Background
In the mid-1940s, the Post Office (PMG) set up a large shortwave monitoring station
at a location known as Highpark, about 60 km north of Melbourne.
The location was in open country, not far from the town of Kilmore.
The facility was staffed 24 hrs, and was equipped with state-of-the art rackl-mounted
communications receivers, connected to a vast array of antennas.
The primary purpose of the station was to monitor spectrum occupancy of Radio
Australia services, as well as carry out breciprocal monitoring for other large international broadcasters, such as the Voice
of America and the BBC.
Remote access to some receivers was performed from the PMG’s Central Office
Radio Section in William St, Melbourne, allowing spot-checks to be made at any time, with the audio being fed back via telephone
lines.
The author visited the station in 1971 and 1984, as a member of a local hobby
radio monitoring group.
The facility was located west of O’Dwyers Rd and south of Lowdens Rd.
There was once a railway station nearby, known as Highpark, which was on the former Kilmore to Lancefield railway
line, closed in 1897.
Closure
In the late 1980s, the
Highpark Receiving Station was pulled down and all infrastructure was removed. The land reverted to farmland. No trace of
the original masts or buildings remain.
The receivers were ultimately sold at public auction.
