The Park

Livingstone National Park
Northern entrance

We have the New South Wales Government provided Pocket Guide to NSW Parks. We have the first edition and there may be a new edition now. Ours is dated August 2013. I thoroughly recommend the Pocket Guide, which, while free, still requires a large pocket as it contains 122 pages.

Livingstone National Park, is large at 1,910 hectares. The Pocket Guide states that ‘the Park is a relatively undisturbed area of habitat within an agricultural landscape…[T]he network of trails provide opportunities for 4WDs, trail bikes, mountain bikes and horse riders. All vehicles must be registered and off trail/road riding is not permitted’.

I must say, while I think all reasonable recreational activities must be allowed within a National Park, trying to secure a weak station qso on 40m with two trail bike riders revving their machines in the background is challenging QRM!

Access

The Pocket Guide provides advice on how to access the Park, that is, travelling from Albury in the South or from Wagga Wagga in the North. My advice is that the best way to access the Livingstone National Park (for amateur radio purposes) is via the Holbrook Road either from Holbrook or from Wagga Wagga, and, if coming from Wagga Wagga, turn left into O’Briens Creek Road and travel six kilometres and then turn right onto Wrigley’s Road and travel three kilometres. I recommend the same if coming from Albury via Holbrook. You will take a right hand turn at O’Brien’s Creek Road. Coming from the South we found two other signposts for the Park. One of these is mentioned in the Pocket Guide. This requires taking Burrandana Road for about 10 kilometres and then taking a left hand turn at the Burandana Hall. We did this only to find that the Southern end of the Park is listed as Livingstone Conservation
Reserve and does not count as a Park for amateur radio purposes.

Livingstone Conservation Area JCD photo

However, if you have a 4×4 you can take a track though the Park from South to North. This track is called Range Track, presumably after the rifle range next door to the Northern end of the Park. None of the maps we have mentioned the different Statutory basis for protection of the two areas. However, while waiting for my wife to take photographs of various features at the Southern end I had a contact from my car with VK3YSP/P3, Joe, who was portable in Coopracambra National Park (00:53 UTC). I also had a contact with Julie, VK3FOWL. I gave them both 5 and 7 and received 4 and 1 and 5 and 1 respectively. I indicated to Joe I would move to the Northern end of the Park and wait for him and Julie to activate Alfred National Park. I was using my Yaesu 857D in the car running 75 watts. Then to my delight I found Nick, VK3ANL/P3, on Mt Buller, VK3/VE-008 (00:59 UTC). I gave him 5 and 1 and received 5 and 9.

Contacts

I was delighted to have 12 contacts. I used my Yeasu 897 set for 15 watts. I thought band conditions were reasonable for the time of day. Signals are usually attenuated of 40 metres for a period during the middle of the day, that is, when the sun is overhead.

7.095,  02:10 UTC, VK3PF/P3, Mt Glen Rowan VK3/VE-230 & Warby-Ovens National Park, Peter

7.095, 03:09, UTC, VK5IS, Ian

7.100, 03:11, UTC, VK5KLV, Les at Mount Brown Conservation Park, SA

7.100, 03:13, UTC, VK5KPR,

7.100, 03:15, UTC, VK3JP, Ron at Bendigo

7.100, 03:20, UTC, VK3YAR, Ray at Bendigo

7.100, 03:27, UTC, VK5AV, Tim at Mount Gambier

7.100, 03:31, UTC, VK5EE, Tom at Mount Gambier

7.100, 03:35, UTC, VK3YSP/P3, Joe at Alfred National Park

7.100, 03:40, UTC, VK3FOWl/P3, Julie at Alfred National Park

7.100, 03:40, UTC, VK3FQSO, Amanda

7.100, 03:43, UTC, VK3TKK, Peter

7.100, 03:20, UTC, VK3YAR, Ray

I was pleased to have 12 contacts and especially delighted to work Joe and Julie in Alfred National Park. While I have activated this Park I have never been able to secure a contact until today. I need just two more parks for a full hand (45) as a chaser.