View Full Version : Solar Eclipse and a bushfire day
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The diamond ring ... Ceduna, the small coastal town in South Australia, witnessed the total solar eclipse that lasted 26 seconds to the delight of thousands of people who watched from the cliff tops. Photo: Brian Charlton
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Tourists watch the sun being blocked by the moon in the Australian outback town of Lyndhurst, 700km north of Adelaide. Photo: Reuters
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Baily's Beads flare from the corona at Koolymilka, north of the outback town of Woomera. Photo: AFP
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Another view from Lyndhurst. Photo: Reuters
Moon's moment in sun
By Steve Cauchi
December 5 2002
Thousands of visitors yesterday flocked to the long, grassy foreshore of Ceduna, the South Australian town that boasted all week about having the best view of Australia's first total eclipse for 26 years.
But when cloud looked set to mar the spectacle many visitors, including astronomers - who need an absolutely clear view - headed inland in the hope of escaping the cloud.
Sydney witnessed a partial eclipse of the setting sun from about 7.40pm through the haze of bushfires ringing the city.
Back on the Eyre Peninsula, spectators aimed telescopes and cameras from the Ceduna foreshore as early as lunchtime for the 7.40pm (local time) eclipse. The moon began shading the sun an hour earlier.
A solar eclipse expert from the International Astronomical Union, Jay Pasachoff, said solar astronomers were "100 per cent dependent" on clear weather during an eclipse to properly study the sun's solar corona, its superhot hydrogen atmosphere.
"The eclipses are so very beautiful," he said. " Studies of the eclipse were important because the solar corona affected the Earth's atmosphere, satellites, and would also affect any astronauts going to Mars, he said.
The Ceduna event co-ordinator, Rob Kurckpatrick, said Lyndhurst, where there was less risk of cloud, benefited most from the exodus from Ceduna.
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People on Sydney's Observatory Hill watching the partial eclipse of the sun. Photo: Jon Reid
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The Anzac bridge appears in the foreground as the partial eclipse of the sun is visible through a smoky haze. Photo: Jon Reid
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Sinking through Sydney's smoky haze. Photo: Nick Moir
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What it looked like through the bushfire blaze that threatened the Holsworthy army base in Sydney's southwest. Photo: Penny Bradfield
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As many as 20 houses were destroyed, five firefighters were injured, the state's electrical system was severely disrupted and Sydney's transport was thrown into chaos as summer burst into bushfires yesterday afternoon.
About 50 fires raged to the north, west and south of Sydney as the NSW Rural Fire Commissioner, Phil Koperberg, warned that the city faced its worst crisis since the Christmas Day outbreaks last year.
He urged residents in threatened areas to secure their properties, fill bathtubs with water and wear sturdy clothing.
Huge plumes of smoke billowed from the blazes and, fanned by westerly winds gusting up to 70kmh, reached kilometres out to sea.
The worst fire, at Glenorie, on Sydney's north-west perimeter, ignited soon after 3pm. By 6pm, as many as 15 homes were lost, despite the efforts of all available fire crews and aerial water bombardment.
Another four homes near the naval base, outside Nowra, were well alight last night. Nowra residents in the Albatross Road, Nowra Hill and BT Road areas were being evacuated to the Nowra showgrounds as firefighters reported battling 17-metre flames.
In the city, temperatures reached 37 degrees and fires were fanned by squally westerly winds. Humidity fell to below 10 per cent, dramatically worsening conditions for firefighters.
Throughout Sydney, and as far north as the Hunter, there were sudden dips in the power supply throughout the afternoon as fires raged under high voltage transmission lines.
"The fires are causing dips as flashovers [mini fireballs between the wires] cause the system to trip and then reset," said Energy Australia's Phil Neat.
Transgrid, which runs the main lines between the power stations and the city, had fires under cables at Holsworthy, Glenfield and Vineyard.
Energy Australia, which supplies a large portion of Sydney, said there were fires under its high-voltage network at Mason Park, near Chullora.
Some companies shut down their computers as a precaution, and many offices turned down their air-conditioning to cut usage.
The spot wholesale electricity price in NSW - usually about $35 a megawatt hour - surged to $3895 at 4pm as supply disruptions peaked in Sydney. Supply disruptions, and unusually high demand for power, had caused the price spike, electricity suppliers said.
