Percival Hill Nature Reserve VKFF-0859

Time to activate another Canberra Nature Park for the World Wide Flora and Fauna Award, this one Percival Hill Nature Reserve VKFF-859.

The park is names after Percival Hill, a prominent hill close to the Barton Highway roundabout intersection with Gundaroo Drive and William Slim Drive, in the Gungahlin suburb of Nicholls.

Drove to the end of Schow Place in Nicholls and started walking. There is a gate to climb through into the reserve.

Walked up to the ridge top and turned right onto a track heading up the hill.

After a short walk reached Percival Hill trig

Good view to the South West looking towards Belconnen, Black Mountain visible. William Slim Drive and the Barton Highway roundabout below.

View to the South East of Crace, a fairly new suburb, I can remember this being grasslands not that long ago...Mount Majura and Mount Ainslie in the distance

View to the North West

Set up the squid pole on the trig

Set up the radio shack at the base on the tarp.

Got on 40 m. Started with a Park to Park contact with Paul VK5PAS/P in VKFF-826 Kyeema CP. Then usual chasers from VK1, VK2, VK3 VK4 and VK5. A few more park contacts, VK5HCF/P Col in Penambol CP VKFF-802, VK3VTH/P Tony in VKFF-775 Werribee Gorge SP and VK4FFAB/P Rob in VKFF-507 Venman Bushland National Park

Switched to 20 m after contacts dried up on 40 m. Worked Paul VK5PAS/P again, we then both worked Fred VK4FE in Mowbray NP VKFF-367 in North Queensland near Cairns with a good signal.

Paul kindly let me stay on 14.310 Mhz. Spotted myself on the DX cluster then the EU pileup began...
Usual park chasers with good signals. S58AL, I5FLN, DK4RM, OK7WA, IK1GPG, DL2ND, S53KM. The band seemed to close to Europe after about a half hour so only a brief opening.

Went back to 40m to chase Brett VK4TWO/P in VKFF-070 Burrum Coast National Park. A few more contacts, then another park contact with Paul VK5PAS now in VKFF-824 Cox Scrub CP.

As around 4:30 pm the sun was setting and it was getting quite cold, there was a chilly wind blowing on the summit so packed up and headed down after around 40 contacts. Need to return to get the 44...

Sunset view looking down at Gungahlin Pond. Town of Gungahlin in the distance.

 Track log of walk. Map is out of date, note the blank space is now the suburb of Crace...