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Bullock Hill Conservation Park 5CP-265 and VKFF-0873

Posted: 03 Aug 2020 05:45 AM PDT
https://vk5pas.org/2020/08/03/bulloc...d-vkff-0873-2/


Yesterday (Sunday 2nd August 2020) was National Tree Day here in
Australia.Â* National Tree Day is proudly sponsored by Toyota Australia and
was co-founded in 1996 by Planet Ark and Olivia Newton-John.Â* It has now
grown into Australias largest community tree-planting and nature protection
event.Â* To help celebrate this special day, the VKFF Team decided to hold a
special activation day for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.



Each VKFF activator who headed out to activate a park on National Tree Day
2020 will be issued with a special activator certificate by the VKFF
program.
Above:- the special 2020 National Tree Day certificate.

I had a bit of a sleep in on Sunday and by the time I got up at 8.30 a.m.
local time, the weather was not looking good.Â* A glance out of the living
room window and it appeared to be raining.Â* Fortunately, it turned out not
to be rain, but heavy fog.

Marija VK5FMAZ and I loaded the 4WD and we headed to the Bullock Hill
Conservation Park 5CP-265 & VKFF-0873, which is our local park being just a
few km from home.Â* Bullock Hill is about 60 km south-south-east of Adelaide.
Above:- Map showing the location of the Bullock Hill Conservation Park.Â*
Map courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.

The Bullock Hill Conservation Park is an undulating park with tall stands
of eucalyptus including pink gum and cup gum.Â* It is about 221 hectares in
size and was proclaimed in January 2014.Â* Access to the park is either via
Haines Road to the south of the park, or via Wattle Flat Road to the east
of the park.Â* At its highest points, the park overlooks Lake Alexandrina
and Lake Albert.

The park takes its name from the small summit of Bullock Hill which rises
to about 188 metres and is located in the park.
Above:- An aerial view of the park looking north.Â* Image courtesy of google
maps.

Various native birds call the park home including Brown-headed honeyeater,
Red wattle bird, grey shrike-thrush, Rainbow bee-eater, and black-faced
cuckoo-shrike.Â* Birds SA have recorded about 95 species of native bird in
the park.Â* Numerous Western grey kangaroos can generally be seen in the
park.

Since our last visit, thousands of trees have been planted in the eastern
section of the park, so it was very appropriate that we were activating
this part of the park for National Tre Day.








Marija and I set up on the eastern side of the park off Wattle Flat Road.Â*
We ran the Yaesu FT-857d and the 20/40/80m linked dipole for this
activation.Â* Marija ran 10 watts PEP while I ran about 40 watts.
Above:- AN aerial view of the Bullock Hill Conservation Park showing our
operating spot.Â* Image courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.

We were set up by about 9.25 a.m. which was just before the UTC day
rollover.Â* I started calling CQ on 7.144, and this was almost immediately
answered by Ron VK3AFW.Â* Unfortunately the Wireless Institute of Australia
broadcast commenced on 7.146 and the signal from VK2 as very strong.Â* So I
QSYd down the band to 7.110.Â* Ron VK3AFW followed me down and was first in
the log for this activation.



This was followed by Peter VK3ZPF and then my first Park to Park contact
for the day, a QSO with Marty VK4KC/p who was in the Bribie Island National
Park VKFF-0053.Â* Marty has put together a very good video of his activation
which can be found below.



I qualified the park for VKFF by getting 10 contacts in the log, and then
handed over the microphone to Marija so that she could qualify the park.Â*
This would be Marijas first park activation for 2020.

First in the log for Marija was Sue VK5AYL, followed by Marco VK2FMPC, and
then Nick VK3ANL.Â* Marijas first Park to Park contact was with Marty
VK4KC/p in the Bribie Island National Park VKFF-0053.

It didnt take long and Marija had a mini pile-up happening.Â* Contact number
10 for Marija was a QSO with Murray VK4MWB.Â* Marija ended up logging a
total of 26 contacts on 40m, including another Park to Park with Compton
VK2HRX/p in the Blue Mountains National Park VKFF-0041.

Whilst Marija was on air she received a message from our 21-year-old
daughter asking if she could be picked up from Mount Barker, so Marija
headed off on her taxi duties leaving me in the park.



I called CQ again and this was answered by Leigh VK3SG, followed by Peter
VK5PET, and then Compton VK2HRX in the Blue Mountains National Park
VKFF-0041.

I worked a further 18 stations including the following Park to Park
contacts:-

Adam VK2YK/5 Cudlee Creek Conservation Park VKFF-1023
Deryck VK4FDJL/p Millstream Falls National Park VKFF-0315
Mark VK4SMA/p Acol Bushland Nature Refuge VKFF-2879
Ian VK1DI/2 Cecil Hoskins Nature Reserve VKFF-1906
John Vk5BJE/p Mark Oliphant Conservation Park VKFF-0782.
Tait VK1HAB/p Mount Taylor Nature Reserve VKFF-0854


As callers had slowed down a bit, I took the opportunity of moving to the
80m band as I had seen a spot on parksnpeaks for Ian VK5CZ/p who was in a
park on the Yorke Peninsula.

I logged Ian VK5CZ/p on 3.680 who was activating the Bird Islands
Conservation Park VKFF-0871 and had a 5/9 plus signal.



I then moved down to 3.610 where I logged a total of 6 stations, all VK5s.Â*
This included a Park to Park with John VK5BJE/p who was in the Mark
Oliphant Conservation Park VKFF-0782, and Adam VK2YK/5 who was in the
Cudlee Creek Conservation park VKFF-1023.Â* Despite conditions on 80m being
exceptionally good around South Australia, sadly I could only manage the 6
contacts on 3.610.