Sydney's transport system was severely disrupted by the fires and power fluctuations last night, with failed rail services, traffic light problems in the CBD and gridlock in the west hitting peak-hour commuters. Whether travelling by train, bus or private car, people across Sydney faced delays of an hour or more.
Museum station was evacuated after losing power, the East Hills line was cut by fire and services across the Harbour Bridge were agonisingly slow after signal failures forced train drivers to move at a snail's pace.
But as rail and bus chiefs urged commuters to delay their travel to stagger the rush of people, traffic in the CBD faced failing light signals and road closures prompted by the fires in the city's west and south-west created gridlock.
Another fire, believed to have started at the Holsworthy army base, destroyed a house in Wattle Grove and forced the evacuation of several hundred residents of Sandy Point across the Georges River.
From the safety of Picnic Point, on the river's eastern bank, the residents huddled with what they had managed to carry with them and stared at the pall of smoke that hung over their homes.
At Wattle Grove, a man climbed on to a roof and shouted for help as fire closed in on his home. But, with firefighter resources already stretched beyond capacity, neighbours answered his call, forming a chain to cart buckets of water.
Residents at Alfords Point in the Sutherland Shire were also evacuated, and taken to the Revesby Workers Club and Club Menai.
The Opera House cancelled all performances last night because of the power surges. John Farnham's concert at the Entertainment Centre was also postponed for at least 48 hours.
The wild conditions were not limited to the Sydney basin.
A line of thunderstorms from the Hunter Valley to Moree wreaked havoc, flattening three houses in the Port Stephens area and damaging shops and houses in Taree. Winds reached 135kmh in Patterson, in the Hunter Valley.
Today's forecast offers no comfort to the hundreds of firefighters. "We're still expecting temperatures to reach 30 degrees in Sydney and we're not expecting any relief in the wind," said Phil King, a senior meteorologist with the Bureau of Meteorology.
"We're predicting strong, squally westerly winds gusting up to 70 to 80kmh and humidity levels will again be below 20 per cent so fire danger ratings will reach extreme levels by early morning."
At Wilcannia, in the state's west, dust storms whipped up a red horizon, while at Hay, in the south-west, visibility was greatly reduced.
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From Botany Bay ... fires threatened the Holsworthy Army Base this afternoon. Photo: Penny Bradfield
Hoofnote...I took my brother out for the day on the harbour...first of all to Darling Harbour then to Manly...and it was an amazing sight to see the two huge plumes of smoke in the North and South. Very eerie, especially combined with a partial eclipse of the sun.
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Beach goers on a hot day looking towards the fires in Sydney's north. Photo: Narelle Autio
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Fires surround Sydney. Photo: Jon Reid
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Worsening bushfire conditions in New South Wales have forced the closure of two private and six government schools.
The Education Department says it has been forced to close Arcadia, Berrilee, Hillside and Glenorie public schools, all in the Hornsby district of northern Sydney.
Blue Mountains breakout
Fire has broken out near a residential area in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney.
Rural Fire Service Blue Mountains fire control officer Mark Williams said the fire at Mt Riverview, north of Blaxland, had earlier threatened properties.
"There was threat to property but that has now abated," Mr Williams said.
One aircraft and 13 RFS appliances were battling the fire which was burning on a 10-hectare patch of land left untouched by last summer's bushfires, he said.
"It doesn't pose a great deal of threat to turn into a huge fire on us and run for weeks because it will burn into the burnt area from last year," Mr Williams said.
"However, it does have potential to run up behind houses and cause impact on some houses."
Sydney was besieged by fires to the north and south yesterday, which destroyed up to 30 homes and damaged scores of others.
Many fires burned throughout the night and have flared again today.
Shoalhaven City Council is asking residents to be on standby for evacuation as fires burn out of control on the NSW south coast.
Residents in Cambewarra and Nowra have been warned extreme weather conditions may fuel fires already burning at Middleridge, Woodburn and Old Coach roads.
The Shoalhaven Fire Control Unit has also advised of a number of road closures in the area. They include Main Road 92, south of Albatross Road, Illaroo Road at Riversdale Road, Mount Scanvia Road at Tallowa Dam, and Gerroa Road at Coolangatta Road and Beach Road. Yalwal Road is open to residents and the military only.
