Tiega I81 Bushland Reserve VKFF-4205

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My next activation for Wednesday 21st August 2024 was the Tiega I81 Bushland Reserve VKFF-4205.

The reserve is about 11 km west of Ouyen in northwest Victoria.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Tiega I81 Bushland Reserve. Map c/o Google Maps.

Tiega is an aboriginal word for ‘sister’. Tiega was once a thriving community having its own school, a tennis club, and a football club. (Blake 1978)

Above:- Article from the Sunraysia Daily, Thu 30 Dec 1937. Image c/o Trove.

Above:- Article from the Ouyen Mail, Wed 11 Oct 1939. Image c/o Trove.

Today, little remains at Tiega, other than a sign to let you know that you are entering the district.

The Tiega I81 Bushland Reserve is located on the northern side of the Mallee Highway at the junction with Le Couteur Road.

Above:- An aerial view of the Tiega I81 Bushland Reserve. Image c/o Google Earth.

The reserve is about 16 hectares in size and was established on the 1st day of May 1979. (CAPAD 2022)

I drove down to the railway line and I accessed the northern section of the park. I ran the Yaesu FT857d, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole for this activation.

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

  1. VK2IO
  2. VK2GEZ
  3. VK6LK
  4. VK6LMK
  5. VK3PF
  6. VK2VH
  7. VK4AAC
  8. VK2VW
  9. VK2HFI
  10. VK2AKA
  11. VK2BUG
  12. VK6DS
  13. VK2SLB
  14. Vk2BRN
  15. VK2KBT
  16. VK7AZ
  17. VK3TKK/p (Rocky Point Bushland Reserve VKFF-4303)
  18. VK5QA
  19. VK3CLD
  20. VK2DBF
  21. VK4EMP
  22. VK4TI
  23. VK4GKO
  24. VK4HNS
  25. VK7XX
  26. VK2NCS

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK3TKK/p (Rocky Point Bushland Reserve VKFF-4303)
  2. VK7AB/p (Mount Stronach Regional Reserve VKFF-3377)
  3. VK7ZPE/p (Mount Stronach Regional Reserve VKFF-3377)
  4. VK3SMW
  5. VK6XL/5
  6. VK5PL
  7. VK3XL/p
  8. VK7XX
  9. VK3ENI
  10. VK3APJ
  11. Vk5AAF
  12. VK2SLB
  13. VK2BRN
  14. VK2KBT
  15. VK3PF
  16. VK5IS/m
  17. VK3MTT
  18. VK3PWG
  19. VK3TTK
  20. VK3EJ
  21. VK3HJW
  22. VK5TUX
  23. VK5DC
  24. VK3DCQ
  25. VK5CZ
  26. VK5JK
  27. VK3MBW
  28. VK3IK/m
  29. VK3MGM
  30. VK3KRL
  31. VK1AD
  32. VK1NAM
  33. VK3DJC
  34. VK5AYL
  35. VK2VAR
  36. VK2GOM
  37. VK3UAO
  38. VK3CEO
  39. Vk3BBB
  40. VK2CCP
  41. VK3CA
  42. VK3WSG

References.

  1. Dcceew.gov.au. (2023). Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database (CAPAD) 2022 – DCCEEW. [online] Available at: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/land/nrs/science/capad/2022 [Accessed 12 Nov. 2024].‌
  2. Leslie James Blake, 1978, Place Names of Victoria.

Kia I242 Bushland Reserve VKFF-4229

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My third park for Wednesday 21st August 2024 was the Kia I242 Bushland Reserve VKFF-4229.

It was just a short drive from the Kia I242A Bushland Reserve to reach this park which is located about 23 km north of Ouyen in northwest Victoria.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Kia I242 Bushland Reserve. Map c/o Google Maps.

The reserve is located in the southern side of Box Flat Road.

Above:- AN aerial view of the Kia I242 Bushland Reserve. Image c/o Google Earth.

The reserve is about 20 hectares in size and was established on the 8th day of May 1990. (CAPAD 2022)

This was another park that was not easy to string out the 20/40/80m dipole. So much so that the 80m sections were lying on the ground amongst the mallee scrub. But the antenna still seemed to perform okay.

