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My portable equipment
My mobile set up
My wife Marija VK5FMAZ
SOTA certificates
Shack Sloth
SOTA QSL cards
WorldWide Flora & Fauna
WWFF certificates
WWFF QSL cards
VK5 National and Conservation Parks Award
VK5 Parks Award certificates
KRMNPA
Great Outdoors Radio Club (GORC)
Solar conditions and propagation
DXFF 40 certificate
Posted on April 30, 2017 by Paul VK5PAS
Here is my latest DXFF certificate for World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF). Issued by the YOFF (Romanian) program for working 40 different DXCC entities.
Thanks to Pit YO3JW, the WWFF Awards Manager.
VK5WOW at Monarto Conservation Park 5CP-138 and VKFF-0828
Yesterday afternoon/evening (Friday 28th April 2017) I ventured out to the Monarto Conservation Park 5CP-138 & VKFF-0828, using the special call of VK5WOW.
All contacts with VK5WOW count towards the 2017 WIA AGM & Convention Award. More details can be found at…..
http://www.wia.org.au/members/wiaawards/agm2017/
This was the third time I have used VK5WOW. More times as an activator than I have logged the station unfortunately, due to close in propagation being non existant when others have used the call.
Monarto Conservation Park is just a short 20 minute drive down the South Eastern Freeway for me. The park is situated about 62 km east of Adelaide, and 30 km east of my home.
Map showing the location of the Monarto Conservation Park, east of Adelaide. Map courtesy of Protected Planet.
I have activated Monarto Conservation Park many times in the past. For information on those activations and more information on the park, please see my previous posts at…..
https://vk5pas.org/2016/10/16/2016-vkff-team-championship-and-monarto-cp-vkff-0828/
https://vk5pas.org/2015/04/27/monarto-conservation-park-vkff-828/
https://vk5pas.org/2015/01/31/monarto-cp-and-the-2nd-activation-afternoon/
https://vk5pas.org/2014/12/04/monarto-conservation-park-3/
https://vk5pas.org/2013/06/01/monarto-conservation-park/
Aerial shot showing the park with reference to my home QTH, 20 minutes down the road. Image courtesy of Google maps
I activated the park from my normal spot, the carpark in the north western corner of the park. I ran my normal portable station for this activation, consisting of the Yaesu FT-857d, 40 watts output, and the 80/40/20 m linked dipole, inverted vee, supported on the 7m heavy duty telescopic squid pole.
It was a dull and overcast afternoon with the temperature being 19 deg C. There were some dark clouds in the sky but no forecast of rain.
Aerial shot of the park, showing my operating spot. Image courtesy of Protected Planet.
I started off on 7.134 on the 40m band. I could not get onto my nominated operating frequency of 7.144 as there was an EA5 operating there. Although he was a good strong 5/8 signal, sadly he was unable to hear me. My first contact was a Park to Park contact with Greg VK4VXX/2 in the Sturt National Park VKFF-0470. You can always count on some amateurs giving you a shout during an activation, and Rick VK4RF/VK4HA is one of those. Rick was next in my log with his normal strong 5/9 signal. I worked 11 contacts into VK2, VK3, VK5 and VK7, and was then asked to QSY as I was causing interference to a European net on 7.137.
I QSYd up the band to 7.170. It was very hard to find a clear frequency on 40m, with good signals from VK and Europe. The first station logged on 7.170 was Brett VK2VW. This was followed by Danny ON4VT in Belgium who was calling in amongst the VK's. Danny had a good 5/5 signal and gave me a 4/4 into Belgium. I went on to work a total of 26 stations on 7.170 from VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, VK7 and Belgium. This included Gerard VK2IO/p, Park to Park, who was in Karuah National Park VKFF-0596. I was pleased that a handful of VK5's appeared in the log, with close in propagation (within 50 km) possible.
My operating spot in the carpark
I then headed off to 14.310 on the 20m band where I logged 14 stations including a little bit of DX from France, Czech Republic, Italy, and England. Long path conditions into Europe were less than ideal. I also had three Park to Park contacts: Gerard VK2IP/p in the Karuah National Park VKFF-0596; Neil VK4HNS/p in the Connondale National Park VKFF-0109; and Simon VK6MSC who was on SOTA peak VK6/ SW-036 in the Helena National Park VKFF-0645.
I then headed back to 7.170 on 40m where I logged a further 22 stations from VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, VK6, VK7, VK8, and the USA. This included my good wife Marija VK5FMAZ who had just arrived home from work, and Mark AF6TC in California USA. Mark was to be my only North American contact for the activation.
I was also called by Simon VK6MSC, for a second band, on SOTA peak VK6/ SW-036 in the Helena National Park VKFF-0645. It's always nice to log Western Australian stations. Here in Australia we take these sort of contacts for granted as local contacts. Although for me this is a distance of around 2,500 km.
It was now approaching 6.00 p.m. local time and it was almost dark, so I decided to try 80m again. This time I logged 22 stations on 80m, from VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, and VK8. I was pleased to log my mate Greg VK8GM in Alice Springs who was a strong 5/9. I also made contact with Gerard VK2IO, for a third band, who was in Karuah National Park VKFF-0596.
As it was nearly 7.00 p.m. local time, I headed back to 40m for the commencement of the 7130 DX Net. Sadly, band conditions on 40m were less than ideal, and Roy VK7ROY the net control was struggling to hear me. I made just 6 contacts on the net into VK2, VK6, New Zealand and French Polynesia.
I decided to give 80m one last go before packing up and heading home for dinner. I called CQ on 3.610 and this was answered by Bill VK4FW, followed by Danny VK4SD/2, and then Zorro VK3ZIP. Next up was John VK3TCT who was in London in the UK, and was operating remote from his home station in Mildura Victoria. I logged a further 7 stations, and despite numerous CQ calls I had no further takers. The temperature was now down to 10 deg C and it was well and truly time to pack up and head home for something to eat.
I had a total of 113 contacts in the log and another successful park activation using VK5WOW, considering pretty average band conditions.