Officials say five homes were lost in the Nowra area yesterday.
More than 3,000 firefighters are battling 66 fires affecting more than 44,386 hectares across NSW. A total fire ban has been declared across the entire state.
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The fire in the Glenorie area is still active and is expected to affect Mt Ku-ring-gai, Cowan, Berowra, Berowra Heights and Middle Dural. It may also affect parts of the Warringah area, including the Pittwater, Galston, Hornsby Heights and Ku-ring-gai local government areas.
The Rural Fire Service predicts the fire will affect the F3 freeway later today if current conditions continue.
Cessnock/Singleton Area
Four fires in the Singleton district have spread throughout the Pokolbin State Forest area. The fires have caused the closure of the Broke Road.
A fire near Talga Road, north Rothbury may cause trouble later today.
A fire in the Wollemi National Park, 5km west of Putty village, may threaten property east of Putty Valley. Over 200 firefighters and eight aircraft are deployed to fight fires around Cessnock and Singleton today.
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Blue Mountains breakout
Fire has broken out near a residential area in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney.
Rural Fire Service Blue Mountains fire control officer Mark Williams said the fire at Mt Riverview, north of Blaxland, had earlier threatened properties.
"There was threat to property but that has now abated," Mr Williams said.
One aircraft and 13 RFS appliances were battling the fire which was burning on a 10-hectare patch of land left untouched by last summer's bushfires, he said.
"It doesn't pose a great deal of threat to turn into a huge fire on us and run for weeks because it will burn into the burnt area from last year," Mr Williams said.
"However, it does have potential to run up behind houses and cause impact on some houses."
Its an amazing coincidence that the sun and moon appear to be the same size when veiwed from earth.
Fires turn fatal - and the worst is yet to come
By Daniel Lewis and Nick O'Malley
December 7 2002
The first victim of the fires circling Sydney - an 81-year-man - was found in a burnt-out caravan in bushland yesterday as a cool but vicious southerly change continued to endanger suburbs.
And in an ominous warning, the Rural Fire Service Commissioner, Phil Koperberg, said residents have just 72 hours to prepare for far worse conditions expected on Monday.
So strong were yesterday's howling southerlies, they pushed embers from the fire threatening Brooklyn across the Hawkesbury River, causing isolated spot fires around Patonga. But they were quickly brought under control.
Incredibly, no houses were lost across the state, leaving the official tally of homes destroyed since Wednesday at 19.
Homes were also threatened at Berowra and Cowan in the north, Menai in the south, Nowra and a stretch of the Blue Mountains from Wentworth Falls to Blackheath.
There were forced evacuations in Berowra as huge pillars of smoke towered over the city's northern outskirts.
The F3 freeway to Newcastle and the northern rail line were closed between Hornsby and Gosford, as was the Great Western Highway at Blackheath and the western rail line between Mount Victoria and Katoomba.
Important closed roads included the Pacific Highway, Ku-ring-gai Road and Bobbin Head Road; Heathcote, New Illawarra and Old Illawarra roads; and Cattai Ridge Road and Old Northern Road. Some had reopened by last night.
Twenty-two public schools were closed and thousands of people were still without power.
The dead man was found on a 104-hectare property at Maroota yesterday morning. Police took a call about 5.30pm on Thursday from his worried son. When the property was finally visited about midnight thick smoke and fire made a search impossible.
Repeating his view that these are the worst fires Sydney has seen in 30 years, Mr Koperberg said there was now an "unprecedented" line of fires stretching 25 kilometres along the Hawkesbury. The extreme dryness of vegetation was causing the 80-odd blazes throughout the state to
behave far more erratically than usual, he said.
Conditions today and tomorrow should be mild, but the forecast for Monday is strong north-westerlies and temperatures that could reach the low 40s.
Mr Koperberg urged residents to use their weekends to prepare their homes for the worst. "We have got 72 hours to do what is impossible to do in 72 hours and that's extinguish all those fires." About 4500 firefighters and 80 aircraft will be deployed across the weekend securing southern and eastern flanks against the feared onslaught from the north-west on Monday.
A fire at Moonbi, north of Tamworth, had authorities contemplating airlifts for some isolated residents last night and the New England Highway was closed. Fires near Dungog, Singleton and Buladelah also threatened properties.
