Sunday, February 8, 2009

bush fires

The devastation of the bush fires in Victoria has left well over 100 people dead and over 750 homes destroyed. This is a harsh country. Meanwhile the floods in Queensland have wreaked havoc, and at least one child is missing assumed eaten by a crocodile.

The aerial pictures make you realise just how quickly the inferno can spread, fuelled by strong winds which constantly change direction. Frightening to see pictures of places we visited only a few months ago razed to the ground.

The saddest fact is that half of the state of Victoria is being treated as a crime scene as police suspect many fires were the work of thrill-seeking arsonists. It beggars belief.

It has changed our views of our idyllic campsite here at 'Ormiston'- surrounded by crispy dry trees, bark, leaf litter and tall dry grass. The evacuation plan is to grab the ginger dog and black chick and run like hell down to the lake and stand in the middle of it. Not a great plan, but the one most likely to ensure our survival.

Meanwhile Protea Farm has 12 acres of native bush. We will get advice from the fire services about utilising bore water to link up to a sprinkler system once we move in.

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