LSWCHP – ‘the scene outside the Lakes Entrance bowlo on the evening of the 30th, with the glow of the fires in the distance. We had fire induced cyclonic winds and a foul rain of ash filled sludge.’
LSWCHP – ‘a burnt gumleaf on the doorstep of our friends house the next day. The property was bone dry grass and scrub and was littered with these remains of the ember storm. How it didn’t ignite and burn to a crisp is just one of those miracles.’
LSWCHP – ‘Illustrating the fragility of our society. People get concerned and start stocking up on bottled water. Probably combined with fire related disruption to road transport. Voila, empty shops at my local Woolies in Canberra shortly after new years.’
Haroldus – ‘a picture of the Court House from the balcony of the Imperial Hotel, near the centre of Armidale deserted at about 7.00pm’
Haroldus – ‘smoke across the fields about half an hour out of Armidale on the way to Newcastle. Makes you realise how many tonnes of carbon there is in the air.’
Haroldus – ‘Opel in the smoke framed with trees and flammable low rise’
Haroldus – ‘Sydney Olympic park looking towards the DFS roundabout’
Haroldus – ‘looking across the pond in Bicentennial Park at Opal and various high-rises. These are not treated in anyway, and if anything on the day it was more foreboding.’
China Plate – ‘I snapped these a couple of days before NYE down at Lake Tabourie about 20 minutes south of Ulladulla on the NSW south coast. This particular fire went through here during the first week of December.’
China Plate – Lake Tabourie
China Plate – Lake Tabourie
China Plate – Lake Tabourie
China Plate – Lake Tabourie
China Plate – Lake Tabourie
China Plate – Lake Tabourie
Stagmal – December 22, South Dubbo
Stagmal – December 22, South Dubbo
Stagmal – December 22, South Dubbo
Cam Anderson – December 31, Batemans Bay
Cam Anderson – December 31, Malua Bay
Geoff McVeigh (ACT) – December 19, Australian War Memorial from ANZAC Parade
Geoff McVeigh (ACT) – December 19, Canberra Carillon in bushfire smoke
Geoff McVeigh (ACT) – December 29, Sun at Moruya seen through bushfire smoke
Geoff McVeigh (ACT) – December 31, Bushfire smoke at Broulee
Geoff McVeigh (ACT) – December 31, Bushfire remains near Tomboye Road and Princess Highway
Geoff McVeigh (ACT) – January 1, Bush near George Bass Drive at Broulee
Geoff McVeigh (ACT) – January 1, Helicopter drawing water to fight bushfire from South Broulee
Geoff McVeigh (ACT) – January 1, House at 4 Zanthus Drive Broulee
Geoff McVeigh (ACT) – January 2, Burnt building on Princess Highway at Cobargo
Geoff McVeigh (ACT) – January 2, Canberra sky in bushfire smoke
Geoff McVeigh (ACT) – January 2, Burnt paddocks South of Cobargo
Geoff McVeigh (ACT) – January 2, Burnt shed South of Cobargo
Geoff McVeigh (ACT) – January 2, Nimmitabel sign
Geoff McVeigh (ACT) – January 2, Road South of Bemboka
‘I went to Broulee on the NSW south coast on Boxing Day. On New Year’s Eve the neighbours and I were ready for the predicted fire. The day before we had wet down everything and cleaned up the day before. We were staying to put out embers only. The sky to the north was brown/yellow. It looked like villages to the north were burning and/or trees were. It was radiating heat from a long way away.
I had 2 hoses in the front yard and 2 in the backyard. The 2 in the back were operated by pumps as one was a bore and the other a tank (topped up by town water). Of course you need electricity to operate the pumps that drive them.
About 0930 the electricity went off. The neighbours decided to leave. So I packed a few things and headed for Moruya, with Mossy my lab. Some people sheltered on the beach which meant you could be leaving your car for the fire. How do you get out later?
At Moruya, there was a centre for us refugees at the showground. It didn’t seem well organised as you could drive in, park where you wanted and not register. There was a Kiwi couple (who lived in Shepparton) in a van next to me. They looked after Mossy for a short time and I later kicked a soccer ball for 40 minutes with their son. When I wanted to leave I asked if I had to deregister (we weren’t told when registering). I was there until about 1800 and then returned to Broulee.
I got a Thai dinner from the local Thai caravan as they had a generator. I kept my milk cold in the freezer (amongst the defrosting contents) so I had cereal for breakfasts. No lunch – a few nuts. Mossy was OK as we had dog food.
I had a couple of battery operated radios. The ABC was not operating and I was stuck with commercial channels. One of which told us we did not have internet coverage or phone coverage. It gave a wonderful run down on the fires but told us to phone a number or visit a web page to get road closures. This was the info I really needed.
