CIRCUMNAVIGATOR

Bushfire in Australia

Australia 2007

I saw on the television today that the bushfire in Australia is pretty strong this year. When I was in Australia, I didn’t see a bushfire close up, but I did get pretty close. Well, during the more than 2 months there, actually I did see a couple of fires, but they were  all controlled and therefore more or less harmless.

Bushfire in Victoria, Australia

On the road trip from Sydney over Melbourne to Adelaide, I passed the border to the Victorian border on the 10th of January. There the sky was blue and clear but after driving a little over 100 km we passed through the town Orbost, where the fire brigade of Victoria was having their camp on a school ground to be close to the bushfire in Gippsland nearby.

Roadtrip to Victoria, Australia          Fire brigade camp in Victoria

The destination for the road trip that day was Lakes Entrance – a picturesque little tourist town located at the gentle waters of Cunninghame Arm, backed by sand dunes and small fishing boats.

When we reached Lakes Entrance it was covered in yellow-grey smoke from the bushfire north of us. There was a constant smell of burned wood in the air and the next morning our little white Toyota Yaris was covered in ashes. Of course you couldn’t help to think if you were safe and would be able to continue the road trip in Victoria, but we concluded to be pretty safe so close to the water – at least we could always jump in and sail away in one of the many boats. But of course we listened to the news and the locals and they assured us that we were safe from this bushfire in Australia.

The smoke more or less covered Lakes Entrance the couple of days I stayed there, but I still got to experience the charm of the little town.

Lakes Entrance, Australia covered in smoke          Ara in yellow smoke at Lakes Entrance, Australia

Of course, I would have preferred to stay there in bright sunshine from a blue sky, but the bushfire experience I got in Victoria is also quite memorable.

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