I then moved to the 20m band and started calling CQ on 14.310.Â* This was
answered by park regular John VK4TJ.Â* I logged a total of 9 stations from
VK4 and one New Zealand station ZL3RIK.

I then had a tune across the band and found Mark VK4SMA/p calling CQ from
Wacol Bushland Nature Refuge VKFF-2879.Â* I then moved back to 14.310 and
logged Ralph VK2TRK and Hans VK6XN.Â* Before heading back to 40m I had one
final tune across the 20m band and found Di VK4DI operating on 14.263 with
the special callsign of VI110WIA.

I lowered the squid pole and reinserted the links for the 40m band, and
started calling CQ on 7.144.Â* This was answered by Dennis VK2HHA, followed
by Ade VK4SOE/p on his cattle farm, and then Peter VK3PF/p on SOTA summit
VK3/ VT-088 in the Alpine National Park VKFF-0619.Â* I logged another 2
stations before Marija arrived back at the park, and jumped back into the
operators chair.



First in the log on Marijas second round was Dennis VK2HHA, followed by
David VK5PL/p in the Little Mount Crawford Native Forest Reserve
VKFF-2884.Â* I also logged David.

Marija logged a further 18 stations and had soon qualified the park for the
global WWFF program with 44 contacts.Â* The lucky 44th contact was Deryck
VK4FDJL/p who was in the Millstream Falls National Park VKFF-0315.Â* Other
Park to Park contacts in this session for Marija was with Tait VK1HAB/p in
the Mount Taylor Nature Reserve VKFF-0854, and John VK5BJE/p in the Mark
Oliphant Conservation Park VKFF-0782.





During my visit to the park I did my normal little stint of bird watching.Â*
I took the photos below of a very active Striated Pardalote who was busy
collecting pieces of dried grass.






I also captured this little one, I think a Striated Thornbill.



And there were also quite a few Silvereyes who were active in the park as
well.




Marija and I ended up with a total of 105 contacts during this activation.Â*
This included 20 Park to Park contacts.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

VK5AYL
VK2FMPC
VK3ANL
VK3ZPF
VK4KC/p (Bribie Island National Park VKFF-0053)
VK3ARH
VK3BWM
VK2VH
VK4AAC/2
VK4MWB
VK3JX
VK3FCMC
VK2HRX/p (Blue Mountains National Park VKFF-0041)
VK4TJ
VK4/AC8WN
VK4/VE6XT
VK4SSN
VK5HAA
VK5PET
VK3AFW
VK6MMB
VK3NBL
VK4CZ
VK3SG
VK2ZVG
VK1TX
VK2HHA
VK5PL/p (Little Mount Crawford Native Forest Reserve VKFF-2884)
VK3SG
VK3UH
VK3PI
VK2XSE/m
VK3TOT
VK3SQ
VK1HAB/p (SOTA VK1/ AC-037 & Mount Taylor Nature Reserve VKFF-0854)
VK3AQZ
VK1DA
VK2HEY/p
VK5BJE/p (Mark Oliphant Conservation Park VKFF-0782)
VK7AN
VK3NRB/m
VK3FREB/m
VK3AJA/p
VK4FDJL/p (Millstream Falls National Park -0315)
VK2KJJ
VK4FARR


I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

VK3AFW
VK3ZPF
VK4KC/p (Bribie Island National Park VKFF-0053)
VK3JX
VK6MMB
VK4TJ
VK4/AC8WN
VK4/VE6XT
VK4SSN
VK3NBL
VK3BWM
VK5AYL
VK3SG
VK5PET
VK2HRX/p (Blue Mountains National Park VKFF-0041)
VK2VH
VK4AAC/2
VK3PI
VK2YK/5 (Cudlee Creek Conservation Park VKFF-1023)
VK4FDJL/p (Millstream Falls National Park VKFF-0315)
VK2IO/p (SOTA VK2/ ST-039)
VK4SMA/p (Wacol Bushland Nature Refuge VKFF-2879)
VK3PWG
VK1DI/2 (Cecil Hoskins Nature Reserve VKFF-1906)
VK3FCMC
VK3YV
VK3FRJA
VK2HV
VK3MKE
VK3KRH
VK5BJE/p (Mark Oliphant Conservation Park VKFF-0782)
VK5HAA
VK1HAB/p (SOTA VK1/ AC-037 & Mount Taylor Nature Reserve VKFF-0854)
VK2HHA
VK4SOE/p
VK3PF/p (SOTA VK3/ VT-088 & Alpine National Park VKFF-0619)
VK3YU/m
VK2FBBG/m
VK5PL/p (Little Mount Crawford Native Forest Reserve VKFF-2884)


I worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-

VK5CZ/p (Bird Islands Conservation Park VKFF-0871)
VK5GY
VK5BJE/p (Mark Oliphant Conservation Park VKFF-0782)
VK5IS/m
VK5HAA
VK5PET
VK2YK/5 (Cudlee Creek Conservation Park VKFF-1023)


I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

VK4TJ
VK4/AC8WN
VK4/VE6XT
VK4SSN
VK4BXX
VK4VXX
VK4CZ
VK4KC
ZL3RIK
VK4SMA/p (Wacol Bushland Nature Refuge VKFF-2879)
VK2TRK
VK6XN
VI110WIA






References.

Birds SA, 2020,
https://birdssa.asn.au/location/bullock-hill-conservation-park/, viewed
3rd August 2020.

National Parks and Wildlife Service, 2020,
https://www.parks.sa.gov.au/find-a-park/Browse_by_region/Murray_River/bullock-hill-conservation-park,
viewed 3rd August 2020

Wikipedia, 2020,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullock_Hill_Conservation_Park, viewed 3rd
August 2020.