VK5PAS

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Day two - Cooltong Conservation Park 5CP-046 and VKFF-0823

Posted: 26 Apr 2021 04:56 AM PDT
https://vk5pas.org/2021/04/26/day-tw...and-vkff-0823/

The repairs on the interface for the antenna took a little longer than
expected. Many thanks to Ivan for all his hard work. Upon leaving Ivans
house we headed to our planned park activation for the day, the Cooltong
Conservation Park 5CP-046 & VKFF-0823.
Cooltong Conservation Park is located about 262 km northeast of Adelaide
and about 11 km west of the town of Renmark.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Cooltong Conservation Park in the
Riverland region of S.A. Map c/o Location SA Map Viewer.
This was another park that Marija and I had previously activated and
qualified for both the World Wide Flora & Fauna (WWFF) program and the VK5
National & Conservation Parks Award.
Cooltong Conservation Park is about 3,710 hectares in size and was
proclaimed on the 8th day of April 1983. Cooltong is an aboriginal word
meaning short cut. The park was dedicated to preserve mallee vegetation
and habitat for various Mallee birdlife of the area including the Mallee Fowl.

Above:- The boundaries of the Cooltong Conservation Park. Image c/o
Location SA Map Viewer.
The Cooltong Conservation Park is dominated by mallee vegetation. It has
undulating dunes and shales. Mallee refers to various low-growing shrubby
Australian eucalypts. Some of the mallee species found in Cooltong include
Blue-leaf Mallee, White Mallee, Narrow-leaf Read Mallee, and Red Mallee.

Above:- An aerial view of the Cooltong Conservation Park, showing the
Murray River and the town of Renmark. Image c/o Google maps
Birds SA have recorded about 109 species of bird in the park including
Malleefowl, Mulga Parrot, Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater, Purple-backed Fairywren
(Variegated Fairywren), Southern Whiteface, Weebill, Grey Butcherbird,
Chestnut Quailthrush, Spotted Nightjar, Black-eared Cuckoo, Black-backed
Fairywren (Splendid Fairywren), Striated Grasswren, Redthroat, and White-backed Swallow.


Sadly the park has been used as a dumping ground in recent years by people
who are just too lazy to take their rubbish to the appropriate places. See
the story below on the ABC website.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-...-park/12403946
The park is well signposted. We accessed the park via the Sturt Highway and then Santos Road.


We took a little 4WD track off Santos Road and found a clearing in amongst
the scrub. As we normally do, we ran the Yaesu FT-857d and the 20/40/80m
linked dipole for this activation.
First in the log was a Park to Park with Marty VK4KC/p who was activating
the Bouldercombe Gorge Conservation Park VKFF-1483. Marty was a strong 5/8
and gave us 5/5 from his park in Queensland.
We then moved down to 7.150 and logged another Park to Park QSO, this time
with Peter VK3TKK/p who was in the Upotipotpon Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2218.
I then started calling CQ and within 30 minutes I had 38 QSOs in the log
from VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, VK6, and VK7.


I then swapped the mic with Marija and it didnt take long for Marija to
accrue a mini pile-up. It only took Marija about 35 minutes to reach the
44 QSO mark, thus qualifying the park for the global WWFF program. Contact
number 44 was with Gavin VK3MLU.
We also logged another Park to Park, this time with Hans VK6XN/p who was in
the Leuwin- Naturaliste National Park VKFF-0283.
I then jumped back into the operators chair and logged a further 21
stations on 40m. Contact number 44 for me was Ian VK5CZ in the Clare Valley.
We were running short of time as we had a dinner commitment that night, so
we apologise to those that were still calling on 40m. We wrapped up the
activation with a quick 5 minutes on 80m where I logged 9 stations from VK2, VK3, and VK5.


Marija logged the following stations on 40m SSB:-

VK4KC/p (Bouldercombe Gorge Conservation Park VKFF-1483)VK3TKK/p
(Upotipotpon Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2218)

VK3SRC
VK3FOWL
VK4NH
VK4DXAZL4TY/
VK4
VK4HMI
VK3HJJ/2
VK2HHA
VK2LEE
VK4FDJL
VK5HS
VK5CZ
VK3GB/p
VK1DA
VK2PBC
VK5FANA
VK3ATOZL1TM
VK3CWF
VK5HAA
VK2DG
VK2KMI
VK2FA/m
VK3PF
VK1DI
VK2PKT
VK3ARH
VK4HNS
VK6XN/p

(Leuwin- Naturaliste National Park VKFF-0283)

VK2YK
VK5GA
VK2VH
VK4AAC/2
VK5CIA
VK4SMA
VK2IO
VK3VDX
VK5XB
VK2NZ
VK5PE
VK6FBOS
VK3MLU
VK3ALF

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

VK4KC/p (Bouldercombe Gorge Conservation Park VKFF-1483)VK3TKK/p
(Upotipotpon Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2218)

