VK5PAS

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Black Bullock Hill VK5/ SE-016 and an afternoon on the Fleurieu Peninsula.

Posted: 02 Jan 2021 03:01 AM PST
https://vk5pas.org/2021/01/02/black-...ieu-peninsula/



Yesterday (Friday 1st January 2021) Marija VK5MAZ and I headed south to the
Fleurieu Peninsula to activate Black Bullock Hill VK5/ SE-016 for the
Summits on the Air (SOTA) program. It has become quite a tradition for
Australian SOTA activators to head out to activate a summit on New Years
Day, taking advantage of the UTC rollover and a new calendar year.




Marija and I had not been very active out in the field during 2021. In
fact this would be our first SOTA activation in 12 months. A variety of
issues including the bushfires, COVID-19, selling our house and moving to a
new property, and big commitments to both our workplaces, had conspired
against us.




We have both activated Black Bullock Hill previously, but we would pick up
2 points for this activation (1 point for 2020 before the UTC rollover, and
another 1 point for 2021 after the UTC rollover).



Above:- Map showing the location of Black Bullock Hill south of Adelaide.
Map courtesy of openstreetmap.org.




Black Bullock Hill is 365 metres above sea level and is reported to be the
highest point on the Fleurieu Peninsula. It is worth 1 point in the
Summits on the Air program. There is a trig point located at the summit
and this is located on private property. Last time Marija and I were at
this summit the trig point was lying on the ground on its side. I
telephoned the new land owner the day before and he very kindly agreed that
we could access his property. He also advised that the trig point had been
taken away to be restored.








The summit is situated near the intersection of Dog Trap Road, Three
Bridges Road and Tent Rock Road.



Above:- Aerial showing the location of the summit, just on the eastern side
of Tent Rock Road. Image courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.




For many years this summit was recorded with SOTA as being an un-named
summit. A number of years ago I revealed that the summit was actually
called Black Bullock Hill and the summit name was changed on the SOTA
database.



Above:- An aerial shot of Black Bullock Hill looking out towards Kangaroo
Island. Image courtesy of Google maps.




I suspected that the summit was probably named after a black bullock. But
enquiries with the Yankalilla and District Historical Society confirmed
that the summit’s name actually comes from a plant, not an animal, as I had
presumed. And that plant is ‘bull-oak’ Allocasuarina Luchnannii, which is
part of the Casuarinaceae family. The plant is also sometimes referred to
as ‘buloke’. It is reputed to the the hardest wood in the world, with a
Janka Hardness of 5,060 lbf. The Janka hardness test measures the
resistance of a sample of wood to denting and wear.








Marija and I were set up and ready to go by about 2230 hrs UTC (9.00 a.m.
South Australian local time). We ran the Yaesu FT-857d and the 20/40/80m
linked dipole and the 15m dipole for this activation. As this is an easy
summit to access, we set up the fold up table and deck chairs.




The temperature was tipped to be 26 deg C at nearby Victor Harbor, but it
was a chilly morning initially, with a very cold breeze blowing in off the
nearby Southern Ocean.




First in the log for both Marija and I was Peter VK3ZPF/p who was
activating SOTA summit VK3/ VT-026. After logging Peter on 7.090, we moved
down to 7.085 and started calling CQ. As the other SOTA activators called
us, I handed over the mic to Marija so she could log the Summit to Summit
contacts.




Once I had well and truly qualified the summit with 18 contacts in the log,
I handed over the mic to Marija who called CQ on 7.085.




Between the two of us, we logged a total of 38 stations on 40m from VK1,
VK2, VK3, and VK5. Of those, we each made seven Summit to Summit contacts
as follows:-



Peter VK3ZPF/p Mount Tooronga Range VK3/ VT-026Andrew VK1AD Yellow Rabbit
Hill VK1/ AC-039Peter VK3PF/p Mount Baranduda VK3/ VE-189 and Baranduda
Regional Park VKFF-0959Nick VK3ANL Mount Hickey VK3/ VN-015Brian VK3BCM
Archer Lookout VK3/ VC-038 and Yarra Ranges National Park VKFF-0556Tony
VK3CAT/p Mount Mitchell VK3/ VN-012Ron VK3AFW/p Mount Toolebewong VK3/
VE-033




We then moved to 80m where I logged a total of 7 stations from VK3 and
VK5. Conditions seemed to be quite good on that band and I expected more
contacts there but that did not eventuate.