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK5HS
  2. VK5MOS
  3. VK3WSG
  4. VK3PF
  5. VK5AYL
  6. VK2EXA
  7. VK3CEO
  8. VK3UAO
  9. VK3PWG
  10. VK3TTK
  11. VK5PL
  12. VK5UV
  13. VK3TKK/p (Ararat Bushland Reserve VKFF-4300)
  14. VK3APJ
  15. VK2HAK
  16. VK2SLB
  17. VK2BRN
  18. VK2KBT
  19. VK3CA
  20. VK3HM
  21. VK2MOE
  22. VK1MO
  23. VK3MTT
  24. VK3KRL
  25. VK2IO
  26. VK2GEZ
  27. VK2YAK
  28. VK4YAK
  29. VK3HJW
  30. VK3EJ
  31. VK2HMV
  32. VK3MGM
  33. VK2XD
  34. VK2STO

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

  1. VK2IO
  2. VK2GEZ
  3. VK2SLB
  4. VK2BRN
  5. VK2KBT
  6. VK2VW
  7. VK2HFI
  8. VK2AKA
  9. VK2BUG
  10. VK6DS
  11. VK5HS
  12. VK6LK
  13. VK6LMK
  14. VK4EMP
  15. VK4TI
  16. VK4GKO
  17. ZL1KVA

References.

  1. Dcceew.gov.au. (2023). Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database (CAPAD) 2022 – DCCEEW. [online] Available at: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/land/nrs/science/capad/2022 [Accessed 12 Nov. 2024].‌

Kia I242A Bushland Reserve VKFF-4230

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My second activation for Wednesday 21st August 2024 was the Kia I242 Bushland Reserve VKFF-4230.

The reserve is located about 16 km north of Ouyen in northwest Victoria. This was the first time that I had activated the park for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Kia I242A Bushland Reserve. Map c/o Google Maps.

The reserve is located on the corner of Calder Highway and Chapman Road.

Above:- An aerial view of the Kia I242A Bushland Reserve. Image c/o Google Earth.

This is just a small park comprising about 8 hectares of mallee scrub. It was established on the 8th day of May 1990. (CAPAD 2022)

I access the park via Chapman Road. There was just enough room amongst the scrub for me to string out the 20/40/80m linked dipole. I ran the Yaesu FT857d and 40 watts.

It was nice to pick up six Park to Park contacts from this park.

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK2GOM/p (Parma Creek Nature Reserve  VKFF-2698)
  2. VK2VAR/p (Parma Creek Nature Reserve  VKFF-2698)
  3. VK3BBB
  4. VK2CCP
  5. VK3PWG
  6. VK3TTK
  7. VK5HS
  8. VK3CJN
  9. VK3QHU
  10. VK3APJ
  11. VK3DWL/m
  12. VK3PF
  13. VK3MTT
  14. VK3BEL
  15. VK2IO
  16. VK2GEZ
  17. VK2EXA
  18. VK5UV
  19. Vk3GP
  20. VK3FRC
  21. VK2KYO
  22. VK3EJ
  23. VK5MOS
  24. VK3WSG
  25. VK3UAO
  26. VK2SLB
  27. VK2BRN
  28. VK2KBT
  29. VK1DI
  30. VK3CEO
  31. VK1AD
  32. VK1NAM
  33. VK5CZ
  34. VK2VW
  35. VK2HFI
  36. VK2AKA
  37. VK2BUG
  38. VK3CA
  39. VK3MGM

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

  1. VK2VW
  2. VK2HFI
  3. VK2AKA
  4. VK2BUG
  5. VK3PF
  6. VK2IO
  7. VK2GEZ
  8. VK4HNS
  9. VK6LK
  10. VK6LMK
  11. VK1DI
  12. VK7EE
  13. VK4EMP
  14. VK4TI
  15. VK4GKO
  16. VK3KIM
  17. VK2SLB
  18. VK2BRN
  19. VK2KBT
  20. VK2USH/p (Lake Broadwater Conservation Park VKFF-1577)
  21. VK6EH
  22. VK2GOM/p (Parma Creek Nature Reserve  VKFF-2698)
  23. VK2VAR/p (Parma Creek Nature Reserve  VKFF-2698)
  24. VK3CEO
  25. VK4JJ
  26. VK2XD
  27. VK3TKK/p (Noahs Ark Dam Natural Features Reserve VKFF-4301)

References.

