vk5pas

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Ni Ni Flora and Fauna Reserve VKFF-2413

Posted: 14 Nov 2019 01:59 AM PST
https://vk5pas.org/2019/11/14/ni-ni-...rve-vkff-2413/


Our final park for our three-day trip away was the Ni Ni Flora & Fauna
Reserve VKFF-2413.Â* This was to be another first-time activation for the
World Wide Flora & Fauna (WWFF) program.

The park is located about 382 km north-west of the city of Melbourne, and
about 10 km south-west of the town of Jeparit.
Above:- Map showing the location of the Ni Ni Flora and Fauna Reserve.Â* Map
courtesy of Protected Planet.

After leaving the Hindmarsh Flora and Fauna Reserve we drove south on the
DImboola-Rainbow Road and soon reached the little town of Jeparit.Â* It is
believed that Jeparit is a corruption of a local Aboriginal word (a
Gromiluk word) meaning the home of small birds.Â* The town is famous due to
it being the birthplace of the founder of the Liberal Party, and former
Australian Prime Minister Robert Gordon Menzies.Â* There is quite a bit to
see in the town and sadly we had very little time.Â* It will be another
return trip to have a much better look around.









We continued south out of Jeparit in the Dimboola-Rainbow Road and then
turned right onto Flavel Road.Â* We soon reached the Ni Ni Flora & Fauna
Reserve.Â* The park is also referred to on maps as the Ni Ni Nature
Conservation Reserve.Â* Interestingly Protected Planet also has it as the
Babatchio Bushland Reserve.
Above:- An aerial view of the Ni Ni Flora and Fauna Reserve with Lake
Hindmarsh in the background.Â* Image courtesy of Google maps

The park is about 10 acres in size and was established in 1990.Â* It is
surrounded by cleared farming land and is located on the southwestern
corner of Flavel Road and Pumpa Road.





A short distance from the park you can view the cairn marking the location
of the Allanby State School (Hindmarsh South) which operated from 1889-1926.





We parked the car on Flavel Road and climbed the fence and set up in the
north-eastern corner of the park.
Above:- An aerial view of the Ni Ni Flora & Fauna Reserve showing our
operating spot.Â* Image courtesy of Protected Planet.

I called CQ on 7.140 and first in the log was park regular (both activator
and hunter) Rob VK2VH, followed by two other regulars, Grant VK2LX, and
Adrian VK5FANA.Â* Within five minutes I had ten contacts in the log and the
park qualified for VKFF.Â* QSO number ten was with Steve VK3MPR.

Two contacts later I was very surprised to be called by Theo OT4A in
Belgium, in amongst the VK stations that were calling.Â* Theo was 5/8 and
gave me a 5/5 signal report into Europe.

I logged a total of 26 stations on 40m before swapping the mic with Marija.



Marijas first contact was with Rob VK2VH, followed by Geoff VK3SQ, and then
Adrian VK5FANA.Â* It took Marija just 5 minutes to qualify the park for
VKFF.Â* Her tenth contact was with Scott VK3MCL/p.

Although we were pushed very much for time, Marija encouraged me to get
back on the mic to see if I could get my 44 contacts.Â* I logged a further 6
stations on 40m from VK3, VK5, and New Zealand, before callers completely
dried up.Â* I now had 32 contacts in the log and was 12 short of the target.

I moved to 20m where I picked up a further 14 stations which got me to 43
contacts, just one short of the 44 QSO threshold.Â* Contacts on 20m were
into VK4, VK6, and France.

I headed off the 80m band where I logged 3 stations from VK4 and VK5.Â*
Contact number 44 was with Adrian VK5FANA.



It was now about 6.00 p.m. local time and we still had about 3 & 1/2 hours
to get home.Â* We packed up and hit the road, stopping at Nhill in western
Victoria for a bite to eat.

On the way home I joined the 7130 DX Net from the mobile and logged 10
stations.Â* This included Gary ZL3SV in New Zealand who gave me a 10/9
signal.Â* The highlight of the net was working David HC5DX in Ecuador in
South America.Â* Even Dave was surprised that I was mobile.Â* The Codan 9350
works very well.

