Bushfire Wrap Up

Ournie Fire, January 2010



I read an interesting online article about the bushfire situation, called Victoria unveils reponse to Black Saturday report. If I don't believe the opposition's claims I should be very happy with more burning off and greater maintenance of the powerlines.

I was wondering why they did this. One reason may be the recent federal election, maybe not caring about future people dying is not a good look. I felt personally without such measures it would be just a matter of time, and who knows, there may not have been much of Victoria to manage, we could have all lost our lives. Given that there are only two million regional or country people in a country of thirty million, maybe you could understand how this could happen. I have heard that some think only riff raff live outside the city, well once. But having looked at the map of the bushland around Melbourne during the summer, it is very scary. Also you can't get a pen out on a map do a squiggle around the cities and hope the rest is reclaimed by the sea, someone has to live out here and manage things and do things. Where I live the vast expanse of land is sometimes scary, thousands of acres of it, nothing remotely urban in sight.

Another thing is that maybe someone pointed out that advertising to treechange and get some people out of the congested city isn't going to work with the firerisk. Australia is one of the fastest growing places (evidence here).

My husband just mentioned to me that he heard on the radio yesterday that Australia and Japan are the most urbanised countries in the world (evidence here) and that other countries are now copying us. If you say rubbish, that America is, then go there. My husband went there in 2000 and it isn't how you think. Victoria is very progressive, my hometown basically can nearly have it as it's motto. I even noticed recently that that town and Wodonga I think have more modern cars than the ones I saw on Dandenong Road in the city when there early this week.

I think the opposition is a bit cruel, because I personally would like to feel safe, you know? You can read how I felt last summer here. Hopefully it will come to pass soon to help some of us get through this coming summer season. I have been through a very cold winter, but at least it isn't summer. Though there have been chimney fires around here as well, lots of fire sirens.

At local council level, I have already seen an area lit along the side of the road to clean things up a bit, and lots of clearing of small native shrubs. In my hometown the creek area has been cleaned back to minimum trees. Perhaps the local councils and individuals weren't taking any chances and were feeling a bit nervous as well. I won't know I suppose.

At the site of the horrible sign, there are things that those places of last resort can offer, maybe the installation of the odd metal shutter or something perhaps?

Anyway that is my winge for today. And, unfortunately there are a lot of "fake" bush scenes, one I posted (here) that someone commented was natural and untouched, has man made forests just behind the ridge lines. Luckily where we live the bush is cleared well off the road, possibly because of snow or trees falling over the road. This picture above made me very frightened when I saw it the place irl, it was the road I was supposed to have travelled the day the bushfire was there.

I am also happy about the very little publicised (unless I didn't hear it) new instalations of mobile phone towers near us. I feel there are lots of people trying to make a difference or a difference wouldn't be happening, to those people, thank you. If you read the other link I posted about the bushfire meeting in Beechworth, it doesn't match up with this wonderful result. Maybe a lot more happened at these meetings than we realised.

I am proud to be Victorian, we have always had a good State Government and I am happy they have come through. We are all in this together, particular since most Victorians are tied together somehow, it is after all a very small State.

On another note, this picture shows the width of the road on the way to the supermarket I shop in usually, and how handy it is to have a 4x4 in case you are required to move aside, which happens.

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