I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
VK4VXX/2 (Sturt National Park VKFF-0470)
VK4RF
VK4HA
VK2NEO
VK3GGG
VK3PMG
VK5FAKV
VK5ST
VK7VDL
VK2QR
VK2SWL
VK2BN
ON4VT
VK5GI
VK4PDX
VK5KLD
VK5PET
VK3PAT
VK5KLV
VK3ARH
VK7CW
VK3FORD
VK5FMLO
VK3MCK
VK3VKT/m
VK3GMC
VK4TJ
VK2IO/p (Karuah National Park VKFF-0596)
VK4ARW
VK3FOWL
VK3SRC
VK3ZMD
VK5HS
VK5FANA
VK4FW
VK3VEF
VK3YSP
VK5FMAZ
VK4FMAX
VK7ZGK
VK7JON
VK2ZH
VK7VZ/p
VK1AD
VK3FRAB
VK4KUS
VK7DW
VK6MSC/p (SOTA VK6/ SW-036 & Helena National Park VKFF-0645)
VK6QM
AF6TC
VK7FOLK
VK3ZD
VK3NCC/8
VK4FAAJ
VK3HKK
VK7VDS
VK4FAID
VK4GMH
ZL2ASH
VK7ROY
VK6VZZ/m
FO5JV
VK6WB
VK2NED
VK5YX
F4FEP
VK6MAC/p
OK2TS
IK2ZJN
IK8FIQ
IU3FBL
VK4RZ
VK4HNS/p (Connondale National Park VKFF-0109)
F1BLL
M5JON
VK3FQ
VK3ANL
VK4MAX
VK4DI
VK8GM
VK5FMWW
VK3PKY
VK5FWMT
VK3FLAK
VK3FPHG
VK3ERW
VK3LDB
VK5ALR
VK4SD/2
VK3ZIP
VK3TCT
VK5FRSM
VK6VCK/p
VK4QS
VK6VET
VK6VNZ
VK2NCS
Tolderol Game Reserve VKFF-1752
On Tuesday 25th April 2017, Marija VK5FMAZ and I headed down to the Tolderol Game Reserve VKFF-1752, which is located about 77 km south east of Adelaide, and about 11 km south east of Langhorne Creek. It was ANZAC Day and we had the opportunity of working with the special AX prefix. Each year, on just 3 occasions, Australian amateurs can replace the VK prefix with AX. And ANZAC Day is one of those.
Map showing the location of the Tolderol Game Reserve. Map courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.
I have activated Tolderol once before, back in August 2016, and qualified the park on that occasion for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program. But this was to be a unique park for Marija as an activator. For more information on my previous activation, please see my previous post at…..
https://vk5pas.org/2016/08/06/tolderol-game-reserve-vkff-1752/
Tolderol Game Reserve is 428 hectares (4.28 km2 ) in size. and is located on the north eastern side of Lake Alexandrina. It was established on the 1st January 1970 as an experimental area for growing of variety of waterfowl food crops, in particular three-cornered bulrush, with duck shooting permitted during open seasons. It consists of a series of man made open and shallow basins with connecting channels and levee banks.
Aerial shot showing the park in relation to my home QTH and the city of Adelaide. Image courtesy of Google maps
Tolderol is a well regarded bird watching location, although on our visit this time we did not see a lot of birds. The weather was quite poor at times, with very heavy showers, and I suspect this contributed to the lack of birds. It was also the wrong time of the year. The best time to make the most of bird watching opportunities is to visit the park in late spring and summer.
There is an excellent Tolderol Game Reserve Community Facebook page, which can be located at…..
https://www.facebook.com/tolderolgamereserve/
One of the down sides of visiting the park is that this is Tiger snake territory. Tiger snakes have an aggressive nature and toxic venom. The snake's large size, often aggressive defence and toxic venom make it extremely dangerous to humans.
Fortunately, the only reptile we encountered during our visit, was the little fella below, a Shingleback lizard.
As we approached the park Marija and I logged from the mobile, Peter VK3PF/2 who was activating the Pilliger West State Conservation Area VKFF-1373. Peter had a strong 5/8 signal into the mobile.
The park is well sign posted from the Langhorne Creek Road. Follow Dog Lake Road, down through a few gates until you reach the park. Please ensure that you leave gates as you find them. So if they are closed, please close them behind you. We soon reached the western side of the reserve.
We followed the track down to the northern banks of Lake Alexandrina. There was a nice cleared area here, giving us plenty of room of vision if there were any snakes approaching us. And there was a concrete table and benches here.
We ran the usual equipment for this activation comprising the Yaesu FT-857d, 10 watts (for Marija) and 40 watts (for me), and the 80/40/20m linked dipole supported on the 7m heavy duty telescopic squid pole.
Aerial shot of the park showing our operating spot. Image courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.
Prior to calling CQ both Marija and I logged Nick VK3ANL on 7.150, who was activating Reef Hills State Park VKFF-0773. I then moved down to 7.140 and called CQ which was answered by Greg VK2EXA, followed by Bill VK4FW and then VK6MB/4 who was in Bill's shack. A mini pile up then ensued with a total of 24 stations logged from VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5 and VK7, before Marija and I swapped operator spots. Included in these contacts was a Park to Park with Gerard VK2IO who was mobile in Ghin-Doo-Ee National Park VKFF-0196.
Marija then called CQ which was answered by Ian VK3VIN, followed by Ken VK2KYO and then Adrian VK5FANA. All with good 5/9 signals. The 40m band appeared to be in very good condition. Contact number 10, qualifying the park for Marija for VKFF, was with Peter VK3ZPF.
It only took Marija 30 minutes to qualify the park for the global WWFF program, with contact number 44 being Allan VK3BF. It was great to see so many stations calling in, and many thanks to those that did. A number of those logged were using the AX prefix to help commemorate ANZAC Day. Included in the callers were a number of Park to Park contacts: Peter VK3PF/2 in the Pilliger West State Conservation Area VKFF-1373; Gerard VK2IO on SOTA peak VK2/ MN-047 in the Ghin-Doo-Ee National Park VKFF-0196; and Dave VK2ZK in the Blue Mountains National Park VKFF-0041. Marija and I swapped the mic to log the P2P callers.
Marija logged a total of 51 stations before I again jumped onto the mic, calling CQ on 7.140. I logged 20 further contacts from VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, VK6 before heading up to 14.310 on the 20m band. First taker there was Rick VK4RF/VK4HA, followed by Mick AX6AY and then Hans VK6XN. I logged a further 5 stations from VK4 and VK6. Sadly no DX. Signals from Western Australia were generally strong.
