2013 Balmoral-Yanderra Bushfire

Regeneration and New Life after the fires

New shoots of life on trees after fires along Picton Road, December 2013 (I Willis)

Areas that have been burnt by bushfires eventually regenerate and their is new life. Such has happened on the Picton Road area where the trees are now sprouting green shoots. There are dormant buds under bark of eucalypts called epicormic buds. These burst into new growth in the weeks following the fire and trees are covered with new leaves. Fire is a very cleansing process and a fire does not mean all is lost. After the disaster passes there is new life and new hope. New growth on the trees is symbolic of a fresh start and a new beginning.

Along Picton Road near Cordeaux Dam (I Willis, 22 Oct, 9.00am)



Day 12 Balmoral (Hall Road) Bushfire 28 October

The bushfire emergency has passed and most crews have been stood down. This fire has been downgraded to 'alert' status and is contained 3 km south of Bargo.

The Blue Mountains fire effected areas are now in the recovery stage and are appealing for visitors  not to abandon the area. Fire fighters are still working on the area where over 200 homes were destroyed by blazes last week. Crown Prince Frederik and Princes Mary lifted the spirits of residents as they visited the area yesterday according to reports.

Day 6 Balmoral (Hall Road) Bushfire 22 October (6.00pm)

The fire, according to the RFS website, has been consolidated within containment lines. The current status of the fire is controlled and has burnt over 15,300 hectares to date. Two houses have been lost.

The RFS website reports that 'Fire continues to burn in the Southern Highlands near the villages of Yerrinbool, Balmoral, Yanderra, Pheasants Nest, Wilton, Bargo, Buxton, Hill Top, Alpine / Aylmerton and Couridjah'. Illawarra residents are still advised to remain viligent. The Picton Road remains open. (http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au )

Meanwhile elsewhere in this fire emergency: in the Springwood fire 193 houses have been lost to date, 7 in the Mt Victoria fire and 3 in the Lithgow fire. (http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au )

Day 5 Balmoral Bushfire 21 October (6.00pm)

On Day 5 the bushfire continues to pose problems for fire authorities. This afternoon Wilton came under ember attack and the fire was status was upgraded to Emergency. 

According the RFS website at 6.00pm the fire has burnt over 14,100 hectares and is currently on a Watch and Act status and still out of control. Illawarra residents are advised to 'remain viligent and monitor the situation'. The Picton Road has re-opened.

The weather conditions at Camden airport are currently: winds ENE at 16 kph; 28% humidity; temperature 30.9 degrees. (Weatherzone)

Relief organisations have swung into action and include appeals launched by the Australian Red Cross, St Vincent de Paul Society, Salvation Army and Anglicare. Similar to wartime relief appeals during the First and Second World Wars and others during natural disasters.

Day 4 Balmoral Bushfire 20 October (6.00pm) 

The fire continues to pose challenges for fire authorities this afternoon. According to the RFS website there are 270 fire-fighters tending this fire, which continues to be uncontained. It has burnt over 12,700 hectares and has a Watch and Act status.

While not posing any direct threat to Illawarra residents they have been advised to 'remain viligent and monitor the situation'.

The fire has crossed the Picton Road which remains closed. The eastern edge of the fire is burning adjacent to Cataract and Cordeaux Dams.

Balmoral-Yanderra fire from Appin area (I Willis, 18 Oct, 6.00pm)

Balmoral-Yanderra Bushfire 18 October 2013 (6.00pm)

The photo of this fire from the Appin area shows the increased intensity of the fire since this morning. The RFS website states that the fire is uncontained and has burnt over 8,000 hectares. The fire has crossed the Picton Road and is burning along the Macarthur Road area near Wilton. Fire crews have put in containment lines and are untaking considerable back-burning.  The village of Wilton has a meeting at the community hall at 7.00pm.

Balmoral-Yanderra Bushfire 18 October 2013 (9.00am)



Balmoral-Yanderra fire from Appin area (I Willis, 18 Oct, 9.30am)

The view of this bushfire from Appin this morning gives some idea of the conditions facing bushfire fighters in the area. The fire was downgraded from Emergency to Watch and Act with the head of the fire now 1.5km east of the Picton Road within the Sydney Catchment Authority. The Picton Road has been closed to traffic since yesterday afternoon and the Rural Fire Service website states that it is likely to remain closed for up to 3 days.

