Australian Bush Fires

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

I am not upset just a bit of over reaction on my part I guess. I watched quite a bit of footage on the current situation yesterday and it is tragic beyond words just heartbreaking. Sorry Neil I didn't appreciate the humour at that time.

[Former MemberParticipant @formermember19781]

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[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Well, I thought it was funny. Who ever heard of a wallaby called Bruce? Bwahahahahahahaha!

[Former MemberParticipant @formermember19781]

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[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Just for some context, we shoot 1.5 million wallabies and kangaroos a year to stop them over-running farm land. Doesn't make the dreadful fire deaths any less awful of course. But 'tis a sobering thought.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I must admit I have met wallabies (at a zoo) and was amazed that they just hop up to you and wait for a scratch, so i actually have a bit fo a soft spot for them (I know that offering a wild kagaroo a scratch might not be the wisest thing to do).

There are wild wallabies in various part of the UK.

Neil

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Yes, the ones in the wild are best not approached. But they are tameable in captivity. Some people keep them as pets. (Special permits required to keep native animals.)

Amazed to hear they run wild in UK. But i guess where there is grass, they will thrive. Same as introduced UK deer have done in parts of Australia.

Fires seem to have quietened down for now. Last I heard my mate was waiting to hear if his holiday house survived on Kangaroo Island. I hope so. I want to go and holiday there sometime.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

500mm of rain the Northern Territory has put a damper on things a bit. Supposed to head south this week, but not in such epic proportions, and not much help in southern regions. But good news where it is. We're supposed to get 50mm here this week but so far just stinking hot and humid building up to it. Hopefully tomorrow…

[Frances IoMParticipant @francesiom58905]

there are wild wallabies on the Isle of Man – been established for many years in the curraghs an area of damp tree covered ground once used for peat extraction – originated by escapees from the nearby wild life park but they have now migrated to other areas on the Island.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Now that could be a hazard for thr TT! 😮

[BWParticipant @bw]

Posted with all due respect to those of us who like boats

**LINK**

……… and …………. we have deer and foxes and rabbits and hares and blackberry and ragwort in our paddocks ………… the rabbits and hares demolish our veg patches, didn't realise we had swapped and given you wallabies in exchange for them. Very keen to swap back if possible.

People are taking photos of the first green blushes of regrowth – Wont be long before some of the trees start to look a bit ridiculous with lots of leaves growing straight out of the trunks and branches – first response after the fires – looks like the trees have woolly jumpers on.

Bill

 

 

Edited By BW on 13/01/2020 08:39:52

[roy entwistleParticipant @royentwistle24699]

I've seen wallabies in the peak district many years ago I think they were introduced on the Chatsworth estate

Roy

[Dave HinvesParticipant @davehinves92499]

Bruce is a good Aussie name and well suited to a Wallaby, one of my grand daughters when she was little couldn't pronounce Wallaby so she would call them Wobbly's. Kids growing up in the Australian bush and on farms very early in their lives become aware of life and death and the facts of life and where food comes from. Most farms kill their own meat such as sheep, cattle, and poultry. One year a steer was named T-Bone and when the time came T-Bone ended up in the freezer. One evening when we were sitting down for a meal one of the little grand kids said "are we eating T-Bone tonight" the answer from mum was "yes", 5 grand kids and 4 adults and nobody took any notice as it is just part of the conversation.

Then you hear person who is offended by the Rock Wallaby joke, loosen up and get a life, unbelievable!

My family and I live on Kangaroo Island and thankfully most of us have not yet been affected by the fires, sadly a brother in law of my son has lost his home, thankfully they are insured and no one hurt.

My sons main occupation is an apiarist and and thankfully didn't loose any bee hives. The problem now is bees need pollen to multiply and with most productive half the island burnt, now! trying to find flowering flora to keep his bee numbers up or or he will go out of business until we get rain and the country comes back to life. When you see new life come back in to the land after serious fires it is magic.

Its close to 80 years I have watched Australia getting hotter and dryer and this evening on the TV news they announced 2019 was the hottest and driest on record, you would have to a idiot to not notice. With this in mind you would have to be an absolute idiot to condone the burning of fossil fuel to make the problem worse.

If not for your self just think of your decendants and the type of life they will have to endure as the world they will have to live in becomes unlivable.

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

There are wallabies in the gardens at Leonardslee near Horsham in West Sussex, UK. They are semi wild and have no problems surviving in the winter. If you visit there and are lucky, you might catch a glimpse of one.

[Former MemberParticipant @formermember19781]

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[Alan BoneParticipant @alanbone]

A few years ago I was returning home on the Eyre Highway after a trip east I passed a bush fire about 2 km in from the road, it was not high, about 1.5 metres, just a grass fire, but was about 30km long, about 20 minutes driving. No danger as it was too far from the road. Started by lightning.

