2022 National Wattle Day Red Hill Nature Reserve VKFF-0860

1st September is National Wattle Day, with an award for activating a VKFF park from Paul VK5PAS. Afternoon headed to one of the Canberra Nature Parks, Red Hill Nature Reserve, VKFF-0860. Sign for the park off Gowrie Dr, with a wattle nearby...

Drove to the first lookout, overlooking Parliament House and walked West until reaching and jumping over a gate into the reserve.  Some nice wattle displays out now

Set up the squid pole on a disused telephone access point, quite old as marked "PMG" for Post Master General, this has not existed for many years...

Looking back the other way. Used a small wattle tree for one of the dipole legs support.

Looking down the hill at the station. Note Parliament House below, also the Australian War Memorial and Mount Ainslie in the distance.

Operating spot. Map from Openstreetmap. Parliament house just down the hill.

Station on the telephone junction access cover. It was flat but not that comfortable after sitting a while...

Got on 40m. Band quite good. Worked VK2YAK Gavin in VKFF-1410 Port Stephens - Great Lakes Marine Park

Spotted myself on 7.110. Worked VK1VIC/p Tony in VKFF-0164 Eurobodalla National Park

VK3SQ Geoff. Then a couple more P2Ps

VK3BEZ in VKFF-0764 Moondarra State Park

VK2MET in VKFF-0490 Tomaree National Park

VK4HAT. Then VK2IO in VKFF-3198 Western Sydney Regional Park

VK2LEE, VK2MES, VK2HMC

A couple more P2Ps, with

VK4MGL in VKFF-1663 Toohey Forest Conservation Park

VK5PL in VKFF-0900 Lake Frome Conservation Park

VK3AMO, VK3UH, VK2BYF.

Went quiet on 40m so moved to 20m. Worked VK2DA, then a couple of EU stations, IK4IDF and PD2BA. 

VK4NTL/m in Townsville.

Saw a spot for VK4KC Marty in VKFF-0080 Cape Palmerston National Park, so called him and got his other calls too, VK4MAD VK4DOG in the log.

Packed up and headed home before peak hour traffic started, still busy at 4pm.

National Wattle Day award from VK5PAS Paul, thanks Paul.

WWFF Activation Red Hill Nature Reserve VKFF-0860

With a nice sunny Sunday afternoon decided to do another WWFF park activation. Returned to Red Hill Nature Reserve, as I needed 13 more QSOs to reach the 44 needed for WWFF.
Drove up Gowrie Dr, entering the reserve.

After the Federal Golf course turnoff the road becomes Red Hill Dr. At the top of the hill there is a lookout with some signs, and a plaque on Parliament House below.  Unfortunately not much of a view of it from here as the trees have grown up...

To the left of the plaque there was an access road for a mobile phone tower. There was a gate and a fence below, used one of the fence posts to support the squid pole.

Location within the park. Map courtesy Openstreetmaps.

Parliament House down the hill below. SOTA peaks Mt Ainslie and Mt Majura behind it.

Shack set up on the tarp. FT857-D set to 30w output. It was in the shade of the tree at the start, not so later...

Got on 40m. Started with chasing a couple of other park activations. Park to park contacts with VK4AAC/p Rob in VKFF-0198 Girraween National Park and VK4SMA/p in VKFF-1542 Flinders Peak Conservation Park.

Spotted myself on Parknpeaks and worked the following hunters
VK4TJ John
VK4RF/VK4HA Rick
VK1CT Chris
VK4FARR Glen
VK3CMR Clive

Another park to park with VK1LAJ/p Aaron in nearby VKFF-0851 Mount Majura Nature Reserve.

Went on to work:
VK3GMM Max
VK3UP Terry
VK3FMKE Keith
VK2ZVG Steven
VK4SYD Rob.

Band conditions were not good. Tried 20 m with no luck. As had 14 contacts had made the 44 total needed, decided to pack up and go home

Red Hill Nature Reserve VKFF-0860

With a day off work for ANZAC day and nice weather decided to activate another Canberra Nature Park for the WWFF award, VKFF-0860 Red Hill Nature Reserve. This park has not been activated before.

This is a very easy park to visit, there is a road going to the lookout on the top of Red Hill. It is just South of Parliament House at the end of Melbourne Avenue, take Gowrie Dr, where you enter the park.

Gowrie Dr continues at a turnoff to the right heading down to the Federal Golf Club, Red Hill Dr continues to the top. The road passes by a lookout over Parliament House. The trees are getting a bit high though to see it properly, here is a view through a gap in the trees.

The road ends in a loop around a round building, Red Hill Cafe and Restaurant. Parked in front of the building. Summit marker out the front of the restaurant. The restaurant on the top floor is called On Red. Very expensive, have not dined there before. The cafe below used to be good but has also become too expensive lately to visit, a pity as it has nice views.

Summit marker. Interestingly the map shows the Red Hill Summit to the North as 720 m, must have 2 peaks about the same height. Note there is not enough prominence for the summit to qualify for SOTA. There is also another hill just South of here, Davidson Hill, at 749 m. Also does not qualify for SOTA. Anyway both are within Red Hill Nature Reserve so good for a WWFF activation.

Walked around the back of the restaurant to a track along the ridge, The Red Track. A sign about it.

Another view looking down to the suburb of Red Hill. The commercial area of Fyshwick beyond, Canberra airport on the left, Queanbeyan in the distance. The oval just below is in Canberra Grammar School Red Hill.

A bit further on a sign about the Red Hill geology.

Off track behind this sign spotted a good area to set up the radio on the Western side of the hill. Used a small gum tree sapling to support the squid pole.

Shack in the shade of the trees.

Got on 40 m. Managed to get a park to park contact with Tony AX3VTH/p in VKFF-0264 Kinglake NP, just before he went clear on 7.144 Mhz. Then worked Paul AX5PAS/p with a good strong signal in VKFF-0881 Ferries - McDonald CP.

Moved down to 7.135 Mhz and got spotted, then the pileup began... Lots of good strong signals from chasers in VK2, VK3 and VK5. Another Park to park contact with AX4FR/5 Chris in VKFF-0832 Swan Reach CP.

Worked my usual VK4 contact with Rick VK4RF/VK4HA with a good S8 signal. Stopped calling to chase Brian VK3MCD/p on SOTA peak VK3/VE-014.

Finished up with a local contact with Matt VK1MA, a huge signal on Red Hill. Headed back home. A total of 31 contacts, so need to return to complete the 44 contacts needed for a WWFF point.

A view to the West towards Woden and the Brindabellas from Red Hill

Map showing my operating spot