The weather conditions have abated and at 11.00am this morning the wind is currently from the ENE at 9 knots, the humidity has risen to 32% and the temperature is 19 degrees. This is different from the conditions yesterday (17 October) Thursday with a low humidity at 1.30pm of 8% and a maximum temperature of 32.6 degrees. Peak wind gusts at Camden airport recorded at 78kph at 11.30am. (Weatherzone)

Response to the fires

The reporting around the bushfire on the radio and on other media is very similar to wartime (as I outlined below). The fire event is now moving into the relief stage after the emergency in some areas with the Salvation Army swinging into action at the emergency centres, adopting a role it excelled at during wartime. There are reports typical of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) appearing in radio interviews amongst victims and fire-fighters. This is a normal experience after a traumatic event  and people feel frightened, sad, anxious and disconnected (www.helpguide.org). These type of reactions were typical of soldiers who have experienced the battle-front during wartime. (Lifeline 13 11 14)

The homefront experience of wartime has been replicated this morning with fundraising appeals being launched by the Salvation Army, one of Australia's oldest and most respected relief organisations.

The communications of the fire have included all sorts of modern media with ABC Radio Sydney 702 turning into a community notice board. There were a number of eye-witness accounts being broadcast live on Thursday afternoon. Reports indicated that the fire-front response in specific localities was confused and out of control. A fire storm situation that was changing quickly by the minute. Very similar to reports of the military front line in the heat of a battle where confusion reigns and there is a lack of control. 

The 4 stages of a disaster - preparation, warning, impact, aftermath - are typical of these bushfires and other destructive events.  

Balmoral-Yanderra Bushfires Give Eerie Driving Conditions 17 October 2013

Smoke causing eerie driving on Mt Ousley Road Wollongong from Balmoral-Yanderra Bushfire (K Willis, 17 Oct, 5.00pm)

Smoke causing eerie driving at Picton Road near Mt Ousley Road from Balmoral-Yanderra Bushfire (K Willis, 17 Oct, 5.00pm)

Eerie and surreal driving conditions were created by the emergency bushfires in the Balmoral-Yanderra area. Radio reports constantly give updates of dangerous conditions in the Blue Mountains at Springwood, while conditions deteriorate in the Hunter Valley. There have been losses of houses in the Blue Mountains,while conditions continue to be dangerous for residents of effected areas. 

Warragamba fires 2001

Reports make these fires the worst in the Sydney area since 2001 when Warragamba township was severely impacted. There were many houses lost in the village and elsewhere. The resilience of community spirit is sorely tested under these type of disaster conditions.

Weather conditions

The dry westerly winds, with strong gusts, of both these fire events create difficult weather conditions for fire fighters  on the Sydney rural-urban fringe. Very low humidity (between 8% to 15% today) and high temperature, when combined with the gusty winds, provide a lethal combination for local residents. The rural-urban interface is zone where fire events can have a severe impact on people's lives.  

Environment

Bushfires are a part of the Australian environment and cause dangerous conditions when they impact on urban areas. Aboriginal people managed the Australian environment with fire for thousands of years.

The battleground

The organisation, language and actions of fire-fighting have many similarities to the battlefront during wartime. There is the fire ground, the emergency, command structures, command centres, lethal consequences, civilian evacuation centres, dangerous conditions, the fire front and a host of other similarities. The battle on the firefront and wartime frontline are both unpredictable with authorities trying to maintain containment measures. Both are highly stressful for victims and fighters and put communities under incredible pressures. Both try the resilience of communities and the social networks across those village, towns and suburbs involved on the Sydney's rural-urban edge.

Read more @ Worst bushfires in Australia (Aust Geographic)

Charming Country Town

Jacarandas in Elderslie 2014 (I Willis)

More Blooming Flowers

The Jacarandas in Camden and surrounds are out in bloom again. They are a picture of colour and when a breeze pops  up or it rains they carpet the ground. 


Local jacarandas add to the sense of place and character of the area. They add to the picturesque aesthetic of the Camden district. Mr Tim Pickles stated in the Camden press that they are suited to the local area.



Read more in the Macarthur Chronicle 25 November 2014 Camden Wollondilly Edition p.36

Blooming Jacarandas 2013

Blooming Jacaranda street trees in the Camden area (I Willis)

 As you walk around Camden streets you will come across the current flush of purples and  mauves. The local jacarandas are in full bloom and they have spread a colourful carpet across local streets. The streetscapes provide a wonderful vista  of fantasy and charm. They take you on a journey of the imagination into a another world.

The jacarandas in bloom are regularly the front page story in local newpapers. (Macarthur Chronicle (Camden Edition), 5 November 2013)

Jacarandas have been a feature of the urban landscape for quite a while in the local area.