I then headed to 21.244 where I called CQ for around 5 minutes, with sadly, no takers. The weather was starting to cloud over and the temperature had dropped significantly, with some strong winds off the lake. We could see the shower activity to the south of us, and I expected I may have had a 5 minute window before the rain hit us. So it was back to 40m where I worked Steve VK4QQ on 7.144. I was just in the middle of a QSO telling Steve that the weather was closing in, when it hit very quickly. We were caught in the rain and made a mad dash to pack up the gear and head to the comfort of the vehicle. I had a total of 57 contacts in the log.
Marija and I then went for a drive through the park whilst the rain cleared. There are a series of tracks through the reeds and along the levee banks. I was hoping to get some bird photos, but the weather was lousy, and activity was minimal.
As we drove down some of the tracks, we encountered some of the locals.
The rain had cleared and we decided to set up again. It was now just before 5.00 p.m. local time and I was hoping to log a little bit of North American DX on 40m. This time we set up at the information board and used one of the permapine posts as an anchor point for the squid pole, with the help of some trusty octopus straps. It was now very cool, and there was still the threat of some rain, so rather than setting up the table and deck chair again, I operated from the comfort of the driver's seat of the Hi Lux. Although I have the Icom IC-7000 in the vehicle, I ran the Yaesu FT-857, propped up against the steering wheel and the dashboard.
I called CQ on 7.135 and this was answered by Paul AX3KHZ, followed by Rob VK2MZ and then Stephen VK3DQL. A few QSOs later I was called by Peter AX3HSB/p who advised he was bogged in the Alpine National Park VKFF-0619. I offered Peter whatever help I could, but he assured me that he had help on the way and would be ok.
I was pleased that we had set up again, as I had a very steady flow of callers from all across Australia and New Zealand. Kiwi callers included John ZL1API, Oliver ZL1XS, Gavin ZL1TBA, and James ZL3FV. The band was also wide open to the other side of the country, with a number of Western Australian stations logged includingRich AX6BEC, John VK6NU, Bert VK6/PA3EPA, and Daniel VK6WE. I also logged Peter VK3PF/2 who was portable in the Timallallie National Park VKFF-0609. Marija also logged Peter.
I then headed to the 80m band where I made a Park to Park contact with Peter VK3PF/2 in the Timallallie National Park VKFF-0609 on a second band. I moved up to 3.615 where I called CQ and logged 27 stations from VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, VK7 and New Zealand. I was pleased to speak with Andrei ZL1TM in Auckland in the North Island of NZ.
I had a total of 121 contacts in the log and it was time to head home. Marija had also succesfully qualified the park, with a total of 55 contacts. Thankyou to everyone who called.
Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
AX3ANL/p (Reef Hills State Park VKFF-0773)
VK3VIN
VK2KYO
VK7PRN
VK2STO
VK3FLCS
VK3ZPF
VK2LX
VK5KX
VK5FFAU
VK3UH
VK3FRJD
VK5JK
VK1AT/3
VK3IRS
VK2YW
VK5QI
AX5KC
VK3FSPG
VK3MPR
AX7QP
VK3SX
VK5MAP
VK5NAW
VK7EV
AX2LX
VK3ELH
AX5MAP
VK3PF/2 (Pilliger West State Conservation Area VKFF-1373)
VK2IO/p (SOTA VK2/ MN-047 &Ghin-Doo-Ee National Park VKFF-0196)
VK2ZK/p (Blue Mountains National Park VKFF-0041)
VK2JDC/p (Blue Mountains National Park VKFF-0041)
VK3BF
VK3AWT
AX2HOT
AX2LEE
VK2LAD
VK3PF/2 (Timallallie National Park VKFF-0609)
AX4DXA
Marija worked the following station on 80m SSB:-
VK3PF/p (VKFF-0609)
VK2EXA
VK6MB/4
VK3SIM
VK3CWF
VK3FOGY
VK3KIM
VK2QK
VK2GAZ
VK2IO/m (Ghin-Doo-Ee National Park VKFF-0196)
VK5JW
VK2IO/p (SOTA VK2/ MN-047 & VKFF-0196)
VK1MTS
VK3TKK/m
VK4FFAB
VK7KW
VK3HQZ
VK4QQ
AX3KHZ
VK2MZ
VK3DQL
VK3KMH
AX3HSB/p (Alpine National Park VKFF-0619)
AX3HN
AX3FRAB
AX1FWBD
AX2JDR
VK4SMA
VK3SOT
VK3HK
VK4NH
VK2FJ/m
AX7ZGK
AX6BEC
VK6NU
ZL1API
VK7JON/m
VK4CG
ZL1XS
VK6/PA3EPA
VK2UMA
ZL1TBA
ZL3FV
VK6WE
VK3PF/p (Timallallie National Park VKFF-0609)
VK7ALB
AX7ALB
VK5SFA
VK3FQSO
VK5QI/m
VK2SR
VK3YUN/m
VK5FAAT
VK3HSB
VK3FSLG
VK3GK
VK3LBW
AX4ITT
ZL1TM
VK2PH
AX6AY
VK6XN
AX6RC/m
AX4QQ
Australian Museum, 2017, <https://australianmuseum.net.au/tiger-snake&gt;, viewed 28th April 2017
National Parks South Australia, 2017, <https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/Find-a-Park/Browse-by-region/Limestone-Coast/tolderol-game-reserve&gt;, viewed 28th April 2017
Wikipedia, 2017, <>, viewed 28th April 2017
Morgan Conservation Park 5CP-141 and VKFF-0911
After packing up at Hogwash Bend, Marija and I headed off to our second planned park activation for the day, the Morgan Conservation Park 5CP-141 & VKFF-0911. The park is located about 166 km north east of Adelaide and on the eastern side of the Murray River opposite the town of Morgan.
Map showing the location of the Morgan Conservation Park, north east of Adelaide. Map courtesy of Protected Planet.
We travelled along the Morgan-Cadell Road, and soon passed the park on both our left and right. Sadly, the wet weather which had been predicted, had now hit, and the shower activity was quite persistent. Before activating the park, we headed across the Murray River on the ferry, and had some lunch at the local take away.
Morgan is a historic little town located on the banks of the Murray River, just downstream of where the Murray turns from flowing roughly westwards, to roughly southwards. Morgan has a population of around 500 people and boasts two pubs, directly opposite each other. The town was proclaimed in 1878, the year that the railway line from Adelaide via Kapunda was opened. The town was named after Sir William Morgan, then Chief Secretary, later Premier of South Australia.