An 18-year-old Glenfield man charged with lighting a fire in Sydney's south-west that caused about $1.5 million damage was refused bail at Liverpool Local Court, as Australian Greens Senator Bob Brown called for a national summit to look at controlling arsonists and pyromaniacs.
The Prime Minister, John Howard, said the Federal Government would donate $1 million to the 2002 Bushfire Appeal set up by the State Government.
The Premier, Bob Carr, has also promised $1 million. People who have lost homes will receive one-off payments of $10,000.
Thirteen fire crews battled a blaze that swept along the back of properties south of Canoelands Road before jumping the street and heading into the valley north of the hamlet.
A strong southerly change was predicted for yesterday evening. Firefighters feared it would push the wide fire front towards the Hawkesbury River and communities including Laughtondale and Singletons Mill.
The deputy captain at Canoelands Rural Fire Service, Ken Tucker, said the fires behaved erratically, driven by a severe swirling wind. "When they get to that stage they roar like a 747," he said.
A battle to save 60 Canoelands Road took place yesterday afternoon after fire surrounded the home before 3pm. Asked how long the fight lasted, Group Officer Jeff Cree said, "about three changes of undies".
Handy Harry
18-12-2002, 13:53
Northerly in bushfire scare
December 17 2002
By Tony Bourke
Australia's champion racehorse Northerly had to be moved to safety yesterday as a bushfire raged through part of the property of trainer Fred Kersley at Forrestdale, 25 kilometres south of Perth.
The fire, which apparently started near the front gate of the Kersley property, did not reach the house or stables, but a nearby 40-hectare paddock, from which 40 horses had to be removed, was burnt out.
More than 10 fire units and a water plane were called in to fight the blaze, which began in the late morning and was brought under control about two hours later.
Six-year-old Northerly, who won his second Cox Plate during the spring as well as the Caulfield Cup, returned to Kersley's stables only last Friday after spelling at part-owner Neville Duncan's Oakland Park Stud at Busselton, further south of Perth, where he was reared.
As Kersley began to assess the damage caused by the fire, which also destroyed telephone and power lines, his wife Judith, speaking by mobile phone, said Northerly had his first gallop on Monday in preparation for his autumn campaign, which is planned to begin with the weight-for-age Orr Stakes at Caulfield on February 8.
"All the horses are safe and no one's been hurt, which is the main thing," she said.
"When it (the fire) started, it was really frightening and you immediately think about what you'll grab first. The material things can all be replaced and you think about all the things that can't (be replaced) like the old photos and mementos."
As for the proposed clash between Northerly and Melbourne Cup winner Media Puzzle in the $2 million wfa BMW Classic at Rosehill on April 12, Judith Kersley, who is also senior part-owner of the gelding, said: "I'm sure I'm speaking for Fred when I say we'll worry about that if and when it happens."
Irish trainer Dermot Weld said in Hong Kong at the weekend that the BMW was one target under consideration for Media Puzzle.
Sydney Turf Club racing manager John Nicholson has given Weld information about the quarantine stabling and training centre to be established at Canterbury racecourse in a bid to attract overseas horses next autumn.
But the biggest stumbling block to Weld bringing Media Puzzle back to Australia next autumn is the $3.75 million wfa Sheema Classic, run on the turf at Nad Al Sheba in Dubai on World Cup night, March 29.
Kersley has already said that Northerly's main missions in the autumn would be the $1.25 million wfa Australian Cup at Flemington on March10 and the BMW, after which it will be decided whether he goes for the Singapore Gold Cup or the QEII Cup in Hong Kong.
At Sandown today, Brett Prebble and apprentice Michelle Payne could reach career milestones. Prebble starts the day on 1999 wins and Payne needs one to reach her century.
Handy Harry
19-01-2003, 05:02
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A man and a woman were killed, burns victims are fighting for their lives, 100 houses were destroyed and many more were damaged as Canberra was engulfed in a firestorm yesterday.
Westerly winds and soaring temperatures fanned the blazes which burnt out of control in suburbs to the city's west and south.
Major roads, including the Monaro Highway, were closed as at least 2000 people fled their homes in suburban Weston Creek and Tuggeranong Valley.