VK3PF
VK3SQ
VK2HHA
VK2IO
VK4NH
VK4DXA
ZL4TY/VK4
VK3SRC
VK3FOWL
VK3YSP
VK3MCK
VK3MPR
VK2XOR
VK3CMC
VK2KYO
VK4BXX
VK4/NN3Z
VK4FDJL
VK2EAC
VK5HS
VK4HNS
VK2HRX
VK2YES
VK4HAT
VK5PE
VK3CWF
VK3ARH
VK3ATO
VK3LF
VK5ATJ
VK2FPAR
VK2FAPC
VK1NV
VK3ABI
VK4HMI
VK2AGB
VK6XN/p

(Leuwin- Naturaliste National Park VKFF-0283)

VK5PL
VK5XB
VK5KKS
VK7ALH
VK5CZ
VK2VH
VK4AAC/2
VK6YR
VK5KLV
VK2KMI
VK3AJA/5
VK3MLU
VK3BBB
VK2CCP
VK4SMA
VK5SCR
VK3CRG
VK5KHZ
VK4PDX
VK4LJB

I worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-

VK5HS
VK4PDX
VK5KHZ
VK5XB
VK3CRG
VK3BBB
VK5FANA
VK2HHA
VK5LTD

Marija and I hurriedly packed up and headed back into Renmark to our
motel. We had a quick shower and then headed out for dinner at Ashleys
Restaurant at our motel with Ivan VK5HS and his wife Cheryl, Peter VK5PE,
Danny VK5DW, and Di the wife of Larry VK5LY (SK). Larry was a very keen
park activator and hunter and is sorely missed by all. It was an
absolutely brilliant night out with plenty of war stories and laughs with great people.


References.
Birds SA, 2021,
https://birdssa.asn.au/location/cooltong-conservation-park/, viewed 26th
April 2021A compendium of Place Names of South Australia, 20201,
https://published.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/placenamesofsouthaustralia/,
viewed 26th April 2021

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Day two and the Pike River Conservation Park 5CP-180 and VKFF-0831

Posted: 26 Apr 2021 02:31 AM PDT
https://vk5pas.org/2021/04/26/day-tw...and-vkff-0831/

Day two of our trip and it was Wednesday 7th April 2021. We didnt really
plan on activating any parks today, but rather, head to our friends house
Ivan VK5HS to do some work on the interface between my transceiver in the
vehicle and the antenna. However, Ivan had some commitments in the
morning, so after breakfast we headed out to the Pike River Conservation
Park 5CP-180 & VKFF-0831.
Pike River is located about 270km northeast of Adelaide and about 9km by
road out of Renmark along the Sturt Highway.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Pike River Conservation Park. Map
c/o Location SA Map Viewer.
Marija and I have activated and qualified Pike River previously. In fact
we have been there four times previously (2015, 2016, 2018, & 2019).
Pike River Conservation Park is 2.88 km2 in size and was created on the 1st
day of February 1979. It is named after Pike River, a stream which flows
through its eastern end. On 10 December 2009, crown land in section 84 of
the Hundred of Paringa which was formerly the Mundic Forest Reserve was added to its extent.

Above:- An aerial shot of the Pike River Conservation Park. Image c/o
Location SA Map Viewer.
The Mundic Creek, the Pike River, and Pike Lagoon form part of the park.
Water flows into the Mundic and Pike River anabranch system from the River Murray above Lock 5.

Above:- An aerial view of the park showing the Murray River, Mudic Creek
and Pike River. Image c/o Google maps
The park is a permanent wetland area and adjacent land on the River Murray
flood plain. It is a valuable feeding and breeding habitat for various water birds.
The Pike floodplain covers more than 6,700 hectares between Renmark and
Paringa. After many years of irrigation, land management changes and fewer
natural flooding events, the Pike floodplain has become very salty.
Fortunately changes have taken place and the restoration of life to the
Pike floodplain has commenced.


Marija and I observed a number of birds during our visit to the park
including Red-rumped parrots, Red-kneed Dotterels, Pied Cormorants, White
faced Herons, Great Egrets, and Chestnut-rumped Thornbills.


Keep an eye out for the park signs. There is no sign from the Sturt
Highway indicating the park, and the signs located within the park have
certainly seen better days.
We accessed the park via Sturt Highway, which is our normal access route.
From looking at maps it appears you may be able to access the western side
of the park via Mundic Creek Road.


We managed to set up with just 6 minutes to spare before the UTC rollover
at 9.30 a.m. South Australian time. First in the log was park regular
Peter VK3PF, followed by Daryl VK3AWA, and then Ian VK5IS. I managed to
squeeze in 9 QSOs before the new UTC day.
I logged a total of 18 stations from VK2, VK3, VK4, and VK5 before swapping
the microphone with Marija. This included a contact with special event
station VK100AF celebrating the 100 year anniversary of the Royal Australian Air Force.