  1. Dcceew.gov.au. (2023). Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database (CAPAD) 2022 – DCCEEW. [online] Available at: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/land/nrs/science/capad/2022 [Accessed 12 Nov. 2024].‌

Ouyen I34 Bushland Reserve VKFF-4210

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My first activation for Wednesday 21st August 2024 was the Ouyen I34 Bushland Reserve VKFF-4210.

The reserve is located about 10 km north of Ouyen in northwest Victoria. This was the first time that I had activated the park for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Ouyen I34 Bushland Reserve. Map c/o Google Maps.

The reserve is located on the northern and southern sides of Dingo Tank Road on the Calder Highway’s eastern side. Presumably, there were dingoes or wild dogs in this area back in the day.

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

The reserve is about 36 hectares in size and was established on the 1st day of May 1979. (CAPAD 2022)

This was another park that was unfenced and I was able to drive in and set up amongst a clearing in the mallee scrub. I ran the Yaesu FT857d, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole.

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK3PF
  2. VK2EXA
  3. VK3CEO
  4. Vk3MCK
  5. VK2IO
  6. VK2GEZ
  7. Vk3CA
  8. VK3HM
  9. VK3VIN
  10. VK5GY
  11. VK2MOE
  12. VK1MO
  13. VK2VW
  14. VK2HFI
  15. VK2AKA
  16. VK2BUG
  17. VK5DC
  18. VK2SLB
  19. VK2BRN
  20. VK2KBT
  21. VK2MES
  22. VK3APJ
  23. VK3PWG
  24. VK3TTK
  25. VK3CJN
  26. VK3QHU
  27. VK5IS
  28. VK3HJW
  29. VK2AB
  30. VK3UAO
  31. VK4EMP
  32. VK4TI
  33. VK4GKO
  34. VK1ARQ
  35. VK3EJ
  36. VK3AMO
  37. VK1DI
  38. VK2GOM/p (Parma Creek Nature Reserve  VKFF-2698)
  39. VK2VAR/p (Parma Creek Nature Reserve  VKFF-2698)
  40. VK3ANL
  41. VK4HNS
  42. VK3KIM
  43. VK3BCM/p (SOTA VK3/ VE-144)
  44. VK3PXS/p (SOTA VK3/ VE-144)
  45. VK5AAF

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

  1. VK2VW
  2. VK2HFI
  3. VK2AKA
  4. VK2BUG
  5. ZL3QR
  6. VK2SLB
  7. VK2BRN
  8. VK2KBT
  9. VK4HNS
  10. VK2IO
  11. VK2GEZ
  12. VK6NU

References.

  1. Dcceew.gov.au. (2023). Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database (CAPAD) 2022 – DCCEEW. [online] Available at: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/land/nrs/science/capad/2022 [Accessed 12 Nov. 2024].‌

Blue Mountain Bushland Reserve VKFF-4220

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My final activation for Tuesday 20th August 2024 was the Blue Mountain Bushland Reserve VKFF-4220.

I headed to the park after enjoying a very nice meal at the Victoria Hotel at Ouyen.

The Victoria Hotel was built in c. 1920. It was extensively enlarged in 1934.

Above:- The Victoria Hotel Ouyen. Image c/o Walking Ouyen Facebook page.

The park is located about 13 km (by road) south of Ouyen in northwest Victoria.

Above:- Map showing the location of Blue Mountain Bushland Reserve. Map c/o Google Maps.

The park is located on the southern side of Steele Road which runs off the western side of the Calder Highway.

Above:- An aerial view of the Blue Mountain Bushland Reserve. Image c/o Google Earth.

The park is about 40 hectares in size and was established on the 1st day of May 1979. I am not sure how it was named as there is certainly no mountain in or near the reserve. (CAPAD 2022)

Above:- An aerial view of the park looking north towards Ouyen. Image c/o Google Maps.

By the time I arrived at the park, it was completely dark. I ran the Yaesu FT857d, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole for this activation.

