Maroochy Wetlands Conservation Park VKFF-1589, POTA VK-1231 A 1km walk is required from the car park to be within the park boundary. The are mangrove wetlands so there is a raised boardwalk that runs from the visitors centre to the river. There is a large sheltered area with seating near the river which is where I activated. I got 52 contacts including park to parks with Bob VK2BYF, Colin VK2VAR (SSB) and K7CAR in Arizona via FT8. I had phone reception on Optus. Insect repellent is a must. I used the 7300 with 100 amp/hr battery and laptop for FT8. I used an old pram base to load all the gear on to.
Horseshoe Lagoon Conservation Park VKFF-1560, POTA VK-1301 This lagoon is a bird watchers paradise with a bird hide viewing platform. This park is fenced with barbed wire so activating from a vehicle is not possible. Just a few metres up from the bird hide I jumped the fence and was able to operate from within the park. I had phone coverage with Telstra and Optus.
A quick activation Friday morning at Darwin before heading to the airport to take a flight back home to Brisbane. From the entry gates driving to the main car park I passed many munition depots that we’re used in the 2nd world war. One of them is open as a WW2 display but due to lack of time that will need to wait till my next visit to Darwin. At the entry there was a sign warning the public to cover up due to small biting insects. I didn’t think much of this at the time but it certainly was a problem when I was setting up. From the car park there is a large grassed area with picnic tables and permanent gazebo shelters. I noticed a lookout platform where I took a couple of photos, one showing Darwin in the distance. To the north of the lookout there was a gazebo with a large tree right next to it which is were I hoisted the inverted V dipole with strong fishing line. From the time I got out of the car to the time I began setting up I was being bitten by very small sand flies. I was
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