William Morgan. Image courtesy of Wikipedia
The town has a number of heritage listed buildings, most of which have interpretive signs displaying the history of the building. At its peak, Morgan was the second busiest port in South Australia, behind only Port Adelaide, with six trains a day carrying freight from the Murray to the sea at Port Adelaide.
After lunch we headed to the small lookout which overlooks the town. It was a real shame that the showers had set in.
Just down from the lookout is a memorial cairn to commemorate Captain Charles Sturt, who passed by this location during his Central Australian Exploring Expedition in 1844.
We also briefly had a look at the old Morgan Railway station and Station Master's House, and the old Morgan wharf which at its longest, was 168 metres long.
We then lined up at the ferry, and from the mobile we logged John VK5BJE/p who was activating the Lake Tyers State Park VKFF-0761 in Victoria. John had a good 5/7 signal into the mobile, and he reciprocated with a 5/9 for us. We crossed the ferry again and entered the park via a dirt track on the southern side of the Morgan-Cadell Road. The park consists of a system of lagoons, swamps, creeks and Murray River anabranches bordered by majestic River Red Gum woodlands. Morgan CP is 361 hectares in size and was first dedicated on 23rd September 1976 to protect the wetlands. An additional 11 hectares were added on 4th November 1993.
About 150 species of bird have been recorded in the park including Grey Teal, White-faced Heron, Whistling Kite, Australian Darter, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Yellow Rosella, Striped honeyeater, and Zebra finch.
There were already two couples camping on the edge of the Morgan Lagoon, so we drove along the track a little further to the south and set up in a clearing amongst the scrub, right alongside the lagoon. We ran the Yaesu FT-857d, initially at 10 watts PEP for Marija, and then 40 watts for me, and the 80/40/20m linked dipole, inverted vee @ 7 metres.
Aerial shot of the park, showing our operating spot in the southern section. Image courtesy of Protected Planet.
As it was still drizzling with rain we set up underneath the awning of the Toyota Hi Lux. Despite it being quite a miserable afternoon weather wise, it was a sensational operating spot, looking out across the Morgan Lagoon.
Marija started off on air first, and was just keen to get her 10 contacts to qualify the park for VKFF. Her first 2 contacts were Park to Park QSOs with Jonathan VK7JON/p and Helen VK7FOLK/p who were activating the Hellyer Gorge State Reserve VKFF-1139. I also logged Jonathan and Helen.
Marija then moved up to 7.150 and called CQ. Her first taker was Michael VK3FCMC, followed by Mark VK3FOTO and then John VK5BJE/3 who was activating Lake Tyers State Park VKFF-0761. We started to experience a little bit of European QRM and pondered on whether we should remain on the frequency of QSY. We decided to stay and battle it out.
Marija was then called by Peter VK3TKK/p who was activating the Twelve Apostles Marine National Park VKFF-0955, and this was followed by another Park to Park (P2P) contact, this time with Derek VK3FAFC/p who was in the French Island National Park VKFF-0622. Marija and I swapped the mic to log the P2P contacts.
About 7 contacts later, two further Park to Park log entries. This time with Greg VK4VXX who was in the Mutawintji National Park VKFF-0374, and this was followed by Peter VK3TKK who was activating the Port Campbell National Park VKFF-0420.
Marija had 16 contacts in the log and had qualified the park for VKFF. She kindly handed the mic over to me.
I called CQ on 7.150 and this was answered by Damien VK3FRAB, followed by Geoff VK3SQ, Lee VK3FLJD, and then Steve VK3FSPG/VK3MPR. Despite it being a holiday, it was quite slow going on 40m, with just a steady flow of callers from VK2, VK3, VK4, and VK7. No VK5's appeared in the log at this stage, with close in propagation on 40m, again not working.
About 30 contacts into the activation and OZ8BV came onto the frequency and started calling CQ. He was a strong 5/8 and at times was drowing out some of the VK callers. I battled on for a few more minutes, but with 36 contacts in the log I decided it was time to QSY up to 7.135. I there spoke with Nick Vk3ANL/p who was on SOTA peak Mount McKay VK3/ VE-007. Marija also logged Nick.
With a total of 40 contacts in the log I decided to try my luck on 3.610 on the 80m band. First taker there was Roy VK5NRG in Adelaide with a strong 5/8 signal (5/8 received). This was followed by Les VK5KLV at Port Augusta. It was nice to log some VK5's. But despite the 80m band being open around South Australia, they were the only VK5 callers. I logged a further 4 stations on 80m from VK2 and VK3. Contact number 44 for me was the ever reliable Mick VK3GGG from western Victoria.
I then QSYd to 14.310 on the 20m band and called CQ. Sadly the only station logged there was Bill VK4FW in Queensland. No DX.
I had my 44 contacts and it was time for me to do a bit of bird watching/photography, of the feathered variety. I encouraged Marija to try her luck again on 40m to see if she could pick up 44 contacts. Whilst I was off on my walk, Marija managed to add a further 11 stations to her log from VK2, VK3, and VK4. Unfortunately the magical number of 44 wasn't reached, with numerous CQ calls going unanswered.
Marija and I packed up and hit the road. It was 4.00 p.m. local time and we wanted to call into the Mount Mary Hotel for a drink. We still had a 2 hour drive to get home.
VK7JON/p (Hellyer Gorge State Reserve VKFF-1139)
VK7FOLK/p (Hellyer Gorge State Reserve VKFF-1139)
VK3FCMC
VK3FOTO
VK5BJE/3 (Lake Tyers State Park VKFF-0761)
VK3TKK/p (Twelve Apostles Marine National Park VKFF-0955)
VK3FAFC/p (French Island National Park VKFF-0622)
VK3SQ
VK2HOT
VK3BQ
VK4HNS
VK4VXX/2 (Mutawintji National Park VKFF-0374)
VK3TKK/p (Port Campbell National Park VKFF-0420)
VK3ANL/p (SOTA Mount McKay VK3/ VE-007)
VK2EJW
VK1FWBD
VK3FRAB/p
VK3GRW
VK3NBL
VK3FLJD
VK3FOTO/p
VK3SFG
VK4MAD
VK2FOUZ
VK2IO/m
VK2JNG/p
VK3VFR
VK3MIJ
VK4/VE6XT
VK4/AC8WN
VK4WID
VK5FD/p
VK3FCMC/p
VK5NRG
VK3PAH
I worked the following station on 20m SSB:-
After packing up, we crossed the ferry again and headed west on the Thiele Highway. We stopped briefly at the old Eba railway siding. In days gone by Eba had its own school, a post office, blacksmith, grocery store, sawmill, and even a race track. Today little remains. Sadly, a sign of the times……someone has stolen the lady cutout from the old railway siding.
