SOTA End Peak VK2/MN-098

After activating VK2/MN-176 returned to Coffs Harbour for lunch, then headed up to Sealy Lookout to the start of the walk to End Peak. See my last activation  End Peak for how to get there.

Sealy Lookout Forest Sky Pier.

Great views, the weather was perfect, no wind and around 20c. Looking towards Coffs Harbour

Looking South. Several SOTA peaks visible.

There are signs to help identify peaks. Several are SOTA peaks that have yet to be activated, and would require serious 4WDing to access..

Just past the lookout car park a picnic area, with the track to End Peak

Walked along the track. Steep in places. There are 2 minor peaks that must be climbed first prior to reaching End Peak... so down, up, down, up, down and up to the summit... About a 1.5 Km walk taking around 30 minutes to get to the End Peak summit.

No trig here, really just a high point in the track. Spotted a small sapling in a good spot for squid pole support, but too small to support the weight of the pole on its own. Found a branch with a bend at the end of it, by lashing this to the sapling with compression cords was able to get the squid pole and dipole up in the middle of a clearing. Would have fallen over if any wind but luckily there was none today...

Shack on the tarp. My dodgy squid pole support arrangement shown...

Got on 40m. Worked VK2JDS/m and VK2YW with good signals. Worked S2S with Gerard VK2IO/1 on VK1/AC-044, also Andrew VK1MBE/2 on VK2/ST-006. Went on to work local Paul VK2KTT in Coffs Harbour with a strong signal, VK4RF/VK4HA, VK3LED.

Changed the links to 20m and tried calling CQ. Got Allen VK3HRA plus a Russian station, who kept talking over the top of Allen, anyway worked Allen okay.

Packed up and headed back to the car, and the picnic area for afternoon tea.

In the evening walked to the end of the Coffs Harbour Jetty and climbed Muttonbird Island to see the sunset. End Peak above the harbour and the 2 minor peaks to the right of it visible.