MAD
7. VK4DOG

References.

1. Encyclopedia of Australian Ascience and Innovation, 2022, <https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P001570b.htm>, viewed 17th December 2022.
2. Find a Grave, 2022, <https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/136720185/harold-charles-gatty>, viewed 17th December 2022.
3. Monument Australia, 2022, <https://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/industry/display/99815-eliza-and-the-ram>, viewed 17th December 2022.
4. Our Tasmania, 2022, <https://www.ourtasmania.com.au/launceston/campbell-town.html>, viewed 17th December 2022.
5. Tasmanian Convict Trail, 2022, <https://www.tasmanian-convict-trail.com/cleveland-7211/>, viewed 17th December 2022.
6. Waterfalls of Tasmania, 2022, <https://waterfallsoftasmania.com.au/>, viewed 17th December 2022.
7. Where in Tasmania, 2003, Dennison C.J.
8. Wikipedia, 2022, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Gatty>, viewed 17th December 2022.
9. Wikipedia, 2022, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliza_Forlonge>, viewed 17th December 2022.
10. Wikipedia, 2022, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Bridge_(Tasmania)>, viewed 17th December 2022.
11. Wikipedia, 2022, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Blackburn_(architect)>, viewed 17th December 2022.
12. Wikipedia, 2022, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Leake,_Tasmania>, viewed 17th December 2022.

Day six (Wednesday 2nd November 2022) of our Tasmania trip was upon us. We were to travel from Launceston to Swansea, a distance of about 137 km.

Above:- Map showing our route from Launceston to Swansea. Map c/o Google maps.

After breakfast we headed to Freelands Lookout, but we were sadly disappointed as trees covered most of the view of Launceston and the Tamar Valley.

We then visited Kings Bridge and the Toll Booth. The original toll house was constructed in 1891 with a contribution box to enter Cataract Gorge introduced by the Launceston City and Suburbs Improvement Association. The intention was to raise funds for further development of Cataract Gorge. Unfortunately most people did not pay and as a result in 1892 the toll become compulsory.

As a novelty and fundraiser, automatic vending machines were placed at the gates. For a penny, one machine would spray lavender scent onto a handkerchief, while another dispensed chocolate.

When the toll to enter Cataract Gorge was removed, so was the toll house….it was demolished. What you see today is a replica.

The first span of the Kings Bridge was completed in 1864. It was originally named the South Esk Bridge and was designed by William Thomas Doyne, a civil engineer from Ireland. The first span was fabricated in Manchester and was transported to Launceston where it was assembled on a pontoon and then floated into position and the lowered on to its abutments on the receding tide. In 1904 the bridge was renamed Kings Bridge in honour of King Edward VII.

The caretakers cottage was originally constructed in 1890 to house a caretaker in preparation for the creation of the Victorian Cliff Grounds. Alexander North, a leading church architect in Launceston at the time as the designer.

We then travelled south on the Midland Highway and into the historic town of Longford which was originally known as Norfolk Plains and then Latour. In 1827 the Latour Hotel was constructed and the town grew up around the hotel. In 1833 the town re re-named Longford.

Numerous significant and historic buildings were constructed in the town between 1830 and 1850. These include Christ Church built in 1839, the Queens Arms Hotel built in 1835, and the former Racecourse Hotel built in 1838,

We enjoyed a magnificent cooked breakfast at JJs Bakery in Longford.

We left Longford and headed to the Symmons Plains Raceway which is about 30 km south of Launceston. Since the closure of the Longford racing circuit, Symmons Plains has been Tasmania’s premier motor racing facility. Unfortunately everything was locked up, but we were able to see the track through some vantage points on the fence line.

We drove a short distance to the Tom Gibson Nature Reserve VKFF-1155 for a park activation for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.

Above:- Map of Tasmania showing the location of the Tom Gibson Nature Reserve. Map c/o Google maps.

The Tom Gibson Nature Reserve was proclaimed in 2022. It is located within the Northern Midlands Bioregion which is one of only fifteen areas in Australia which have been identified as a National Biodiversity Hotspot. It is part of ‘Epping Forest’ a large network of reserves on public and private land which supports over 400 hectares of endangered Black Peppermint forest.

Rare plants in the park include Moss Sunray, Tiny Water Milfoil, Tiny Arrowgrass, and Grassland Candles.

Tasmanian Devils and the Tasmanian Bettong can be located in the park.

The park was named after the former owner of the land, Tom Gibson.

We operated from the south eastern corner of the park on Barton Road.

Above:- An aerial view of the park showing our operating spot. Image c/o Google Earth

In about 20 minutes we made a total of 28 QOs.

Marija made the following QSOs on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3AHR
2. VK2HQ/p (VKFF-0447)
3. VK2BYF/p (VKFF-0447)
4. VK2HHA
5. VK3SQ
6. VK3VIN
7. VK3PF
8. VK3MTT
9. VK2MET
10. VK1AO
11. VK2MOP
12. ZL1BQD

I made the following QSOs on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3AHR
2. VK2HQ/p (VKFF-0447)
3. VK2BYF/p (VKFF-0447)
4. VK2HHA
5. VK3SQ
6. VI3VIN
7. VK3PF
8. VK3MTT
9. VK2MET
10. VK1AO
11. VK2MOP

I made the following QSOs on 40m SSB after the UTC rollover:-

1. ZL1BQD
2. VK3PF
3. VK3SQ
4. VK1MET
5. VK1AO

Unfortunately we were running a bit short of time so we did not get the opportunity of trying other bands or getting to 44 QSOs for this activation. It is a park we will have to come back to one day in the future.

References.

1. Legislation Tasmania, 2022, <https://www.legislation.tas.gov.au/view/whole/html/inforce/current/sr-2004-053>, viewed 16th December 2022.
2. Tasmanian Land Conservancy, 2022, <https://tasland.org.au/properties-for-sale/epping-forest/>, viewed 16th December 2022.
3. Tasmanian Plants, 2022, <https://tasmanianplants.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/tom-gibson-nature-reserve-fieldtrip/>, viewed 16th December 2022.
4. Wikipedia, 2022, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longford,_Tasmania>, viewed 16th December 2022.
5. Wikipedia, 2022, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symmons_Plains_Raceway>, viewed 16th December 2022.

Received the following certificate for working at least 2 of the special Transatlantic Centenary stations.

Some recent WIA awards received.