We continued on to the little town of Mount Mary, formerly Krichauff and then Beatty, which is located on the Thiele Highway between Eudunda and Morgan. The town was originally surveyed in 1883 and features the historic Mount Mary Hotel. We stopped in for a couple of drinks. This is a must if you are driving through the area. The pub is currently for sale and the current owners did their best to try to convince me to buy the pub.
We continued on our way home, travelling along Bower Boundary Road, a dirt road between the Thiele Highway and the Sturt Highway. It was very slow going as there were kangaroos everywhere. Along the way I chatted with a number of stations from the mobile including Peter VK7PRN, Peter VK2STO, John VK6VZZ/m and Mark AF6TC. We stopped off at the Mount Pleasant Hotel for a meal and then drove the final 45 minutes back home. It was the end of a very enjoyable 4 days away.
Birds SA, 2017, <http://www.birdssa.asn.au/location/morgan-conservation-park/&gt;, viewed 27th April 2017
National Parks South Australia, 2017, <http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/Find-a-Park/Browse-by-region/Murray-River/morgan-conservation-park&gt;, viewed 27th April 2017
Wikipedia, 2017, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan,_South_Australia&gt;, viewed 27th April 2017
Wikipedia, 2017, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Mary,_South_Australia&gt;, viewed 27th April 2017
Hogwash Bend Conservation Park 5CP-092 and VKFF-0892
Marija and I had two planned park activations for Monday 24th April 2017, the final day of our Riverland trip. The first being the Hogwash Bend Conservation Park 5CP-092 & VKFF-0892 which is located about 183 km north east of Adelaide and just a few km north west of the little town of Cadell.
Map showing the location of the Hogwash Bend Conservation Park. Map courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.
We had a 110 km drive from Renmark to the park, which took us along the Sturt Highway to Waikerie, and then out along the Ramco Road through Qualco and on to the park via the Cadell Valley Road. Along the way Marija and I stopped briefly to have a look at the memorial cairn which commemorates police officers, Corporal William Murray Wickham and Mounted Constable John Dunning Carter, who drowned on the 7th day of May 1847. They were enroute from Mourundee, near Blanchetown, to Overland Corner for police duty in response to disturbances in the area. They were the first police to die in the line of duty in South Australia.
Sadly, the memorial had been desecrated. I have photo shopped the photo below and removed the grafitti.
We continued on to Waikerie and stopped briefly at the Pooginook lookout at Waikerie. There are some great views of the mighty Murray River from here. It was along these cliff tops that the village settlers walked between the settlements of Holder and Waikerie.
We soon reached Hogwash Road which runs off the northern side of the Cadell Valley Road. The park sign, which had been at this intersection on our previous visit, was no longer there, so we initially missed the turnoff. Not sure what has happened to the sign?
I have activated the park once before, back on April 2015, but this was prior to the park being allocated a VKFF reference number for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program. The previous activation only qualified for the VK5 National & Conservation Parks Award. This was to be a unique park for Marija as an activator.
https://vk5pas.org/2015/04/23/hogwash-bend-conservation-park/
Hogwash Bend Conservation Park was proclaimed on the 6th day of September, 2012. The park contains some majestic River Red Gums.
The park is 286 hectares in size and comprises three sections. We operated from the section which is adjacent to the eastern side of the Murray River.
Aerial shot showing showing the park (indicated by the arrows. Image courtesy of Google maps.
The park was acquired by the South Australian State Government and the Australian Federal Government under the National Reserve System program to protect the largest breeding colony of Regent Parrots in South Australia. There are thought to be only 300 breeding pairs of Regent parrots along the Murray. And in Hogwash Bend, around 50 pairs use the ideal breeding habitat of mature river red gums, nesting sites and large areas of mature mallee scrubland. Hogwash Bend plays an important role in the bird's future which is listed as vulnerable at both State and National level.
Regent Parrot. Image courtesy of Birdlife.
There is an excellent website dedicated to Regent parrots which can be found at…..
http://regentparrot.org
In fact, the group is very keen to hear from people who sight a Regent Parrot. You can telephone 1800PARROT.
Our operating spot was on the southern side of Hogwash Road, adjacent to the main camping area. We ran the Yaesu FT-857d, initially set at 10 watts PEP, and later 40 watts for me, and the 80/40/20m linked dipole.
Aerial view of the park showing our operating spot. Image courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.
Marija started off on air first, with her first contact being Cliff VK2NP, followed by Russell VK4ARW, and then Geoff VK3SQ. Wade VK1FWBD/p then called in from SOTA peak Black Mountain VK1/ AC-042 in the Black Mountain Nature Reserve VKFF-0834. Marija and I swapped the mic so I could log Wade. Marija continued on and soon reached 10 contacts, with contact number 10 being John VK4/AC8WN.
Contact number 12 was another Park to Park, this time with Gerard VK2IO/m who was activating the Watagans National Park VKFF-0522. Five QSOs later Andrew VK1AD/2 called in from SOTA peak Mount Marulan VK2/ ST-039 east of Goulburn.
Marija logged a total of 17 contacts, qualifying the park for VKFF and threw the mic over to me. Marija headed off to take some photographs and explore the park.
My first contact after calling CQ was regular park hunter Rick VK4RF/VK4HA, followed by Peter VK3TKK/m, then Geoff VK3SQ, and then Allen VK3ARH. It was a warm day, about 30 deg C, and an idealic location, not far from the banks of the Murray River. During contact number 12 with Helen VK7FOLK, the magnificent paddlesteamer, PS Murray Princess came into view, cruising along the Murray.
The PS Murray Princess is the largest inland paddlesteamer in the southern hemisphere and can cater for around 120 passengers.
It was quite slow going on the band, with signals from Victoria being well down compared to normal. Having said this I was pleased to log Nick VK3ANL who was activating SOTA peak Mount Nelse VK3/ VE-004 which is located in the Alpine National Park VKFF-0619 with a good 5/7 signal. Sadly Marija was still off on her walk so she missed working Nick.