We moved back to the 40m band and logged a further 19 contacts before the
UTC rollover at 10.30 a.m. South Australian local time. This included a
further seven Summit to Summit contacts for each of our logs as follows:-



Joel VK2VRO/p Mount Donna Buang VK3/ VC-002 and Yarra Ranges National Park
VKFF-0556Peter VK3TKK/p Mount Gisborne VK3/ VC-039Col VK3GTV/p Mount
Alexander VK3/ VN-016 and Mount Alexander Regional Park VKFF-0973Allen
VK3ARH/p The Horn VK3/ VE-014 and Mount Buffalo National Park
VKFF-0339Andrew VK3ARR/p The Horn VK3/ VE-014 and Mount Buffalo National
Park VKFF-0339Graham VK3GRA/p Mount Macedon VK3/ VC-007 and Macedon
Regional Park VKFF-0972Aaron VK1LAJ/p Mount Majura VK1/ AC-034 and Mount
Majura Nature Reserve VKFF-0851








After the UTC rollover we logged a further 25 QSOs before I headed to the
20m band. This included the following Summit to Summit contacts:-



Andrew VK3ARR/p The Horn VK3/ VE-014 and Mount Buffalo National Park
VKFF-0339Allen VK3ARH/p The Horn VK3/ VE-014 and Mount Buffalo National
Park VKFF-0339Graham VK3GRA/p Mount Macedon VK3/ VC-007 and Macedon
Regional Park VKFF-0972Nick VK3ANL Mount Hickey VK3/ VN-015Tony VK3YV/p
Gentle Annie VK3/ VT-078 and Bunyip State Park VKFF-0753Compton VK2HRX
Mount Trickett VK2/ CT-002 and Kanangra-Boyd National Park VKFF-0256Nik
VK3ZK/p Arthurs Seat VK3/ VC-031Andrew VK1AD Yellow Rabbit Hill VK1/
AC-039Gerard VK2IO/p Mount Elliot VK2/ HU-093




While Marija spotted me on parksnpeaks I called CQ on 14.310. This was
answered by John VK6NU/p who was activating VK6/ SW-031. I also managed
two Summit to Summit contacts with New Zealand stations: John ZL3MR/p on
Ladbrooks Hills ZL3/ CB-618 who had a good 5/5 signal, and Soren Zl1SKL/p
on ZL1/ AK-002 who was a little lower down but was eventually workable.



John VK6NU/p Mount Cooke VK6/ SW-031 and Monadnocks Reserve VKFF-1459Rob
VK4SYD/p Tennison Woods Mountain VK4/ SE-117 and DAguilar National Park
VKFF-0129John ZL3MR/p Ladbrooks Hill ZL3/ CB-618Compton VK2HRX/p Mount
Trickett VK2/ CT-002 and Kanangra-Boyd National Park VKFF-0256Peter
VK3PF/p Mount Baranduda VK3/ VE-189 and Baranduda Regional Park
VKFF-0959Steve VK4JSS/p Tamborine Mountain VK4/ SE-059 and Tamborine
National Park VKFF-0475Andrew VK1DA/p Mount Foxlow VK2/ ST-010 and
Yanununbeyan National Park VKFF-0555Aaron VK1LAJ/p Mount Majura VK1/
AC-034 and Mount Majura Nature Reserve VKFF-0851Soren ZL1SKL/p Mount
Hobson ZL1/ AK-002




With some VK3 stations in my log on 20m, I suspected that the 15m band
might be open to that part of Australia. So it was down with the squid
pole, and Marija and I removed the linked dipole and we erected the 15m
dipole.




I called CQ on 21.250 and my CQ call was answered by Peter VK4PHD on Bribie
Island. Deryck VK4FDJL then called, followed by Mark VK4SMA, and then Phil
ZL3JD in Auckland in New Zealand. Unfortunately they were my only takers
on 15m.




