[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″ offset=”vc_col-lg-1/5 vc_col-md-1/5 vc_col-xs-1/5″][us_image image=”81787″ size=”thumbnail” align=”left” style=”circle” has_ratio=”1″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″ offset=”vc_col-lg-4/5 vc_col-md-4/5 vc_col-xs-4/5″][vc_column_text]By Barry Lees[/vc_column_text][us_post_date][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
I have a small house on 5 acres of beautiful Hawkesbury sandstone bush. That means tall trees, huge rocks, interesting shrubs and groundcovers and lots of grass trees (or blackboys). Still Creek passes through with mossy banks, glorious ferns and crystal-clear water. I absolutely love it!
We have wallabies – big dads, mums of various sizes, and joeys in pouches. I like it when a joey finally has all its fur and decides to climb out of mum’s pouch to explore the world.
They often can’t control their long legs and tail but they race around, falling over and bumping into things. When mum grunts, they lurch back to the safety of the pouch, tumble in head first leaving a bit of leg and tail hanging out. Mums are very forgiving!
While writing this, I see out the window some small birds flitting around in the shrubs, including three pairs of blue wrens (Superb Fairy Wrens). Yesterday there were 6 yellow-tail black cockatoos near the house, making a mess of the Hakea sericeas.
They usually come in threes – mum, dad and the kid who is as big as the adults but makes an endless raspy noise. Bushfires, I understand, will be bigger better brighter in future.
At the recent HotSpots bushfire workshop, we were reminded that it is the landowner’s responsibility to control the fire fuel load on their properties, by hand clearing or burning of leaf litter, bark and small sticks.
With the help of a few neighbours, I intend to burn multiple small areas on my place when the conditions are right (low temperatures, no wind, good firebreaks etc.).
I will help others in return. This was a common practice many years ago but it died out because of over regulation, too many forms to fill out and too many people telling us we couldn’t do it. We are now being encouraged to do it to slow down wildfires and better protect assets like houses.
In most cases, a single approval called a Bush Fire Hazard Reduction Certificate is all you need. Look at the NSW Rural Fire Service website to learn more. If lots of bush block owners did this, life would be safer in summer, except perhaps for days with a ‘Catastrophic’ fire danger rating.
There are many new people in the district who may not have experienced fire in the bush. We would like to invite these people to come, watch and learn when we do these small burns. Landcare members are keen to see a renewed interest in landowners doing small cool burns throughout the area, after suitable training.
For more information, talk to Nick on 9653 2056, or go to our website www.stillcreeklandcare.com.au or Facebook.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
