SOTA Browns Mountain VK2/IL-009

Took the Moss Vale Rd out of Nowra up to Cambewarra Lookout Rd turnoff, just opposite this road is Leebold Hill Rd, an unsealed road. Followed this for a few km until reaching a road on the left with a locked gate, that takes you to Red Rocks Comms towers.

An elaborate locking system

Continued on foot past the gate until reaching the comms towers

Just to the left of this tower another tower

Behind the first tower to be seen, a faint track leading off in to the scrub

This changed to a single lane walking track, fairly easy to follow. After a few minutes reached some aboriginal grinding grooves site.

Grinding grooves

Continued on towards the summit on GPS heading. There was no tracks, just make your own way. Could sometimes see markers on trees. Rocky outcrops

After reaching a rocky outcrop descended down into a saddle then up the other side towards the summit. The odd pink tape markers, piles of rocks showing on the right path

I managed to get a bit off track and ended up in thick scrub... headed back up and managed to find the track again, very hard to see at times. Got to the trig after an hour from the car

Used the trig form squid pole support. Laying out just a 40 m dipole was tricky due to trees

Shack on the trig

Got on 40 m, which despite trees loaded up fine. Got on 7.090 and spotted myself on SOTAwatch. Steady stream of callers

VK5IS

VK4TJ

VK3ZPF

VK3SQ

VK2AX very strong from nearby Nowra

VK3PF

VK2VH

ZL3RIK weak but workable

VK7ME

VK3ARH

Saw a comment on Facebook that Gerard VK2IO could not hear me in Sydney. So laid out the 80 m dipole extensions, Despite the wires zig zagging through the trees seemed to load up ok, worked Gerard easily, No others on 80 m though.

Went back to 40 m and worked a couple more

VK2VRA

VK3YV

After lunch packed up and headed back, a little faster but still managed to lose the trail a few times... bit less than an hour

Track log of walk. Can see where I got lost...