The jacarandas were planted in Camden’s main street in 1927. (Macarthur Chronicle 24 June 2006)

In 2006 Camden mayor Chris Patterson asked the question should the jacarandas in the main street be replaced and he got a very loud response from the community. Save our trees!

The Camden Chamber of Commerce first proposed the removal and replacement with Manchurian pear trees in early 2006.

The Macarthur Chronicle reports that the unseasonably hot weather recently has resulted in the trees blooming early in the local area. (Macarthur Chonicle (Camden Edition) 12 November 2013) Jacarandas also bloomed early in drought years of the early 2000s giving a wonderful burst of colour in suburbs of Elderslie, Camden, and parts of Campbelltown and Picton.

In October 2013 the hottest day was Monday the 21st with a maximum temperature of  36.4°C while the monthly average for October is 27.6°C. October was also unseasonally dry, which according to horticulturalist Tim Pickles, has resulted in better flowers and more of them. The jacaranda originally came from Brazil  and really  like the warm conditions. (Macarthur Chonicle (Camden Edition) 12 November 2013)

Charm and Character of the Old

Argyle Street Camden c1938 (Camden Images)

What is it that gives Camden its charm and character? The answer is found in what still remains of the 1940s and 1950s country town of Camden, that is, its  rural and cultural landscape.

 

The country town

A walk around the central area of Camden reveals to the casual observer that the town is still strikingly similar to what it was like in the 1940s, especially the streetscape. Along streets like Menangle Rd, Broughton St, Murray St, Barsden St, Park St, Hill St, Mitchell St, Elizabeth St, View St, Alpha Rd, John St and even Argyle St. For example, the view along John Street from Camden Public School to St Johns Church is remarkably similar to that  of 60 years ago. Even the view down Argyle Street, especially building heights and street frontages, is similar to the times when the Hume Highway came through the centre of the town.

Picturesque panorama 

The panorama of the township across the floodplain  from a number of locations, eg, Macquarie Grove, Elderslie, or Cawdor,  is largely unchanged from the Second World War. There is the picturesque church on the hill, framed by the town and the farmland in the foreground.  Much as it was when RAAF fighter pilots at the airfield were worried that they would hit the church steeple as they took off on their missions.  As visiting RAAF airmen came into Camden on leave along Macquarie Grove Road the profile that the town made against the skyline would be very familiar to them today.

Federation houses

When the visitor enters the town from the north they still pass the old milk factory where the local dairy farmers unloaded their milk cans from their horse drawn carts. Coming into the township from the south along Cawdor Road the rural landscape gives way to the village showground as it has done since the 1880s. Or along Broughton Street, the visitor  can still image entering the town in 1940s passing the rows of neat weatherboard and brick cottages with their well maintained gardens.  The visitor walking along Menangle Road  passes the Federation houses adjacent to  Macarthur Park,  St Johns church and Dr Crookston's house. The same setting as the 1940s when young female voluntary aids walked up to Camden Hospital to do their wartime duty. 

Attractive streetscapes

The old part of central Camden has a number  of attractive streetscapes which illustrate the town's Victorian and Edwardian past . From the days when the local policeman would tie up his horse outside the police barracks and everyone in town knew that 'Pansy' had arrived at the railway station. The stationmaster would wander over from his house in Elizabeth Street, which still exists, to attend to his official business.




Argyle Street, Camden, 2012

Rustic charm and aesthetics

The farmland that surrounds the township is part of the rustic charm and aesthetic value that attracts many tourists to the town. The landscape of the Nepean River floodplain has shaped the image of the town from the 1840s and still determines how people view the town when they visit it today.

Camden today

The Camden of today still shows the signs of the social and community activities of the country town of the past. For example during the Second World War the ladies of the Camden Red Cross would go to the weekly sewing workshops in the town hall, now the library, while their husbands spent the day at the saleyards. And the location of the churches, shops, garages, showground, community halls, hotels, government buildings and parkland have remained unchanged in years.

Camden retains charm 

Despite recent developments in central Camden  many of the elements of Camden's rural  past still exist.  They give the town its rustic charm and pleasant ambience, and attract the Sunday visitor.  It would be disappointing to see any short sighted decisions made today that might damage this character.


Read more @ http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/camden   and  
@ http://www.heritagetourism.com.au/camden-the-best-preserved-country-town-on-the-cumberland-plain-nsw/  and
@ http://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/journals/index.php/sydney_journal/article/view/713
@ Townies, exurbanites and aesthetics, issues of identity on Sydney's rural-urban fringe (AQ, 2012)

Charming Photographs of Camden
@ https://www.facebook.com/CaptureCamden

First published in The District Reporter 7 October 2005