THANKYOU to everyone who called us on our 3 day trip to Victoria.Â* We
activated eleven parks, with many of those being first-time activations.Â*
We made a total of 635 QSOs which included 78 Park to Park contacts.





References.

Aussie Towns, 2019, https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/jeparit-vic,
viewed 14th November 2019

Protected Planet, 2019,
https://www.protectedplanet.net/ni-ni-f-r-nature-conservation-reserve,
viewed 14th November 2019


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Hindmarsh Flora and Fauna Reserve VKFF-2331

Posted: 14 Nov 2019 01:24 AM PST
https://vk5pas.org/2019/11/14/hindma...rve-vkff-2331/


Our fourth planned park for Sunday (11th November 2019) was the Hindmarsh
Flora & Fauna Reserve VKFF-2331.Â* This would be the first time that the
park had been activated for the World Wide Flora & Fauna (WWFF) program.

The park is located about 400 km north-west of the city of Melbourne and
about 14 km south of the town of Rainbow.
Above:- Map showing the location of the Hindmarsh Flora & Fauna Reserve.Â*
Map courtesy of Protected Planet.

After leaving the Wathe Flora & Fauna Reserve we headed into the little
town of Lascelles.Â* The town was named after Edward Lascelles (1847-1917)
who was a passionate supporter of the district.Â* Lascelles promoted closer
settlement, was involved in water management in the area, built a large
home and was a promoter of the idea that the Wimmera Mallee would be
excellent grain-growing country.

Little remains in the town now.Â* The centrepiece is the impressive hotel
which was built in 1905.Â* The pub looked very inviting, but we were a bit
pressed for time.Â* Both Marija and I agreed that we would need to come back
here sometime to check it out.





The main attraction in Lascelles is the silos which are part of the
Victorian Silo Art Trail.Â* The two images of local farming couple Geoff and
Merrilyn Horman were painted by Melbourne artist Rone.Â* The work on the
1939 built silos was completed in 2017.






We then turned off the Sunraysia Highway onto the Henty Highway which is
named in honour of the Henty brothers who were the first permanent
land-based settlers in Victoria, taking up land at Portland in 1834.

We soon reached the town of Hopetoun where we planned to stop for lunch.Â*
Hopetoun was named after the 7th Earl of Hopetoun, the Governor of Victoria
from 1899 to 1895, and later the first Governor-General of Australia.Â* It
is a beautiful little town located on the shores of Lake Lascelles.

We bought some lunch from one of the local cafes and headed down to Lake
Lascelles and enjoyed some of the beautiful afternoon sun.






After lunch, we had a quick look at Corrong Homestead in Hopetoun.Â*
Unfortunately, the homestead was closed but we did have a quick look around
the grounds.Â* In 1846 Peter McGinnis guided by a friendly aboriginal
followed what is now known as the Yarriambiack Creek from Horsham to Lake
Corrong looking for unoccupied land for sheep grazing. He was the first
European pastoralist to settle in the Mallee. He was joined by his wife,
family and partner George Bell and established the Lake Corrong Run.
Click to view slideshow.

We continued south on the Henty Highway to the little town of Roseberry.Â*
The town was named after Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery
who toured Australia from September 1883 to January 1884, and became the
British Prime Minister from 1894-1895.

There is another impressive piece of silo art in this town.Â* The Roseberry
mural was painted by Melbourne artist Kaff-eine.Â* The two images are of a
young female farmer in a work shirt, jeans and cowboy boots.Â* The other is
of a horseman in an Akubra hat, bogs boots and an oilskin vest, with his
horse.








We continued south and out next stop was the town of Beaulah.Â* Isaiah 62:4
in the Bible was the inspiration the McKenzie family, devout local
Presbyterians, took when they named this tiny town Beulah in 1891.

Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be
termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah:
for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.