Then they basically ordered tourists out of the area. I dumped all food from the freezer into the bin and it won’t be collected for a week unless the fire cooks it.
People were queued at petrol stations. I had kept the car full of petrol but had got down to ¾ enough to get to Cooma and probably Canberra.
A mass exodus occurred. The only way was via Cooma (417kms and usually 4hrs 17 minutes). So I left at 0910 and had a good run to Narooma and then bumper to bumper. A good run to Beauty Point and then bumper to bumper. A good run along the Cobargo Road but on the Snowy Mts Highway bumper to bumper to Bemboka. A good run to Cooma and then a mixture to Canberra. I got home at 1820 (9 hours 10 minutes). Thick smoke all the way. I put some more petrol in the car at Cooma.
A couple of houses were lost in Broulee, some bush near the George Bass Drive, some damage to the two schools and some of the bush along the dunes.
I will go back when electricity is restored if the house is still standing.’
Geoff McVeigh (ACT) – January 5, Avenue of Flags in bushfire smoke
Geoff McVeigh (ACT) – January 5, Lake Burley Griffin in bushfire smoke
Geoff McVeigh (ACT) – January 5, Carillon in bushfire smoke
Geoff McVeigh (ACT) – January 5, High Court in bushfire smoke
Geoff McVeigh (ACT) – January 5, National Library in bushfire smoke
Geoff McVeigh (ACT) – January 5, Parliament House in bushfire smoke
Geoff McVeigh (ACT) – January 5, Questacon in bushfire smoke
Geoff McVeigh (ACT) – January 5, Red Rumped Parrot (f) in bushfire smoke near Questacon
Geoff McVeigh (ACT) – January 6, Mt Spring as seen from Mt Majura through bushfire smoke
Not.Gunnamatta – January 6, ‘The burbs of Geelong, more than 500klm from the nearest serious fires, and circa 750klm from where the smoke was blowing down from (Kangaroo Island, SA) got a pea soup smog.’
Miguel de Sousa – January 6, Carlton Gardens
Miguel de Sousa – January 6, Carlton looking down Exhibition St – Eureka Tower invisible
Desmodromic – SA Bushfires, ‘around Woodside and Charleston in SA as a result of the Cudlee Creek fire on 20th December. This area has never previously experienced a bushfire. One person dead, ~85 houses destroyed and about a third of all vines burnt. I found the koala sitting in the ash on the side of the road. He was in reasonable condition but severely dehydrated. He is now with wildlife carers.’
Desmodromic – SA Bushfires, Cudlee Creek fire on December 20. Photos around Woodside and Charleston.
Desmodromic – SA Bushfires, Cudlee Creek fire on December 20. Photos around Woodside and Charleston.
Desmodromic – SA Bushfires, Cudlee Creek fire on December 20. Photos around Woodside and Charleston.
Desmodromic – SA Bushfires, Cudlee Creek fire on December 20. Photos around Woodside and Charleston.
Desmodromic – SA Bushfires, Cudlee Creek fire on December 20. Photos around Woodside and Charleston.
Desmodromic – SA Bushfires, Cudlee Creek fire on December 20. Photos around Woodside and Charleston.
Desmodromic – SA Bushfires, Cudlee Creek fire on December 20. Photos around Woodside and Charleston.
Adam Darwin – View of the Opera House and eastern burbs of Sydney from the bridge, November 21
Dr Smithy – Noosa Golf Course, November 9 2019
Gavin – December 10, Backyard smoke, Five Dock NSW
Gavin – December 10, Backyard smoke, Five Dock NSW
Gavin (on behalf of a friend) – Kempsey NSW
LeMon3 – Burned out tree at Rumba Dump, near Taree, last Sunday, about 1.5m in diameter at the base
LeMon3 – Rumba Dump fire’s first visit to the Edible Forest, 12th November
LeMon3 – This one is my Land Rover as fire truck, November 19th as the Rumba Dump fire was bearing down on Wherrol Flat, near Taree, NSW. This fire started in August & is still buning today…
Paul Jaffe (Milton, SE NSW) – Saturday 4th January later about 6PM this is the view from looking back across Burrill Lake toward our farm. Miraculously the fire went around us and we only had few trees singed.
Paul Jaffe (Milton, SE NSW) – Saturday 4th just as the southerly hit. it is like a wave coming toward us.
Paul Jaffe (Milton, SE NSW) – About 3 minutes later it hit us. it was actually much darker than this appears.
Patrick Dale – December 10 ‘My office view facing SE across Hyde Park Sydney from Elizabeth St on 10 Dec. This was the worst day for smoke in Sydney this season in my experience.’
…if anyone has more photos to add can you beam them to [email protected] (with a basic caption of where and when)