kevsan Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 (edited) we just got back from 10 days in Lakes Entrance. Stayed just outside Bairnsdale, so on the edge of the danger zone. Some days were horrible and we had to cut back on some things that we had planned to do and the smoke was really bad on a couple of days. But the locals were so grateful that we were there spending money. It was so quiet though, even on days were the skies were blue. had a few beers in some of the pubs and most locals are pissed off that more isnt being done by the politicians, but couldn't really articulate what they wanted fixed. 1st photo was on 5th Jan in Eagle Point, the following 2 in Lakes Entrance the following sunday after they opened the road again. Edited January 15, 2020 by kevsan 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 On 11/01/2020 at 05:56, Tootsie said: ? You miss my point I am in Sydney. And had friends and relations in the UK ringing, and emailing, in panic as they think the city has burnt to the ground. Some of the media in the UK (particularly the Daily Fail Mail) has been reporting the most exaggerated stuff and putting Armageddon fear of God into people. When in reality, for most cities, life is continuing as normal apart from some smoke. Brisbane city centre is not on fire. Just saying to keep things in perspective Hope you understand the meaning of my comment now Know what you mean. We are in Perth and it was the first thing our relations talked about. We've been really lucky in Perth as we had the hot weather early and one big fire not near us. Started by some kids. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 On 11/01/2020 at 05:56, Tootsie said: ? You miss my point I am in Sydney. And had friends and relations in the UK ringing, and emailing, in panic as they think the city has burnt to the ground. Some of the media in the UK (particularly the Daily Fail Mail) has been reporting the most exaggerated stuff and putting Armageddon fear of God into people. When in reality, for most cities, life is continuing as normal apart from some smoke. Brisbane city centre is not on fire. Just saying to keep things in perspective Hope you understand the meaning of my comment now It's surprising how news can get out of control. It's almost as if each news outlet has to find something more horrific than the others and outdo each other. The map of the fires hasn't helped, it looks from that that East Coast cities would have all been in flames. The US put out a travel warning about coming to Aus, withdrawn since Scomo pointed out Aus is a very big place with lots of areas unaffected. Our Niece and Nephew are coming next week and they were wondering if it's safe. They were panicking when they saw the British news reports. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 We're off to Lakes Entrance at the start of Feb- nice to see it is looking good. No probs getting through the roads then? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevsan Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 9 hours ago, starlight7 said: We're off to Lakes Entrance at the start of Feb- nice to see it is looking good. No probs getting through the roads then? Depends where you want to go. Princes Highway is still closed (or was) from Orbost to the border, but thats due to needing to cut down trees/clearances etc rather than a fire danger. The big problem was that google maps wasnt updated to show roads open so it was a bit of guess work/cross checking to the vicroads app. - EG the great Alpine road was actually open so we could get to Bruthen etc but google insisted it was closed, but generally pretty easy - and traffic was light, which was great, and depressing at the same time. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 A petition calling on New Zealand's Prime Minister to introduce koala bears to New Zealand is gaining momentum - but wildlife experts say it is a bad idea. Some 25,000 koalas, around half of the species' population, are feared dead as a result of the bushfires that have ravaged parts of Australia. The petition organisers said "the koalas would not compromise our local eco-system as koalas typically inhabit open eucalypt woodlands and the leaves of these trees make up most of their diet. New Zealand has 28575 hectares planted in eucalypts. Most are located in the Central North Island and are similar to much older forests from Australia as they grow fast here". However, wildlife experts have warned against introducing the marsupial to New Zealand despite their suffering being heartbreaking to watch. "The way to solve another country's ecological problems is not by being some ark that we randomly bring these species into", director of Biological Heritage national science Andrea Byrom said. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 Just look at the way they treat possums over there. Not suitable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 2 minutes ago, starlight7 said: Just look at the way they treat possums over there. Not suitable. They are treated as an introduced pest. The NZ Department of Conservation describes possums as "one of the greatest threats to our natural environment". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobj Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 Interesting list of bushfires, none in Qld??? I very much doubt that. http://www.bushfireeducation.vic.edu.au/verve/_resources/Bushfires_in_our_History.pdf Cheers, Bobj. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 Only Victoria is on the map hehe. Rest is foreign. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbye grey sky Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 We have been on holiday in the US the past 10 days. Literally everyone we have spoken to, once they know we are here from Australia, has enquired about the fires and whether we have been affected. To put this in perspective the southern US is the most introspective place I know of. World news rarely makes a major impact here. Australia’s fires are massive news here. Once this bushfire season is over the impact on tourism may be immense. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amibovered Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 Loads of coverage in the UK too, people at work keep asking if I'm still going to Melbourne next month! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 The poop is hitting the fan over here on the news and social media after it came out that less than half the funds donated to the Red Cross to help those in the bushfires will be donated to them, even then taking months for some to get any funds. I read Vinnies and Salvation Army are doing similar in keep a majority of funds back. Personally i think its disgusting, those funds were donated to help those affected not be used for admin costs or future disasters. I fear this will be detrimental to people making future disaster donations. https://7news.com.au/news/bushfires/red-cross-under-fire-for-withholding-two-thirds-of-bushfire-donations-c-660715 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-22/andrew-constance-attacks-red-cross-for-bushfire-donation-delays/11890538 Cal x 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rossmoyne Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 (edited) 29 minutes ago, calNgary said: The poop is hitting the fan over here on the news and social media after it came out that less than half the funds donated to the Red Cross to help those in the bushfires will be donated to them, even then taking months for some to get any funds. I read Vinnies and Salvation Army are doing similar in keep a majority of funds back. Personally i think its disgusting, those funds were donated to help those affected not be used for admin costs or future disasters. I fear this will be detrimental to people making future disaster donations. https://7news.com.au/news/bushfires/red-cross-under-fire-for-withholding-two-thirds-of-bushfire-donations-c-660715 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-22/andrew-constance-attacks-red-cross-for-bushfire-donation-delays/11890538 Cal x Totally agree with you Cal. I too am disgusted that the big charities are holding back so much money that was donated directly for the bushfire victims. However I am not surprised as that has been Red Cross modus operandi for years. Personally I donated to small on the ground charities manned by volunteers, so I know my money went where I intended it. Also, I have decided that my next foray into the eastern states from WA will be to this area and I will spend my tourist dollars with small local businesses as they will need all the help they can get. We have had some big fires in WA this season, but nothing on the scale of the eastern states. The Eyre Hwy connecting East and West was closed for over a week because of bushfires too. I think that what makes me so angry is the fact that 183 people so far have been charged with arson and deliberately lighting so many of the fires. How sick you must be to do that. Edited January 23, 2020 by Rossmoyne 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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