Spot fires started by flying embers terrified homeowners, who battled to save their houses and then jammed streets as they fled. The ACT Government declared a state of emergency.
A Canberra Hospital spokesman said 30 people were being treated for burns, smoke inhalation and for injuries after falling off roofs.
Two severe burns victims were being flown to the specialist burns unit at Concord Hospital in Sydney.
Residents saved their homes and neighbours' homes as the capital was caught acutely under-prepared for such a major fire.
By 7pm it was apparent there were not enough firefighters to cope.
Across the western and southern suburbs, people could be seen standing on their roofs desperately hosing their houses.
At Duffy, Lyons, Kambah, Holt, Chapman, Weston and other suburbs, communities banded together with garden hoses and buckets to save their homes because firefighters were engaged elsewhere.
Acting Prime Minster John Anderson said last night he had spoken to friends and colleagues fighting the blazes in several Canberra suburbs.
He said he had also spoken to ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope, offering further assistance.
"Even members of my own office staff are out fighting fires or seeking to preserve their own homes, or their friends' homes," he said.
Mr Anderson said defence personnel were assisting with heavy or seeking to preserve their own homes, or their friends' homes."
Mr Anderson said defence personnel were assisting with heavy engineering equipment.
"It is really quite horrendous," he said.
ABC switchboards were jammed with invitations to house people who have lost their homes and are in evacuation centres.
Emergency authorities, who described it as the worst bushfire crisis in the territory's history, were forced to order evacuations as the fires and thick smoke swept in from the Namadgi National Park, turning day into night across most of the nation's capital.
ACT police confirmed that a man had died from smoke inhalation in Duffy, in the city's west.
Late last night emergency services confirmed the firestorms claimed a second life. The fatality, a 83-year-old woman from Mt Stromlo, died late last night, a spokeswoman said.
There were also concerns about the fate of missing volunteer fire crews after three burnt-out fire trucks were discovered near the Cotter River.
Fires in the Kosciuszko National Park also continued to threaten alpine village resorts in the Snowy Mountains. Close to 2000 residents and visitors were evacuated from towns including Thredbo, Perisher and Charlotte Pass.
NSW Emergency Services Minister Bob Debus described the fire situation in southern NSW as the worst in a century.
Authorities in Canberra said 36 homes had been lost in Duffy and another 15 in Rivett, but dozens more may be added to the list overnight.
Unconfirmed reports suggested a school, a service station and a medical centre had been destroyed, as well as a fire station in Kambah.
The local ABC radio station went into official emergency mode, sounding a siren every 15 minutes to read the official state of emergency declaration.
The Canberra crisis was so dire that NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Phil Koperberg flew there yesterday afternoon to assist local firefighting authorities. He offered NSW volunteers to join the fight. By 5.30pm large parts of the city had lost power.
A shaky ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope emerged in the afternoon to say that the ACT was facing a grave crisis. "I can't imagine anything being graver than that," he said.
A fire on Mount Taylor was also threatening homes in Woden Valley while small fires flared up in Tuggeranong.
Mr Stanhope officially declared a state of emergency for the entire ACT about 4pm.
Evacuation centers were set up at secondary colleges in Phillip, in the south, and Lake Ginninderra, in the north-west, housing 2000 residents. Thick smoke swept across the city from mid-afternoon, with fierce winds quickly igniting fires in corridors up and down the city.
The ACT Emergency Services Bureau placed 25 suburbs on emergency alert, advising all residents to stay indoors.
The Tuggeranong Parkway, the main thoroughfare linking the northern and southern suburbs on the southern side of Canberra, was closed until further notice.
Ten minutes later, the Monaro Highway on the northern side of Canberra, which links Sydney and Canberra to Cooma, was closed.
Gas services were disconnected from the suburbs of Duffy and Holt, and emergency services personnel declared that power would be lost to many homes during the night.
Police chief John Murray ordered all Canberra residents to stay home unless it was necessary to help firefighters. Popular alpine village resorts were under threat late yesterday as bushfires swept through the Snowy Mountains.
About 2000 tourists and residents were evacuated from Thredbo, Charlotte Pass, Perisher, Smiggin Holes and Guthega as baking temperatures and 60kmh winds drove at least 14 fires towards the townships.
