It is a disaster !!

[Thermomixer]

i just can't believe what has happened in victoria, last night i thought to myself it couldn't possibly get as bad as the canberra fires, but how wrong i was  

It is completely beyond belief.  Over 100 people have perished in our fires.  A number of towns have been completely razed by the fires.  Two in particular, in the picturesque part of our hills near Melbourne, where temperatures over 45 deg allowed the fires to spread so rapidly in a huge ball that there was nothing that could be done.

The authorities have always maintained  that if you have cleared around your home then you should stay to protect it, but the ferocity of the fires did not allow this and similar to Canberra, parts of suburbs were burned to the ground.  Many perished in cars trying to outrun the fires and crashing in the smoke/dust.

Near my little property in the bush over 30, 000 hectares have been burnt only 10kms away.  12 houses have been demolished although no lives lost here, as far as is known.

Over 300,000 hectares have been burnt.  That is 3,000 square kilometres - so an area equivalent to 50 km by 60 km (25 x 30 miles roughly) has been burnt so far in various fires across the state.  It is expected to take at least another week to get many under control.

Many have only the clothes that they were wearing.  It is so distressing. So many people had to leave their pets and everything behind.

Sorry to be so depressing. 

[brazen20au]

it's just so awful it is almost beyond belief.

later this week i will be donating everything i can out of our overflowing garage, i can't begin to imagine how the people of victoria must be feeling now.

we are all thinking of you thermomix-er (and relieved you are safe) and the other people down there

[UnConundrum]

It has even hit our evening news here!  I've been thinking of all of you, and keeping you all in our prayers. 

[Amanda]

I have just spoken to an old friend of ours who lives near Beechworth - where the fire is still out of control.  He says that the only thing that will stop it now is rain (fat chance ).
He also told us how, on Saturday night, the fires around their house were so intense that they had no need for lighting in the house - they could read by the brilliant light from the fires. 
Very scary.

[Thermomixer]

Looks like things were worse for some of our friends than first thought.  Our neighbours have a second property that they have set up as a B&B and one of the "shacks" and the shed containing antiques from Italy have been destroyed.

These have gone:




This looks to where the fire is burning now.  Water-bombing aircraft have gone here in the last hour.

[CarolineW]

It is heartbreaking.  The reports left me totally choked up, and thinking of all the people I know in Melbourne and Victoria.  My prayers are joining Warren's.

[UnConundrum]

Wow, it doesn't even seem like there's many trees around.  Is it actually the grass that is burning and spreading the fires?

[Master Moderator]

Hello all. As admin of this forum, I would very much like to express my sadness to what is happening in Australia. As we all know, we have many Australian members here. I hope that you are all safe, and that this disaster comes to and end very very soon.

My condolences to all those that have lost their lives, friends, families, homes, communities and livelihoods.

The world is thinking of you all.

Admin/MM.

[Thermomixer]

Wow, it doesn't even seem like there's many trees around.  Is it actually the grass that is burning and spreading the fires?

Yes Warren,  there were many pictures on TV of paddocks/fields where you could see the fire race across the grasslands.  In areas with trees it was even more ferocious, but most of the Redesdale fire was in grass land.  The wind was just so strong and the heat so intense that it spread faster than cars could drive.

[Thermomixer]

Hello all. As admin of this forum, I would very much like to express my sadness to what is happening in Australia. As we all know, we have many Australian members here. I hope that you are all safe, and that this disaster comes to and end very very soon.

My condolences to all those that have lost their lives, friends, families, homes, communities and livelihoods.

The world is thinking of you all.

Admin/MM.

Thanks for that, it is hard here to fathom out how some communities will ever rebuild. 

The current toll is 173 and will continue to rise. 

There is a climate change conference being held in Melbourne this week and they say that there will be more extremes in yeasr to come - more floods in Queensland and more scorching hot days in Melbourne, even though the mean temp may not increase that much. 

We had our hottest day on record in Melbourne on Saturday and there has never been 3 days over 40 deg before.  Climate change is a reality.  We are being told to expect more fires in future.

Again, thanks to all for your thoughts.

[cookie1]

I've been away for a week, camping down south in West Aussie.  We were camped in Augusta, a town only 9 km from the lower south west corner of Australia. The bush is beautiful down there and it made us feel very deeply for all the people of Victoria that were in/near the bushfire areas.  It must be so devastating that it is almost impossible to imagine. My first stop when I refill the larder tomorrow will be the local bank to make the best donation I can manage. It really is awful.