I moved back to 20m and logged a further four stations including the
following Summit to Summit contacts:-



Matt VK1MA/p Mount Ginini VK1 AC-008Gerard VK2IO/p Mount Elliot VK2/
HU-093




Marija and I decided to have one last call on 40m before packing up. We
logged a total of 15 contacts including the following Summit to Summit
contacts:-



Matt VK1MA/p Mount Ginini VK1/ AC-008Peter VK3ZPF/p Mount Horsfall VK3/
VT-028 and Yarra Ranges National Park VKFF-0556John VK5HAA/p Mount Lofty
VK5/ SE-005 and Cleland Conservation Park VKFF-0778








It was now about 12.30 p.m. local time and Marija and I packed up, with a
total of 119 QSOs in the log including 64 Summit to Summit contacts.




Marija worked the following stations before the UTC rollover:-








Marija worked the following stations after the UTC rollover:-








I worked the following stations before the UTC rollover:-








I worked the following stations after the UTC rollover:-












After packing up Marija and I decided that we would slowly head home
following the western edge of the Fleurieu Peninsula.



Above:- The Fleurieu Peninsula south of Adelaide showing our afternoon
travels. Map courtesy of plotaroute.




First up we headed to Cape Jervis on the tip of the Fleurieu. This is
where travellers to Kangaroo Island catch the ferry. The small fishing
town takes its name from the Cape Jervis headland which was named in 1802
by explorer Matthew Flinders after John Jervis the 1st Earl of St
Vincent. Marija and I purchased Fish and Chips from the local take away
store and we sat at the lookout enjoying our lunch looking out across
Backstairs Passage between the South Australian mainland and Kangaroo
Island. It was a beautiful way to spend lunch on a sunny afternoon.








We then drove to Morgans Beach, just to the north of Cape Jervis. This is
a beautiful beach which is nestled below 50 metre cliffs. The beach is
accessed via a dirt road on the northern side of Main South Road. The
beach is not signposted at this point. A short distance down this dirt
road you either continue on to the lookout (to your right) or turn left to
get down onto the beach. Access to the beach is only via 4WD. There are
some great views here, including the nearby Starfish Hill Wind Farm.








Our next stop was the very beautiful and historic Uniting Church at
Delamere. The church dates back to 1858 and is located on Yoho Road. The
church is often referred to as the little white chapel. In 1858, Joel and
Mary Cole donated the land which the church is located on. This is still
an active church.








Our next stop was another historic church in Delamere, the St James
Anglican church. The foundation stone for St James was laid on the 19th
day of September 1870. A hall and a historic cemetery are located adjacent
to the church. The church has several items of interest, including a font
which is reputedly over 300 years old.








We then stopped in at Rapid Bay. On the 8th day of September 1836, South
Australia Colonial Surveyor General Colonel William Light made his first
landfall on mainland South Australia at Rapid Bay. The site was named
after his ship, the 162 ton brig Rapid.Â*




The town of Rapid Bay was constructed by the Broken Hill Proprietary (BHP)
as an open cut limestone mine. It was in use from around 1942-1981. A
large jetty was constructed. Construction of a new jetty was completed in
2009.




As it was a beautiful afternoon, the jetty was alive with fishers and there
were lots of people on the beach enjoying a swim and the sunshine.








We then drove into the beautiful little town of Second Valley, which
derives its name from being the next valley north of Rapid Bay.








The little village contains a number of historic buildings. The most
impressive of those is the historic Leonards Mill. The mill is now a
restaurant, but commenced its life in 1858 as a flour mill. It was later
used as a Wattlebark mill to process the local species of Wattlebark which
had very good tanning properties for tanning leather which was exported to
London. It was later used as a shearing shed.








There is a Second Valley Heritage Walk and a pamphlet is available at the
Information Board in Second Valley. You can also download a copy from the
Walking SA website. A link can be found below..




Second Valley Heritage Walk Leonards Mill to the Sea





One of the interesting things to see is the monument for Colonel William
Light to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his landing in 1836 and Fanny
Lipson Finniss who was the first white girl born in the colony at nearby
Rapid Bay on the 2nd January 1837.








There are various other historical points of interest in Second Valley
including the Parananacooka bridge which was constructed in 1864, the old
blacksmith and wheelwright store dating back to 1874, the Fanny Lipson
Finniss statue, the War Memorial, and the old Second Valley General Store
which served the district from 1861 to 1973








We then drove down to Second Valley beach. Although this beach is only
very small, it has been rated as one of Australias top ten beaches. And it
was certainly very popular on this day as you can see from the photographs
below.