We continued further south on the Henty Highway until we reach Galaquil.Â*
There is a cairn here which commemorates the construction of the dog
netting fence which crossed the highway at this point.Â* The fence was
erected in 1885 from Tyntynder to the South Australian border to prevent
dingoes and rabbits overrunning and devastating pastoral and agricultural
land to the south.






Our next stop was the town of Brim to have a look at their silo art mural.Â*
It is believed that Brim is a local Aboriginal word meaning a spring or a
well.Â* The images of four farmers were painted on the disused Brim silos in
2015 by Guido van Helten.







An interesting stop in the town of Brim is the solitary grave of James
Simson, formerly a Commander in the Honourable East India Company Service.Â*
He died in 1858 as a result of being gored by a bullock.Â* His grave, which
can now be located in Simson Street, is the only defined grave left of the
Brim Station Cemetery.



We then drove back north along the Henty Highway and turned left onto the
Birchip-Rainbow Road.Â* Our next stop was the town of Rainbow which was
named after a property in the area called Rainbow Rise which, in turn, had
been named because it was located near a crescent-shaped ridge which in
spring was ablaze with multicoloured wildflowers.

This looked like a great little town to explore and it was our first time
there.Â* Sadly we were running short of time.Â* This was placed on our must
return to list.
Click to view slideshow.

We headed south out of Rainbow on the Dimboola-Rainbow Road and soon
reached the Hindmarsh Flora and Fauna Reserve.Â* The reserve is about 472
acres in size and is located just to the east of Lake Hindmarsh.





This was not an overly easy park to access.Â* The only access point we could
find was off the Dimboola-Rainbow Road.Â* There is a small section of scrub
which abuts the road.Â* But, this is not part of the park.Â* We had to drag
the gear through this little bit of scrub and into the park.Â* It was a hot
day and we werent keen on tramping through the long grass.
Above:- An aerial view of the Hindmarsh Flora & Fauna Reserve showing our
operating spot.Â* Image courtesy of Protected Planet.

Marija and I decided that this was going to be a very quick 40m activation
and then hit the road.Â* I called CQ on 7.150 and logged Rob VK2VH, followed
by Ray VK4NH, and then Lee VK2LEE.Â* It took me just 5 minutes to get the
required 10 contacts to qualify the park for VKFF.Â* Contact number ten was
with Peter VK3PF/p who was activating the Baranduda Regional Park VKFF-0959.



I then swapped the mic with Marija, who also logged the Park to Park
contact with Peter VK3PF/p.Â* Marijas next contact was with Lee VK2LEE,
followed by Linda VK7QP, and then Rob VK2VH.Â* It took just 7 minutes for
Marija to have her 10th contact in the log, a contact with Ray ZL4TY/VK4.





We were really pushed for time and hoped to squeeze in one more park
activation, so we packed up and headed off to the next park.Â* We apologise
to anyone who did not get this park in the log.Â* We will return at some
time in the near future.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

VK3PF/m (Baranduda Regional Park VKFF-0959)
VK2LEE
VK7QP
VK2VH
VK4AAC/2
VK2LX
VK4HNS
VK4NH
VK4DXA
ZL4TY/VK4


I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

VK2VH
VK4AAC/2
VK4NH
VK4DXA
ZL4TY/VK4
VK2LEE
VK7QP
VK2LX
VK4MWB
VK2YK
VK3PF/p (Baranduda Regional Park VKFF-0959)
VK3SQ
VK4HNS
VK2IO
ZL1TM






References.

Aussie Towns, 2019, http://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/lascelles-vic,
viewed 14th November 2019

Aussie Towns, 2019, https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/rosebery-vic,
viewed 14th November 2019

Aussie Towns, 2019, https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/beulah-vic,
viewed 14th November 2019

Aussie Towns, 2019, https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/brim-vic, viewed
14th November 2019

Aussie Towns, 2019, http://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/rainbow-vic,
viewed 14th November 2019

Protected Planet, 2019,
https://www.protectedplanet.net/search?q=hindmarsh, viewed 14th November
2019

Wikipedia, 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopetoun,_Victoria, viewed
14th November 2019

