We are safe

[peter.coombe]

You might hear on the news about major bushfires in Australia close to where Steve Gilchrist and I live. We are both safe and not affected. The fire near us started in Eucalyptus forest about 2km across the river from us and headed away from us towards the coast. I could see the smoke when it started. The coastal town of Tathra has been devastated. We know and love Tathra very well and are gutted. I have contacted Steve and the fires around his place went around the southern side of the lake where he lives and they were ready to evacuate, but it was not necessary. It is still not over here yet, fires are still burning but at least the wind has gone and it is cooler. Yesterday was 39deg and gale force hot NW winds. We were lucky in that our rural property where I have a shed with wood stored in it was in direct line of the fire, but the fire went to the north and hit Tathra instead.

[pops1]

Glad to hear you are both ok, sorry to hear of the fires and so sad that the town of Tathra was hit so bad.

[Mandoplumb]

Our prayers go out to those who were severaly affected. Glad to hear you and Steve are safe.

[Bren]

Thanks Peter - Tathra was pretty bad but I didn't realise it started so close to your place.

I was wondering about Gilchrist as I know the Gnotuk area fairly well due to family connections who farmed on the edge of Lake Gnotuk (it's a small crater lake) , although I don't exactly where Gilchrist's place is in relation.

Glad to hear that you are both OK.

[Willie Poole]

Wild fires seemed to be an annual thing when I spent the winters in Florida, seems that a lot people like to burn their trash instead of paying to have it picked up by a trash collecting company, one year they were pretty close to my house and when we returning home one evening the sky was just glowing a bright red and we feard the worse but it was still a few miles a way from where we lived...

Glad to hear all of you are safe...

Willie

[Graham McDonald]

Good to hear. I had looked on the fire map from Victoria and there was a fire on the western side of the lake and Steve lives on the northern side. The hot winds usually come from the north-west, so I thought was a good sign.

Cheers

[Nick Gellie]

I checked in with Steve after his bushfire. He had moved all his good stash of timber that night while the fire was still burning. I can see the move as am insurance policy. Wood at 3% moisture content burns pretty well.

And it was vey interesting watching the cool change move through our area in NE Victoria. There was lots of dust mixed in the lower atmosphere. It was jus a typical bushfire day, not like Black Saturday in 2009.

[CES]

Glad to hear you are safe and your homes weren’t hit. Prayers for those who were not as fortunate