We continued north on Main South Road and stopped in at the Marina St
Vincent in Wirrina Cove.








We then had a look at the nearby New Terry Hotel and Golf Resort. This
features an 18 hole golf course, swimming pool, spa pool and sauna and a
Conference Centre. The local Western Grey kangaroos were certainly
enjoying the greens. Where else but Australia would you find kangaroos on
a golf course.








We then stopped briefly to have a look at the information board for the
HMAS Hobart, a former guided missile destroyer in the Royal Australian
Navy. The HMAS Hobart was built in the USA and was commissioned in 1965 in
Boston. HMAS Hobart completed three tours of duty off Vietnam. In 1968
the vessel was struck by friendly fire resulting in the death of two
sailors with seven others being injured. The HMAS Hobart was sunk in
November 2002 as an artificial reef and lies in 30 metres of water about 4
kms off shore.








We continued towards Normanville and stopped to have a look at the old
Gorge Mill which was in use between 1856 to 1998. William Ferguson
established a steam flour mill on the site in 1856 shipping flour from
nearby Normanville. In 1872 the mill was purchased by Cornish & Co.
Following the death in 1875 of John Cornish Snr, John Jnr added a wattle
bark grinding mill nearby. In 1894 Charles Dixon purchased the property
and added a chaff mill. By 1918 the owner was Albert Bowyer who was a
champion hay stack builder and thatcher. He ran a dairy at the mill. His
sons Melville and Hiram established the successful race horse stud Beau
Neire on the site in the 1940s. They produced numerous top class horses
including the 1950 Melbourne Cup Winner Comic Count.








We then stopped at the town of Normanville, affectionately known as Normy,
where Marija and I enjoyed some ice cream on the beachfront. The town was
established by South Australias first dentist, Robert Norman, in 1849.








We continued on to Carrickalinga, which has a beautiful sandy beach.
Carrickalinga is an aboriginal word meaning place of red gum firewood.








We headed out of Carrickalinga on Forktree Road, stopping briefly at the
lookout to enjoy the view and take some photographs.








We then turned off onto Myponga Beach Road and enjoyed some sensational
views as we winded our way down from the hills down to the beach.








Myponga Beach is located in a small valley which has been carved by Myponga
Creek. Myponga Beach was formerly used as a port and the ruins of the old
jetty can still be seen.








We then headed east on the very windy and steep Sampson Road, stopping
every now and again to enjoy the views of the coastline and the Myponga
Reservoir.








Our final stop for the day was the Myponga Reservoir. The reservoirs
capacity is 5,905 million gallons. It was constructed between 1958-1962
and is fed by the Myponga River and other rivers in the Myponga catchment.








We then made our way home via Pages Flat, Mount Compass, and Tooperang. It
had been a great day out with a mixture of amateur radio and sightseeing on
the beautiful Fleurieu Peninsula.














References.




Adelaide Now, 2021,
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/lifes...alia8217s-town
names, viewed 2nd Janaury 2021.




Leonards Mill, 2021, https://leonardsmill.com.au/about-us/, viewed 2nd
January 2021.




Summits on the Air, 2021, https://summits.sota.org.uk/summit/VK5/SE-016,
viewed 2nd January 2021.




Trails SA, 2021,
http://www.southaustraliantrails.com/trails/ex-hmas-hobart/, viewed 2nd
January 2021.




Waymarking, 2021,
https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMZ7M3_Uniting_Church_Delamere_SA_Australia,
viewed 2nd January 2021.




Western Fleurieu Anglicans, 2021,
https://southernvalesparish.org/st-james-delamere/, viewed 2nd January
2021




Wikipedia, 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janka_hardness_test,
viewed 2nd January 2021.




Wikipedia, 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Jervis, viewed 2nd
January 2021.




Wikipedia, 2021,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapid_Bay,_South_Australia, viewed 2nd
January 2021.




Wikipedia, 2021,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Valley,_South_Australia, viewed 2nd
January 2021.




Wikipedia, 2021,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normanville,_South_Australia, viewed 2nd
January 2021.




Wikipedia, 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myponga_Reservoir, viewed
2nd Janaury 2021.