Another trip I was travelling east with friends and was stuck at Norseman for three days because the road had been washed out. The railway line about 100 km north had also been washed out. Last thing in the evening the road team asked me if I would like to follow them in my Toyota Coaster camper to ensure the road was clear for the mad rush east next morning. No problem, we stopped overnight in a rest area about 150 km east of Norseman. Next morning was bedlam, about 1 hour after first light, hundreds of cars drove west from Caiguna and Balladonia, some overtaking at about 150 the cars doing the 110 speed limit. IDIOTS. We had a leisurely breakfast and set off about 9am and were passed after Balladonia by hundreds of cars & trucks headed east.

There was a fire near us several years ago, it started near Byford about 4 km away and moved north north about 1 km/hr parallel to South West Highway. About 6 water bombers and many fire crews in attendance. Fortunately it did not get closer than 500 m

Alan

[SteviegtrParticipant @steviegtr]

Do the houses catch fire easily. As I believe most are constructed from wood. ???

[clogsParticipant @clogs]

Thanks for writing Dave Hinves…….

Nothing to do with Ozz but quite similar problem…….

I lived in the deeply wooded Charante area of SW France, even around the devolped areas there are mass's of forests and wild woodland…….ALL UN-MANAGED and badley overgrown…….

fallen tree's in abundance…..on my walks, some were down before I got there and I lived there for 16 years…..just the dead stuff accumulated in front of ur eyes………..

I always worried if there were to be a bad forest fire…….the firebrigade was always around but badley under equiped…..

I say this as they used to inspect my 0.8 acre lake each visit…….I know and understand what would happen to it should a fire start….but beleive me it would be uncontrolable…….

I made this point many times to tose in charge and was told that the woods and forests were privatley owned and nothing could be done….

there'd be a lot of tears if the worst happens tho……

The cascade effect of this disaster down under should be weatherable as you are a large prosperous country but I worry for the future in the Northern Hemisphere as if the Nah sayer's can be beleived in the next 50 years these extremes of temp will start to hit us…look at the fires on the moor's not so long ago…..

Can the TIN-POT countries of the north cope……not on ur Nellie……

Well I for 1 will be long gone but those that are left behind I worry for…..

My sincere wishes to u all down there and hope for a speedy recovery………

Please make sure the lesson's are learned….make sure the rest of the world knows of ur sucesses and failures….

take care in this awful start to the New Year……..

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Welcome to the forum, David and Alan,

It's good to hear that not all of Kangaroo Island has been devastated, the impression I got from the reporting was that it was virtually wiped clean.

Neil

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Any news on rain?

Neil

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by Steviegtr on 13/01/2020 16:50:55:

Do the houses catch fire easily. As I believe most are constructed from wood. ???

Oh yeah. Very much so. Over 1000 houses lost so far, and many more sheds and farm outbuildings etc. Insurance bill is estimated at $700 million. Over 10 million acres burnt. That includes more than one shed full of vintage cars, motorbikes, tractors etc that have been lovingly restored over the years. Tragic.

Even the brick houses burn out, the heat is so intense. Wooden roof trusses and window frames, doors etc catch fire. Interior trim and furniture and carpets, vinyl flooring, curtains etc touch off from the radiated heat and flying embers coming in the windows after the glass shatters in the heat. Even the paint on the interior walls burns. Devastating. Scorched bare brick walls covered in fallen roofing tin is all that is usually left.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 13/01/2020 18:06:06:

Any news on rain?

Neil

Light rain here today. (Far north east coast) and to points south. But it is expected to bring only temporary relief as it is light rain and the land is so incredibly dry it just sucks it up, like spitting on a sponge.

Plus, with summer rain come thunderstorms, which mean lightning, which they expect will touch off more fires. Conditions albeit damp are not wet enough to stop new fires starting. And once they get going, the radiated heat will dry out any damp grass ahead of the fire front.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Crikey Bruce, that was some quick regrowth!

And on a more serious note, a summary here of the situation on Kangaroo Island and a round-up of some species whose survival is in danger due to the fires *LINK*

[Neil LickfoldParticipant @neillickfold44316]

New Zealand has provided Wallabies in the past to help out their inbreeding problems. They are around the Rotorua area, and are a wild population with little predators. Maybe more will be sent latter in the year.

[Paul LousickParticipant @paullousick59116]

A bit of trivia:

" Bruce is a good Aussie name and well suited to a Wallaby", Back in the 1960's, Bruce was the name of a wombat in a childrens story book.

Young Aussie males travelling in the UK were all calleld "Bruce" (around the time of the baudy movie character, Barry McKenzie) because of their reputation with the ladies. Wombats are fat, lazy animals that eats roots and leaves.

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