Fire authorities feared a fire raging in the Kosciuszko National Park could take hold at Thredbo Village, renowned for its wooden lodges, hotels and residences.
The fires, which were started nine days ago by lightning strikes, have destroyed more than 80,000 hectares of alpine bushland. Burning leaves were falling on homes at Jindabyne.
Police and emergency services closed roads to the alpine region and only essential staff remained in the villages.
The Department of Community Services set up an evacuation centre in the Jindabyne Memorial Hall, with the assistance of the Red Cross.
Rural Fire Service spokesman John Winter said there was virtually nothing crews could do to stop the fires.
Handy Harry
19-01-2003, 05:19
Almost 400 homes have been destroyed and two people killed in Canberra as bushfires swept through the national capital, with emergency services bracing for more blazes.
The ACT Emergency Services Bureau (ESB) said fire crews and emergency workers were busy mopping up this morning and preparing to create fire breaks around at-risk areas ahead of a wind change this afternoon.
Fires were burning on five fronts in the ACT, with blazes in the northern suburbs of Mitchell and Holt still out of control.
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Burnt out homes and fallen power lines in Weston, Duffy and Rivett yesterday. Photo: Jacky Ghossein
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Scene of devastation at Stromlo Settlement. Photo: Nick Moir
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Residents in the Chapman area hose their property, as bushfires threaten to engulf them. Photo: Jacky Ghossein
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A man stands in front of Parliament House, which is obscured by smoke. Photo: Jacky Ghossein
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By Daniel Lewis, Regional Reporter
January 20 2003
Kurt Lance has loved the Snowy Mountains since he came from Austria to Australia in 1948.
Just eight months ago Mr Lance told a state parliamentary inquiry into bushfires that the region was ripe to be engulfed by an unstoppable inferno. It was breaking his heart yesterday to see his prediction come true.
"The Kosciuszko area is a disaster waiting to happen, like the Yellowstone fires in America, and it will not stop until it gets to Canberra," the 78-year-old volunteer firefighter told the inquiry into the destructive fires of Christmas 2001.
Hazard reduction, particularly in national parks, was dangerously inadequate, he said.
Mr Lance, a farmer near Ebenezer, in the Hawkesbury, and a life member of the Rural Fire Service, with 34 years of service, believes there must be regular, widespread hazard reduction burning in national parks to protect life, property and the environment.
"I'm a greenie at heart, but a sensible one, not one that's bloody stupid," he said yesterday.
The commissioner of the Rural Fire Service, Phil Koperberg, told the same committee that such hazard reduction was "an exercise in futility" and damaging to biodiversity. The National Parks and Wildlife Service burns only a tiny percentage of the land it controls each year.
Mr Lance told the committee he had been angered by Mr Koperberg's comments because experience had shown that widespread hazard reduction helped reduce the fuel load and intensity of fires.
"I'm not trying to brag and say I told you so, but [the authorities] should have taken notice, for Christ's sake, and done something about it."
While the coastal dwellers of Australia are revelling in the heat of an Australian summer, the bush fires and drought effects are widespread.
As reported earlier the office of the Racing And Sports website were lucky not to disappear in the fireball that hit Canberra suburbs.
Now the drought has forced the abandonment of Saturday's Great Western race meeting. Racing Victoria have advised that the popular meeting cannot go ahead as the track is so dry, it is deemed to be unsafe to ride on.
Today, the meeting scheduled for Wodonga Vic has been transferred to Seymour due to the immense smoke in the area of the Wodonga track from nearby bushfires.
Local trainer Brian Cox told the Herald Sun: "I'm at the racetrack now and you can barely see the 600m mark," he said.
"There's like this thick fog hanging over the track. It's been the same for a couple of weeks. It's burning my eyes out."
By: Jo Adams - Thursday, 23 January 2003
Handy Harry
29-01-2003, 16:28
A "horrible" bushfire day was forecast for south-east Australia on Thursday, with temperatures expected to climb to a scorching 40 degrees and over.
The searing temperatures would combine with gusty, strong north-westerly winds to pose a dramatic new threat for firefighters, authorities warned.
Firefighters in north-eastern Victoria warned that Thursday could be the worst day so far this year as they try to control fires raging since January 8, and which were burning on a major front near Omeo.
