It's now our burn-off

                                                            

Our Fire Permit.

                                               
At last we have our 2nd Fire Permit. Our first one expired, unused, due to strong Westerly winds making it too hazardous to burn off.

This one is able to be used from August the 26th, for two weeks, weather conditions permitting.

Friday, August 26th was almost perfect.
The winds were slight...enough to fan the fire, but not enough to cause problems.
We had 3 extra people, as required in the permit, to help us control the burn-off.

This photo below shows the state of the vegetation before burn-off.
It is plentiful. It is dry. It constitutes a large fuel-load.....a hazard during summer.

Our 80 acre (approx. 32 hectares) block is divided by a road...a regular road, for general traffic.

So we have a "top block" and a "bottom block"

We started our burn-off on the bottom block, and it began in a very controlled fashion.

It was soon burning as we had hoped....strongly, and spreading through the grass.



                                        

 And there was my husband, on a tractor,towing a large tank of water, to make sure that it didn't jump the road.

                                             

It was all running , and burning,very smoothly.  Now for the "top block"



The burn-off on the "top block"

It also went smoothly, as you can see.
                                             

And this is the result. 

No more long, dead grass.                      
Fire hazard substantially reduced.     
Sighs of relief all round.

But we were too satisfied far too early.
Our neighbour rang....the wind had changed direction. 
The embers had flared up.
The fire had jumped the road!  It was burning in his bottom block!
All hands on deck to control it!




Can you see two men bottom right...hosing the flames?


Soon that drama was over.  Only smouldering remains left.

That night it began to rain, and it rained all the next day.
Our fires were well and truly extinguished.


Relief all round!

 And here is a photo of part of the land which we burnt-off last week. One week later, plus some rain of course,  and the new growth has begun.
(The kangaroos will love this new grass!)

It all ended well, and we are relatively bush-fireproof for the coming summer.

So now we're O.K. until next year, and the cycle will begin again.