Yarriambiack Shire Council, 2019,
https://yarriambiack.vic.gov.au/tourism/hopetoun/, viewed 14th November
2019

Yarriambiack Shire Council, 2019,
https://yarriambiack.vic.gov.au/tourism/brim/, viewed 14th November 2019


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Wathe Flora and Fauna Reserve VKFF-2480

Posted: 14 Nov 2019 12:10 AM PST
https://vk5pas.org/2019/11/14/wathe-...rve-vkff-2480/


Our third park for Sunday (11th November 2019) was the Wathe Flora & Fauna
Reserve VKFF-2480.Â* This would be only the second time that the park has
been activated for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program, and the first
time that it had been activated by Marija and me.

The park is located about 40 km north-west of the city of Melbourne.
Above:- Map showing the location of the Wathe Flora and Fauna Reserve.Â* Map
courtesy of Protected Planet.

We accessed the park via Wathe Reserve Road which runs off the Sunraysia
Highway.Â* This road travels through farmers paddocks to the park boundary
where you will find a set of unlocked gates.





You can continue on the other side of the gates.Â* Depending on which maps
you look at, the sandy track is either referred to as Wathe Reserve Road or
Clay Road.Â* It was a hot day and the track was very sandy and boggy.Â* We
decided not to go deep into the park.
Above:- Clay Road (or Wathe Reserve Road) which dissects the park.

This is a large park consisting of 14,816 acres of remnant mallee country.Â*
The reserve was established in 1979.





The reserve is surrounded by cleared farming land.
Above:- An aerial shot of the park looking north.Â* Image courtesy of Google
maps.

During our visit to the park, we spotted some Songlarks (I think) and
White-fronted Chats.





We set up on the northern side of Clay Road on the western boundary of the
park.Â* There was plenty of room here to string out the 20/40/80 m linked
dipole and just enough shade to get out of the hot sun.
Above:- An aerial shot of the Wathe Flora & Fauna Reserve showing our
operating spot in the eastern section of the park.Â* Image courtesy of
Protected Planet.

For this activation, Marija and I decided to stay to her 10 watts PEP
Foundation level and swap the mic as we logged stations.Â* We called CQ on
7.135 and first in the log was Adrian VK5FANA, followed by Linda VK7QP, and
then Ray VK4NH.Â* It took us about 10 minutes for each of us to get 10
contacts in the log, thus qualifying the park for VKFF.Â* Contact number ten
was with Grant VK2LX with his big 5/9 signal.



I logged 14 stations on 40m, whilst Marija logged 11 stations.Â* This
included Park to Park contacts with David VK5DG/3 (and Vk3TUN) in the
Errinundra National Park VKFF-0158.

I then moved to 14.310 on the 20m band where much to my surprise I logged a
total of 14 stations from VK2, VK4, and VK7.Â* We also put out some calls on
the 80m band on 3.610 but had no takers.



So, with another park qualified for VKFF, and our tummies rumbling, we
headed off for some lunch in Hopetoun.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

VK5FANA
VK7QP
VK4NH
VK4DXA
ZL4TY/VK4
VK2IO
VK3PF/m
VK5DG/3 (Errinundra National Park VKFF-0158)
VK3TUN/p (Errinundra National Park VKFF-0158)
VK2LX
VK3SQ


I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

VK5FANA
VK7QP
VK4NH
VK4DXA
ZL4TY/VK4
VK2IO
VK3PF/m
VK5DG/3 (Errinundra National Park VKFF-0158)
VK3TUN/p (Errinundra National Park VKFF-0158)
VK2LX
VK3SQ
VK7VZ
VK3NIC
VK7FJFD


I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

VK7VZ
VK7QP
VK4TJ
VK4/AC8WN
VK4/VE6XT
VK4SSN
VK2YK
VK2VW
VK2SOL
VK4HNS
VK4ME
VK4MWB
VK2KAW/m
VK6MMB




References.

Protected Planet, 2019,
https://www.protectedplanet.net/wathe-f-f-r-nature-conservation-reserve,
viewed 14th November 2019