Breakaway fires reached the outskirts of the Victorian Alps town by late Wednesday.
Residents of the region were warned to prepare for gale force winds of up to 70kph early tomorrow morning.
"We have got an extreme period coming in the next 36 hours," incident controller for the Bogong North fire complex, Ross Runnalls, said.
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Whats this?
Three-year-old Lucy Geddes, from the NSW outback town of Brewarrina, experiences rain for the first time in her life. Picture: Jeff Darmanin
Hopes rise as rain falls that drought may break
February 21 2003
Solid rainfall across south-eastern Australia has raised hopes in rural areas that the drought may be close to breaking.
The rain, which started falling in South Australia two days ago, has now become entrenched over a band through Victoria and NSW.
Some of the best falls have come in areas which have been hardest hit by the drought.
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When climate experts talk about the rise and fall of droughts, they use the Southern Oscillation Index, based on the barometric pressure difference between Tahiti and Darwin.
A better layman's guide is the Gumboot Index, based on what is happening at a factory in Moama, on the NSW side of the Murray River.
The big dry has meant a bear market for the gumboot for several years. But the market turned very bullish yesterday as good rain continued to fall right across NSW.
Particularly in the most parched districts of the state's west, it was the best rain jubilant farmers had seen for more than two years.
In the 30 hours to 3pm yesterday, Balranald in the south-west had 72millimetres, Tibooburra in the north-west had 26millimetres, and Dubbo, on the central-west slopes, had 53millimetres.
In the Riverina, Yanco had the top fall with 87millimetres, Inverell, on the Northern Tablelands, enjoyed 27 millimetres, while Penrith had the top fall in the metropolitan area with 32 millimetres.
The president of the NSW Farmers Association, Mal Peters, said: "Some parts of western NSW haven't seen decent rain since the Sydney Olympics, so this is absolutely fantastic. It will put water in dams and household tanks, as well as creating pasture growth, which will take some pressure off farmers currently carting water and fodder.
"The heaviest rain appears to have been received around the Riverina and up into the Central West, which will put much needed moisture into the ground, although it's too early to plant winter crops. Best of all, it reminds farmers that it does rain - and lifted flagging spirits."
As the rain fell on the roof of the Aussie Gumboot Factory, the fax started running hot with orders for the first time in years.
Ian Phillips, a dairy farmer, and Darryl Hurn, a plumber, probably should have diversified into something that wasn't as water-dependent as their respective professions. But just over 10 years ago they started making children's gumboots in Moama, and employ 12 full-time staff.
Every boy and girl splashing about today in Bob the Builder or Barbie gumboots is wearing the factory's product.
"Our business in general has been ridiculously bad, horrendous," said Mr Phillips, 48.
In happier times the company made about 360,000 pairs of boots a year. First it lost the rights to the always muddy New Zealand market, and then came the drought.
Earlier this week, with orders for just 150,000 pairs, "it was shaping to be a really, really bad year", Mr Phillips said.
Then there was his dairy herd. Like all irrigating dairy farmers in the hard-hit Riverina who have had their water allocations slashed and been forced to buy in feed at very high prices, Mr Phillips's herd has been milking him and he has had to sell more than half his cows.
"We have gone from milking 400 in 1997 to 170 and we are still losing a fortune," he said. "For five years it's been tough. I don't think we have seen the end of [the rain] yet. I hope we haven't."
Can the rising Gumboot Index be trusted? Since it is still summer and hot, dry conditions could return, it is tricky calling an end to the worst drought in 100 years.
The first impact consumers are likely to feel will be a sharp increase in the price of meat as graziers who could no longer feed their animals stop the stampede towards the saleyards and hold on to stock so they can start the slow rebuilding of their flocks and herds.
The rain will hopefully help produce enough pasture to see livestock through winter.
High on the Great Divide at Walcha yesterday, a record yarding of 1855 cattle was drenched as they went under the hammer.
Elders stock and station agent Paul Jameson said that the high numbers were purely due to the drought.
"We are already talking that numbers [at future sales] will be decimated now there's been a bit of rain."
But on Ian Murphy's grazing property near Cobar, only about 10 millimetres fell.
"It's not a drought-breaker for us," he said, "but it's a break in the pattern."
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