Soon after I was called by Bob VK2AOR/p and Rod VK2LAX/p who were activating Popran National Park VKFF-0417. Bob and Rod were running a magnetic loop and although quite weak, 5/3, they were very readable as there was no man made noise on the band from the park. Marija must have heard Park to Park, because she picked up her stride and made it back in time to log Bob and Rod. A few QSOs later Nick called back in to log Marija.
About 8 QSOs later, Gerard VK2IO/p called in from SOTA peak Barraba Trig VK2/ HU-065 with a very nice 5/7 signal.
With 36 contacts in the log for me, and 21 contacts in the log for Marija, we decided to try the 80m band and hopefully log some VK5 stations, as it was clear that close in propagation on the 40m band was not working. I called CQ on 3.610 and this was answered by Ivan VK5HS who was 5/7. Ivan had tried to make contact with us earlier on 40m but we couldn't successfully exchange signal reports. So it was a pleasure to get Ivan in the log on 80. Marija and I swapped the mic for our 80m contacts, and logged a total of 7 stations from VK2 and VK5.
I was now sitting on 43 contacts, just 1 short of qualifying the park for the global WWFF program, so with no further callers on 80m, we headed to 14.310 on the 20m band. I put out 10 minutes of CQ calls and did not log a single station. So it was back to 7.144 on 40m. I called CQ and this was answered by Bill VK3CWF. Bill earnt the packet of smarties, being my 44th contact. I was then called by Peter VK3TKK/p who was activating the Bay of Islands Coastal Park VKFF-0743. As I now had my 44 contacts I handed the mic back to Marija who logged Peter and then called CQ.
It was another 20 minutes, and Marija had picked up the remaining 15 contacts, to get over the line with 44 contacts, thus qualifying the park for the global WWFF awards. Contact number 44 was with Mark VK3FOTO/m.
It was coming up to 12.30 p.m. local time. We packed up and headed off to Morgan for some lunch, with our next activation being the Morgan Conservation Park.
VK1FWBD/p (SOTA Black Mountain VK1/ AC-042 & VKFF-0834)
VK3HBG
VK2IO/m (Watagans National Park VKFF-0522)
VK3QB
VK1AD/2 (Mount Marulan SOTA VK2/ ST-039)
VK2AOR/p (Popran National Park VKFF-0417)
VK2LAX/p (Popran National Park VKFF-0417)
VK3ANL/p (SOTA VK3/ VE-004 & Alpine National Park VKFF-0619)
VK2IO/p (SOTA Barraba Trig VK2/ HU-065)
VK3TKK/p (Bay of Islands Coastal Park VKFF-0743)
VK2GGA
VK3TJC/m
VK3FOTO/m
VK5FDEC
VK2AWJ
VK1AD/2 (SOTA VK2/ ST-039)
VK2NWB
VK2FADV
VK7FOLK/m
VK3FMPB
VK7BC
VK2RH/p
VK2RI
VK2KT
VK3KMB/p
VK2GKA
On our way to Morgan, from the mobile, Marija and I both logged Peter VK3TKK/p who was activating the Bay of Islands Coastal Park VKFF-0743. Peter had a strong 5/9 signal into the mobile.
Monument Australia, 2017, <http://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/government—state/display/98413-corporal-william-murray-wickham-and-mounted-constable-john-dunning&gt;, viewed 27th April 2017
Government of South Australia, 2014, River Murray-South East Nature Link
Cooltong Conservation Park 5CP-046 and VKFF-0823
Marija and I had one planned park activation for Sunday (23rd April 2017). That being the Cooltong Conservation Park 5CP-046 & VKFF-0823 which is located about 257 km north east of Adelaide, and just a few km to the west of the town of Renmark.
Map showing the location of the Cooltong Conservation in the Riverland region of South Australia. Map courtesy of Protected Planet.
Marija and I have activated this park previously, for both the VK5 National & Conservation Parks Award and the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program. We visited the park together back in April 2015 when Marija had made 15 contacts, qualifying the park for VKFF, but falling a bit short of the 44 QSOs required for the global WWFF program. So Marija was hoping to pick up a few more contacts to get over the 44 line.
https://vk5pas.org/2016/04/20/cooltong-conservation-park-5cp-046-and-vkff-0823/
And I had activated the park back in May 2015 and well and truly had qualified the park for both VKFF and WWFF.
https://vk5pas.org/2015/05/12/cooltong-conservation-park-vkff-823/
However, I had been given permission to use the special call of VK5WOW, issued to help celebrate the upcoming 2017 WIA AGM & Convention in Handorf.
We made an early start and had breakfast at the motel and then headed to the home of Ivan VK5HS. As it turned out my wife Marija and Ivan had secretly arranged to instal a BHI noise eliminating speaker in the Toyota Hi Lux. Many thanks to both Marija and Ivan. It is a really welcome addition to the vehicle. Peter VK5PE also popped around.
Whilst there we all worked Andrew VK1AD who was on SOTA summitBobbara Mountain VK2/ ST-044, and then John VK5BJE/3 who was portable in the Snowy River National Park VKFF-0455. And we also worked VK5WOW on the callback after the VK5 WIA Broadcast.
Marija and I then headed across the historic Paringa bridge into the little town of Paringa. The bridge was constructed in 1927 for the railway extension over the River Murray to Renmark. It is one of South Australia's significant engineering monuments and is a State Heritage Place protected by the Heritage Places Act 1993.
We then headed out to Lock 5 which was built during the 1920's to regulate the flow and the levels of the Murray River. There are a number of information boards here explaining how the lock was installed. You can also view the 80 ton barge, the Bunyip. Along the way we workd Nick VK3ANL who was activating SOTA peak Mount Torbreck VK3/ VN-001.
Our next stop was the Black Stump at Paringa, the largest of 11 known black stumps in Australia.
We then visited the Olivewood historic homestead and museum. This was the home of the Chaffey Bros, founders of Australia's first irrigation settlement in Renmark in 1887. The old homestead is open for inspection and is furnished from this period.
The adjacent museum contains numerous early photos and memorabillia, including an amount of old radio gear.
We then called in to the Twenty Third Distillery in Renmark for some lunch….wood fire oven pizzas and a few cold Ciders.
It was now approaching 1.30 p.m. local time and we headed out to the Cooltong Conservation Park. We accessed the park via Santos Road which runs off the Sturt Highway. There are no signs on the Highway indicating the park. But a few km up Santos Road we reached the park which is signposted.
Cooltong Conservation Park was dedicated in 1993 and comprised 3,681 hectares of mallee vegetation. The name Cooltong is derived from a local aboriginal name meaning 'lizard place'. A large number of native birds can be found in the park including the rarely seen Malleefowl.
