Fire in the Mallee
Written in the lead up to fire season 2020-21 …
For the last couple of years there hasn’t been a lot of grass growth to carry a fire but this year is different. The Spear Grass (Austrostipa spp.) is nearly waist high and I have been insisting we wait for it to finish seeding before Phil slashes the patch near the house. The Kerosene Grass (Aristida spp.) is also putting on good growth.
I’m a bit nervous now because fire season is upon us. Two dry lightning storms, a week apart, have resulted in multiple fires in the Mallee already this year. One fire, in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park was only about 10 km south of us. Luckily it was quickly contained and kept small. There was a much larger fire in Wyperfeld National Park which burnt nearly 700 hectares before it was brought under control today. It was burning in Spear Grass fuels …
A fire in Hattah Kulkyne National Park: 30 October 2008
Apart from the grass patch near the house, we are as ready as we can be. Phil has slashed the tracks and fence lines once already, and might have to do it again! He has also used the brush cutter to remove all the growth under the electric fence. That’s 5 km down one side, then 5 km down the other side. I contributed 5 m to the total work effort whilst posing for photos. Although it is considered extremely unlikely to start a fire from an electric fence, we also switch the fence off on days when lightning is forecast, or Total Fire Ban days.
Stay safe this summer.
More information:
The VicEmergency website and map of incidents: https://www.emergency.vic.gov.au/respond/