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK2IO
  2. VK2GEZ
  3. VK2DWP
  4. VK3SQ
  5. VK2BD
  6. VK3BBB
  7. VK2CCP
  8. VK4SMA
  9. VK2YAK
  10. VK4YAK
  11. VK3APJ
  12. VK5PL
  13. VK3MTT
  14. VK2EXA
  15. VK2HAK
  16. VK3PWG
  17. VK3TTK
  18. VK3GJG
  19. VK3ANL
  20. VK5CZ
  21. VK7PJM
  22. VK4FDJL
  23. VK4WAB
  24. VK2BW
  25. VK4HMI
  26. VK3PF
  27. VK3HJW
  28. VK4HNS
  29. VK3ALF
  30. VK3CA
  31. VK7DIK
  32. VK5FANA
  33. VK3MKE
  34. VK7AAE
  35. VK7DWS
  36. VK3HM
  37. VK1AAF
  38. VK3SWA

I worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-

  1. VK5FANA
  2. VK2IO
  3. VK2GEZ
  4. VK7DIK
  5. VK3MKE
  6. VK7AAE
  7. VK7DWS
  8. VK4HNS
  9. VK3APJ
  10. VK5CZ
  11. VK3ANL
  12. VK4EMP
  13. VK4TI
  14. VK4GOZ
  15. VK3MBW
  16. VK3GJG

References.

  1. Dcceew.gov.au. (2023). Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database (CAPAD) 2022 – DCCEEW. [online] Available at: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/land/nrs/science/capad/2022 [Accessed 10 Nov. 2024].‌

Nunga Bushland Reserve VKFF-4241 and Nunga silo VK-NNG3

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The next activation for Tuesday 20th August 2024, was the Nunga Bushland Reserve VKFF-4241 and the Nunga silo VK-NNG3.

Nunga is about 7 km south of Ouyen on the Calder Highway in northwest Victoria.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Nunga Bushland Reserve. Map c/o Google Maps.

Nunga is an aboriginal word for ‘day. Interestingly it is also a term of self-identification for Aboriginal Australians and was originally used by Aboriginal people in the southern settled areas of South Australia. (Blake 1978) (Wikipedia 2024)

At one time Nunga had a State School and also had its own cricket club.

Above:- The State School, No. 3756, at Nunga. Image c/o Museums Victoria.

During the 1940’s Nunga saw a significant mice plague.

Above:- Article from The Inverell Times Wed 9 Apr 1947. Image c/o Trove.

The Nunga silos are located on Dunkley Road on the western side of the Calder Highway

The Nunga Bushland Reserve is located on the eastern side of the Calder Highway.

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

The park is about 14 hectares in size and was established on the 1st day of May 1979. (CAPAD 2022)

I accessed the park via a 4WD track that led into the park. I ran the Yaesu FT857d, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole for this activation.

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK2VW
  2. VK2HFI
  3. VK2AKA
  4. VK2BUG
  5. VK3PF/m
  6. VK5GY
  7. VK2TOT
  8. VK7PJM
  9. VK3VIN
  10. VK2IO
  11. VK2GEZ
  12. VK4SMA
  13. VK2EXA
  14. Vk2TM
  15. VK3BEL
  16. VK4HMI
  17. VK3CA
  18. VK3ACZ
  19. VK3MTT
  20. VK5PL
  21. VK1DI
  22. VK5WU
  23. VK3HJW
  24. VK2GQR
  25. VK3SQ
  26. VK2BD
  27. VK4EMP
  28. VK4TI
  29. VK4GKO
  30. VK5UV
  31. VK5JK
  32. VK3MJR
  33. VK3SO
  34. VK3SFG
  35. VK3PWG
  36. VK3TTK
  37. VK3ANL
  38. VK3APJ
  39. VK4HNS
  40. VK2SLB
  41. VK2BRN
  42. VK2KBT
  43. VK5LA
  44. VK5KAW
  45. VK4FDJL
  46. VK4WAB
  47. VK2MOE
  48. VK1MO
  49. VK3BBB
  50. VK2CCP
  51. VK3CJN
  52. VK3QHU
  53. VK2PBC
  54. VK2YAK
  55. VK4YAK
  56. VK3GJG
  57. VK3UAO
  58. VK2WGW
  59. VK5PE/m
  60. VK3GB
  61. VK6DS
  62. VK3MGM
  63. VK1ARQ
  64. VK4LGC
  65. VK2KDA

I worked the following stations on 40m AM:-

  1. VK3CA
  2. VK3HM

I worked the following stations on 40m FM:-

  1. VK3CA
  2. VK3HM

References.

  1. Dcceew.gov.au. (2023). Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database (CAPAD) 2022 – DCCEEW. [online] Available at: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/land/nrs/science/capad/2022 [Accessed 10 Nov. 2024].‌
  2. Leslie James Blake, 1978, Place Names of Victoria.
  3. Wikipedia Contributors (2022). Nunga. Wikipedia.‌