Marija and I drove a short distance in the park and found a clearing in amongst the scrub off Santos Road. It was a hot da7, 29 deg C, so we erected the awning on the Toyota Hi Lux and set up the deck chairs and fold up table underneath the awning. We ran the Yaesu FT-857d for this activation, initially set at 10 watts PEP for Marija, and then at 40 watts for me. The antenna was the 80/40/20m linked dipole supported on the 7m telescopic squid pole.
Aerial shot of the park showing our operating spot. Image courtesy of Protected Planet.
Marija started off first, with contact number one on 40m SSB being Mark VK5QI/m who was mobile on his way home from the Riverland. Mark is an active member of AREG and had taken part in the balloon launch the day previous. Contact number two for Marija was Jonathon VK7JON, followed by Damien VK3FRAB/p, Bruce VK3FBNG, and then Bill VK5MBD/p who was portable near Overland Corner. Contact number 7 was a Park to Park contact with Greg VK4VXX/2 who was activating the Mutawintji National Park VKFF-0374.
The band was in good shape and there were a lot of amateurs about due to it being the Easter weekend. Marija very soon had the required 29 contacts in the log (to add to her previous 15) to qualify the park for WWFF. The honour of contact 29 goes to Ian VK3VIN in Corio.
Marija worked a total of 66 stations on 40 from VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, and VK7. This included further Park to Park contacts with John VK5BJE/3 who was portable in the Lake Tyers State Park VKFF-0761, David VK5HYZ/p in the Scott Creek Conservation Park VKFF-0788, Peter VK3PF/4 on SOTA peak VK4/ SE-043 in the D'Aguilar National Park VKFF-0129, Bill VK4FW/p in the Nour Nour National Park VKFF-0701, and Bill VK3CWF/p in the Brisbane Ranges National Park VKFF-0055.
Craig VK3CRG streamed Marija's contacts via VK3RTV, Digital Amateur TV in Melbourne.
Marija swapped the mic with me, allowing me to log the Park activators.
It was my turn to jump on the mic and operate as VK5WOW. And WOW (sorry for the pun), what a pile up. I reached contact number 44 in just 30 minutes (Kevin VK2VKB). In around 1 hour & 20 minutes I had contact number 100 in the log (Ray VK3RW). I logged a total of 104 contacts on 40m with most contacts around Australia into VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, and VK7. I logged 2 DX stations on 40m: Brian ZL2ASH in Wellington, New Zealand, and Vicente EA3GP in Tarragona, Spain. I made one Park to Park contact, and that was with Peter VK3PF/4 who was in the D'Aguilar National Park VKFF-0129.
During my time on 40m, Shaun VK5FAKV called me. Shaun lives very close by to the park and I gave him directions on how to find me. I have spoken with Shaun many times on air, and it was a pleasure to meet him finally in person.
I then gave the 20m band a crack, but had very little success there. Long path propagation into Europe was non existant. I logged just 6 stations on 20m from VK2, VK4, VK6 and Japan.
I then moved back to 40m where I logged a further 20 stations from VK2, VK3, VK4, and VK6. This included a Park to Park with Bill VK4FW who was in the Nour Nour National Park VKFF-0701.
It was starting to get dark, 5.30 p.m. local time, and I decided to give the 80m band a shot. I called CQ on 3.610 and this was answered by Bernie VK4KX who had followed me down from 40. This was followed by Ivan VK5HS at nearby Renmark who was of course 5/9 +++. I worked a total of 19 stations on 80m from VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, and VK7.
I decided to give 40m one last try, hoping to get some North American DX in the log. Sadly, this was not to happen. But I did log a further 12 stations from VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, and VK6.
It was now 6.30 p.m. local time and it was time to pack up and head back into Renmark for a bite to eat. I had a total of 161 contacts in the VK5WOW log. Thanks to everyone who called, and I apologise to those who missed out in the pile up. Be patient and persistent and I am sure to work you.
In the Cooltong CP
At the end of the activation Marija and I enjoyed a very nice meal at the Renmark Club and it was then back to the motel room, for another early start in the morning.
VK3FBNG
VK5MBD/p
VK3CGB
VK3YXC
VK1AT/p
VK5PE
VK2HPN/m
VK5AYD
VK2PDW
VK5WG
VK2OD
VK3TKK
VK3AXF
VK7AU
VK3HKV
VK3ZLD
VK5HYZ/p (Scott Creek Conservation Park VKFF-0788)
VK3PF/4 (SOTA VK4/ SE-043 & D'Aguilar National Park VKFF-0129)
VK3FPSR
VK3FAJH
VK5TR
VK5AFZ
VK5YL
VK3CRG
VK5MA/p
VK4FW/p (Nour Nour National Park VKFF-0701)
VK3CWF/p (Brisbane Ranges National Park VKFF-0055)
VK3ZZS/p
VK5FANA/m
VK7NWT
VK5IS
VK5CP
VK2HI
VK5HEL
VK5FMJC
VK2GPT/p
VK3TL
VK3MIC
VK3ZL
I worked the following stations (under VK5PAS) on 40m SSB:-
VK5HYZ/p (Scott Creek Conservation Park)
I worked the following stations (under VK5WOW) on 40m SSB:-
VK3PF/4
VK5NE
VK3GYH/p
VK2FRKO
VK2VW
VK3YQS
VK3BL
VK3VLY
VK3JM
VK2PDW/m
VK3MNZ
VK2VKB
VK2SK
VK3FADM/2
VK2JXA/p
VK3YSP/p
VK4BX
VK5DJW
VK5ZGY/m
VK2NSS
VK2VOL
VK3PLP
VK3BSG
VK4VXX
VK5WF
VK3PI
VK7FEAT/m
VK7AN
VK3RU
VK3TJS
VK5KFB
VK2ZQ
VK2BMU
VK5NJ
VK2UCT
VK4ND
VK3BGE
EA3GP
VK3MAB
VK5ZKU
VK3FMPC
VK3MJR
VK3RW
VK3STU
VK3MCD
VK3TJK
VK2HHS
VK4FW/p (VKFF-0701)
VK2HBT
VK4HHA
VK3WAR
VK2FSAV
VK6WC
VK2SOL
VK3NLK
VK3FMDC
VK4DA
VK2BTO
VK3FEVT
VK3AND
VK3FLES
VK4FSCC
VK4FRAL/m
VK2TMC
VK2SVN
VK2WWV
VK2MI
JA1VRY
VK2CMP
VK6GLX
VK4VCO/p
VK5HYZ
VK5ATQ
VK5MG
VK5FMAZ/m
VK2MTM
Department of Environment and Natural Resources, 2011, 'Parks of the Riverland'
Discover Murray, 2017, <http://www.murrayriver.com.au/paddleboats/river-boat-trail-renmark/&gt;, viewed 27th April 2017
Renmark Paringa Visitor Information Centre, 2015, 'Renmark, Paringa & Lyrup Visitor Guide'
Wikipedia, 2017, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooltong,_South_Australia&gt;, viewed 27th April 2017
2017 BRL Gathering at Overland Corner
On Saturday morning (22nd April 2017) Marija and I headed out to the historic Overland Corner Hotel for the 2017 BRL Gathering, hosted by the Riverland Radio Club. This was the third year that the club had held the event. And this year was special as the Amateur Radio Experimenters Group (AREG) were going to conduct a High Altitude Balloon launch at the gathering.