Marija then took charge of the radio. Her first contact with with Ken
VK3UH, followed by Greg VK4BXX, and then Ian VK5CZ. Marija went on to log
a total of 28 stations on 40m from VK2, VK3, VK4, and VK5. Marija also
logged the special event call VK100AF.


Although I had previously qualified the park I was keen to get 44 contacts
in the log, so I jumped back into the operators chair. I logged a further
21 stations on 44 to bring my total QSO tally for the activation to 38.
This included a Park to Park QSO with Peter Vk3TKK/p who was activating the
Wallaby Gully Flora Reserve VKFF-2470. Marija also logged Peter
Callers had really slowed down so we lowered the squid pole and inserted
the links on the linked dipole for the 80m band.
I called CQ on 3.610 while Marija added a spot for me on parksnpeaks.
First in the log on 80m was John VK5HAA in the Adelaide Hills, followed by
Adrian VK5FANA on the Yorke Peninsula, and then Ian VK5CZ and Ian VK5IS in
the Mid North. This was followed by Charlie VK5VC who became my 44th
contact. Hans VK5YX was my final caller on 80m.
I then briefly tried the 20m band hoping to get some of the VK6 stations in
the log. However, only one contact was logged on 20m and that was with
regular park hunter Andrei ZL1TM in New Zealand.


Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

VK3UH
VK4BXX
VK4/NN3Z
VK5CZ
VK5IS
VK2YW
VK5KBJ/m
VK4NH
VK4DXA
ZL4TY/VK4
VK5MRE
VK2IO
VK4VCE
VK3PF
VK100AF
VK3ARH
VK3BBB
VK2CCP
VK3CU
VK3ACZ
VK4FDJL
VK3MLU
VK2HRX
VK4HMI
VK2VH
VK4AAC/2
VK2VW
VK2HFI
VK3TKK/p

(Wallaby Gully Flora Reserve VKFF-2470)

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

VK3PF
VK3AWA
VK5IS
VK3TKK/m
VK3ACZ
VK3MCK
VK2IO
VK4FDJL
VK5CZ
VK5MRE
VK3MCK
VK4HMI
VK4BXX
VK4/NN3Z
VK3UH
VK2IO
VK100AF
VK3OA
VK2VH
VK4AAC/2
VK2VW
VK2HFI
VK3CU
VK3FCAT
VK5FANA
VK3VDC
VK4KLA
VK5VC

VK3TKK/p (WallabyGully Flora Reserve VKFF-2470)

VK2ADB
VK2KP
VK3FIMD
VK4NH
VK4DXA
ZL4TY/VK4
VK5KSW
VK3PI
VK3ADX
VK5HAA

I worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-

VK5HAA
VK5FANA
VK5CZ
VK5IS
VK5VC
VK5YX

I worked the following station on 20m SSB:-

ZL1TM

Marija and I had 75 contacts in the log and it was time for us to pack up.
We wanted to check out a few of the local sights before heading to Ivans house.
Our first stop was just down the road from the park where there is a small
rest area with an old timber jinker which was used in the 1930s at the
Renmark Irrigation Trusts No. 1 pumping station to haul red gum logs into
the irrigation settlement for various purposes including pylons in culverts
over the irrigation channels. The jinker was hauled by a crawler tractor.
There is also a small information board to honour Maxwell Schmidt, a former
councillor who was an advocate for improving the River Murray and was a
Life Member of the Murray Darling Association Inc.
There is also a large Basalt rock which was mined from the Stoney Pinch Quarry.


There are also some information boards on what the authorities are doing to
restore the Pike floodplain.


We then stopped in at the Bert Dix Memorial Park where you can obtain an
excellent view of the historic Paringa Bridge which spans the mighty Murray
River. The bridge was opened on the 31st day of January 1927 and is listed
as a State Heritage Place on the South Australian Heritage Register. The
bridge is a vertical-lift span and is opened twice a day for river
traffic. Until 1982, it also carried the Barmera railway line.
You can also find a tree in the park which marks the flood level for the
1956 Murray River flood. The flood was and still is considered the biggest
flood in the recorded history of the Murray. It is also described as the
greatest catastrophe in South Australias history, in spite of no lives being lost.


We then headed to Lock 5 on the Murray at Paringa. The lock was built
during the 1920s to regulate the flow and levels of the Murray River. The
lock is one of eleven along the river.
Also on display is the Bunyip, an old river barge which was used to
transport goods up and down the Murray River during the paddle steamer era.


We then headed off to Ivans place for some work on my vehicle.



References.
Wikipedia, 2021,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pike_River_Conservation_Park, viewed 26th
April 2021Wikipedia, 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paringa_Bridge,
viewed 26th April 2021Wikipedia, 2021,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1956_Murray_River_flood, viewed 26th April 2021