ILLW Lighthouse Station Chasing

The ILLW (International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend) was on so instead of looking for SOTA and WWFF Parks Activations went looking for lighthouse stations instead on Saturday.

Worked the following lighthouses

Callsign                   Band       Mode     Name                      QTH

VK3ATL/P              40m        SSB       Ken                      AU0028 Port Lonsdale Lighthouse

VK7LH/P                 40m        SSB      Unknown             AU0048 Low Head Lighthouse

VK2HBG/P             40m        SSB       Gerald                  AU0035 Warden Head Lighthouse

VK3YSP/P               40m        SSB      Joe                        AU0051 Queenscliff White Lighthouse

VK4WIR/P              20m        SSB       Brandon               AU0124 Old Sea Hill Lighthouse Gladstone

VK3IH/P                  40m        SSB      Paul                      AU0037 Cape Liptrap Lighthouse

VK3DJ/P                  40m        SSB      Dallas                   AU0050 Queenscliff Black Lighthouse

VK3WI/P                40m        SSB        Tony                    AU0036 Gellibrand Time Signal Williamstown Lighthouse

VK3SPL/P               40m        SSB       Byrce                  AU0032 Split Point Lighthouse

VK3OLS                  40m        SSB       Bandar                AU0011 Cape Otway Light Station

VK3EG/P                 40m        SSB       Col                      AU0027 Point Hicks Lighthouse

VK2BV                    40m        SSB       Laurie                 AU0022 Macquarie Lighthouse

All were on 40 m, apart from the one 20 m contact with VK4WIR in Gladstone. Conditions did not seem that good this year. Bands above 20 m seemed dead. At least 40 m wasn't too bad.

Once the RD (Rememberance Day) contest started it got hard to find lighthouse stations amongst the contest stations, so gave it away. Busy on Sunday so didn't get a chance to do more chasing.

I have visited some of these lighthouses. One near to Canberra is Warden Head, at Ulladulla. This is at the end of a road with a seaside lookout nearby, good for whale watching.

Another is to the South in Victoria, Point Hicks. Bit of a walk for me to get to from Thurra River, although the activators from the East Gippsland Radio Club got access to drive in.