So after breakfast at the motel, Marija and I made the 30 minute journey from Renmark out to the Overland Corner Hotel.
Map showing the location of the Overland Corner Hotel in the Riverland region of South Australia. Map courtesy of google maps.
The Overland Corner Hotel is located about 21 km from Barmera, and is situated off the Goyder Highway. The hotel was originally established as a watering hole for drovers and overlanders operating between New South Wales and Adelaide in the colony of South Australia. It also served as a temporary camping ground for steamers passing through the area along the mighty Murray River, about 600 feet from the hotel. The hotel was erected in 1859 and since that time has served as a staging point, a general store, a police station and a local Post Office.
The Overland Corner Hotel, c. 1910. Courtesy of Trove.
The Brand brothers, Henry, William, George and James who migrated to Australia from Kent, England in 1851 were commissioned by John Chambers, the enterprising pastoralist to build the Overland Corner Hotel in 1859. The hotel's original construction was almost entirely of locally available materials, including limestone, red gum and native pine timbers, a dirt floor, and thatched roof of river reeds. A nearby quarry provided the stone for the hotel. The rock is composed almost entirely of fossils. Corals, shellfish and the occasional shark's tooth give evidence that this area was once covered by warm, shallow seas, long before man walked on the earth, some fifteen million years ago. That the building remains is a tribute to these pioneer builders and their skills of construction.
The Brand brothers. Courtesy of Barmera Visitor Information Centre
The National Trust purchased the building in 1965 and the fossilised limestone building was completely restored. It is the oldest structure remaining in the area.
There is a small museum in the hotel displaying various relics, even an old morse key.
It is reputed that the bushranger Henry Arthur 'Harry' Readford, visited the hotel. Readford was imortalised in the 1882-83 novel 'Robbery Under Arms'. The character 'Captain Starlight' in the book was a composite of several bushrangers including Readford created by the author Rolf Boldrewood. It is reported that Readford and his gang came to Overland Corner, and after stopping in at the nearby police station, where they locked the police in the cells, retired to the Overland Corner for a drink. Stories abound that Readford even rode his horse into the bar and before leaving he carved his name onto the hotel's wall. Sadly no trace of this remains today.
Harry Readford. Image courtesy of Wikipedia.
The carpark at the rear of the hotel offered plenty of room for those staying for a few nights at Overland Corner for the BRL Gathering.
The BRL Gathering is a terrific social function, and if you have never attended, I highly recommend that you do. It is a great day of catching up with old mates and sitting around in the pub's gardens enjoying a frothy or two and a great pub meal.
Without a doubt the highlight of this years BRL Gathering was a High Altitude Balloon launch by the Amateur Radio Experimenters Group (AREG).
Below is a short video of the balloon launch…….
This was the first test flight of a new experimental cross band voice repeater: Input- 147.500 MHz, Output- 438.850 MHz. A number of contacts were logged on the repeater, with the special call of VK5WOW being used. Marija and I were lucky enough to make contact via HT.
Ivan VK5HS logging contacts via the repeater
Marija VK5FMAZ making contact with VK5WOW via the repeater
Ron VK5MRE making contact via the repeater
An interested group of onlookers
I had a small display table erected, promoting the VK5 National & Conservation Parks Award and the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program. I also delivered three short talks on these two programs, and operating portable.
Frank VK3VEF was awarded the BRL Net Award, while Dennis VK2HHA was issued with a special award certificate for assisting as a relay station on the Riverland Radio Group Net.
A great day had by all. Marija and I will certainly be there again next year.
After leaving we popped in just up the road to have a look at a historic BlackBox tree dating back to 1780. The species has fibrous roots that were chewed by Aboriginal women to make a tough fibre. The fibre was used to make netting to trap birds, animals and fish. Nets were up to 50 metres long and could take a year or more to make.
We then stopped in to have a look at the Overland Corner cemetery, which is the largest cemetery in the area and is still used today. Members of the Brand family and other residents of the early European settlement lie here.
We also visited the lookout from where you can enjoy panoramic views of the flats, river cliffs and the hotel.
We then stopped off at Chocolates and More at Monash which is located opposite the Monash Adventure Park. Plenty of calories here to be enjoyed.
We had a little bit of time before dinner, so we also visited the small lookout tower on the outskirts of Renmark, and enjoyed the sunset.
That evening, a number of us, including Ivan VK5HS and his wife Cheryl, Peter VK5PE and his wife Nat, and Mick VK3GGG and his wife Anne, had dinner at the Renmark Hotel. Plenty of laughs were had.
Barmera Visitor Centre, 2009, 'Historic Overland Corner Hotel'
State Library South Australia, <http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/murray/content/didyouknow/bushrangers.htm&gt;, viewed 27th April 2017
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VK3IL, David
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VK3TST
VK3WAM, Wayne
VK3YY, Glenn
VK3ZPF, Peter
VK4DX
VK4FFAB Rob
VK4JAZ blog
VK5 Nat/Cons Parks Yahoo Group
VK5AKH, Andy
VK5BJE, John
VK5BUG
VK5FO, Bob
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VK5KC
VK5LA, Andy
VK5MAV
VK5NQP, David
VK5PAS web site
VK6FCBG
VK6FMTG
VK6MAC
VK7BEN
VK7TW
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WX4ET
ZL2AJ
ZL3CC