VK9LA – Lord Howe Island

Yuri, YL2GM will serve as VK9LA at IOTA OC – 004, Lord Howe Island, June 14-24, 2024.
He will operate at 160-10 meters.
Nearest DX Point VK9LA
VK9LA Log Searchsearch QSL through YL2GN, ClubLog OQRS, LOTW.

VK9LA previous activities:

Doug, VK3YQS is currently active as VK9LA on Lord Howe Island, IOTA OC – 004.
He is working on the high frequency band.
QSL via Family Call.
Direct QSL advertising:
Doug Speedy, 6 Clements Street, Highett, 3190, Australia.
Previous events:

K5YY, SQ8X, SQ9DIE, SV2KBS, VK3HJ, VK3QB, VK4IO, VK4VCH, VK5CP, VK5PO, VU3RSB and VK4FW will be active from Lord Howe Island from 24 March to 3 April 2009 as VK9LA.
They will operate on the 160 – 6m band CW, SSB, RTTY.
QSL is performed via VK4FW.

Lord Howe Island

This aerial view of tiny Lord Howe Island looks like a neat bagel, a horseshoe, half a bagel, or, more accurately, a boomerang. That’s not surprising: Australia’s Lord Howe Island is an isolated region in New South Wales.

Located in the southernmost sea of ​​the Pacific Basin, the Tasman Sea, is an exceptionally beautiful piece of land that stretches 10 kilometers from north to south and is no more than 2 kilometers wide. More precisely, Lord Howe Island is located halfway between Norfolk Island and the northeast coast of Australia, separated from the island by 770 kilometers of sea water.

Two geographic coordinates on the Southern and Eastern Hemisphere maps give very precise geographic locations:

• 159°15′02″E;
• 31°45′21″S (latitude).

Road to the Mountains, Lord Howe Island. Author – Michael Howard.

“Let us get to know each other, my Lord!”

First of all, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, protecting the island’s well-preserved pristine natural scenery. For this reason, some introduced animals have even been expelled.

Second, Boomerang is really small: just 14.55 square kilometers. That’s about 100 times the size of St. Petersburg.

Third, the existence of Lord Howe Island was known to mankind relatively late, in 1788. Then, on a fine day on February 17, a British ship accidentally sailed past the island – a messenger schooner with the unromantic name of the “Supply Man”. It was transporting prisoners from an Australian prison to the gun batteries on Norfolk Island.

This picturesque island did not go unnoticed by Captain Litchbird, and it became his geographical discovery.

Fourth, the two sides of Lord Howe Island are not the same. The north shore is lower (no more than 300 meters above sea level), low-lying and hilly. The south shore is much higher, 875 meters above the water, with several basalt mountains with strange shapes:

Fifth, parts of the waters around the western shore of the island have strong coral reefs. This has formed the tiny Rabbit Island, which sits between the reef and Lord Howe Island. The large colonies of coral polyps that have settled offshore of the island are considered the southernmost point of coral origin on Earth.

Sixth, there are no fewer than thirty small satellite islands surrounding Lord Howe Island.

Rocks and reflections, Lord Howe Island. Author – Treen42.

“Rising from the depths of the sea” – the origin of the island

It is a volcanic island. That is, what is now Lord Howe Island is the result of a process of magma, lava and ash “bursting” in this part of the Tasman Sea more than 20 million years ago. The volcano gradually weakened and subsided, forming a stable dome over the waters that became the north and south coasts of the island.

Between the two banks, in the center, layers of coral and sand are piled up – this is the brief “story” of how this island was formed over many years by nature. It is the oldest island in the Pacific Ocean and was “born” by a volcano.

The history of Lord Howe Island dates back 20 million years, when two volcanoes erupted, creating two different structures, the North and South islands. Over time, the two islands merged into one, with a 45-meter-high coral cofferdam in the middle, covered with sand dunes.

20 km from the southeast coast of Lord Howe Island lies the world’s highest volcanic cliff: Balls Pyramid. Its highest point reaches 650 meters into the sky. At the same time, on the entire land surface (measured in 0.8 km units), not a single person can be found: the island is uninhabited.

By the way, the Bowers Pyramid is also administratively part of New South Wales, Australia, and this island was discovered at the same time as Lord Howe Island, simply because they are adjacent to each other.

“Steam won’t break your bones” – Lord Howe Island’s climate

The island is located at the intersection of two of the warmest climate zones:

This climatic “crossroads” is exacerbated by the unequal altitudes of the north and south coasts, resulting in significant differences in plant cover on hillsides of different geometries and heights.

White Terns, Lord Howe Island. Author – Eleanor Dilley.

“My Family and Other Animals” – Animals that grow and live on the island

Lord Howe Island offers some of the best growing and development conditions for plants in the Southern Hemisphere:

• Ideal temperature;
• Optimum humidity;
• Plenty of natural sunlight.

The trees here are particularly suitable for living. For example, there is a unique plant that grows only on Lord Howe Island: the Lord Howe palm. This is a unique palm tree, and its seeds are exported from the island to many countries, not just tropical and subtropical countries.

The reason why the seeds of this tree are intensively traded is simple: it grows well in indoor conditions, blooms regularly and produces aromatic fruits in:

• greenhouse;
• greenhouse;
• greenhouse;
• Right in the room.

The drought-tolerant Hovea Forstera is slender with beautiful large pinnate leaves, a real decoration of the island, giving it the air of a fairytale oasis in the middle of the ocean. The exotic trunk of this palm tree is particularly striking: it clearly expands at the border with the soil and has encircling leaf “scars” along the trunk.

In addition to numerous Howea forsteriana, at least 200 species of so-called higher plants grow, flower and bear fruit in sufficiently fertile soils containing a large number of nutrients and trace elements (a legacy of the magmatic past!). At least a third of these (about 70 species) are representatives of flora endemic to the island, which is covered with one and two layers of dense tropical forest.

Most of the island’s animals were feathered. It is noteworthy that by the 21st century, not all endemic species have survived, and the reason for this is whaling: rats that had never lived on the islands before were brought to the islands from the holds of whaling ships. These mammals completely wiped out several populations by eating eggs and young.

A few words about the government

Lord Howe Island has internal self-government organized by the Island Council. This means that, as part of Australia, the island is free to make decisions about its internal life.

“Very Happy!” – What Kind of People Live on the Island

The inhabitants of Lord Howe Island are few and far between: only 350 people. They are descendants of the first settlers who arrived from New Zealand in 1834. These first settlers actually started a business very quickly, organizing a whaling base.

Not surprisingly, until that year the island was completely uninhabited: its remoteness from the “greater land” was a serious impediment to the historic settlement of this rather favourable land.

“It’s like honey!”

Lord Howe Island has attracted a large number of tourists since the beginning of the 20th century. Due to its small size and beautiful scenery, Lord Howe Island usually only welcomes a maximum of 400 tourists at a time. This is a legal limit.

Besides organizing quite comfortable tourist services, the islanders are mainly engaged in preparing Hovey Forster seeds for export to other countries, an occupation that has successfully replaced the predatory whaling industry that fell into disrepair in the 19th century.

VK9LA. Where is Lord Howe Island located. Map.