Firestorm

As you may have noticed on the news there has been a large amount of fires around Melbourne over the last few weeks. The lead up to the worst day was indeed a sign of what was to come. For over a week the temperature in Victoria (the state of which Melbourne is the capital) was over 35 C and for the last 3 days it was over 40 C.

These days basically killed and dried everything out. I have some pictures here on the way home from work over the week in which it cooled down. It is easy to be confused and think it was Autumn. Some pics below of this.

Near my house on the way home from work

The grass outside my home

On the day the fires broke out and in some case deliberately lit it was the hottest day ever recorded in Victoria, with the temperature being 46.6 C. I didn't feel hot yet dry. It really was just a dry heat where I felt the sun burning me black when outside. In the afternoon the sky and city had a sepia look as seen below. I was completely oblivious to the fires raging about 100 km North-East of Melbourne.

The sky in Melbourne the day of the fires.

I did catch on later as I read the newspaper. I was a little concerned about where the fires were. I was relieved to find out none where near my Dad's. He was a little oblivious too, and only when the smoke came over at about 6 pm he became very concerned. Although the fires were far from his house and he was safe, it was unsettling. Here are some photos of the smoke clouds coming to Rosedale.

Photos from my Dad in Rosedale








On Friday the 13th I noticed that once again Melbourne still had that smokey feeling, a taste of smoke in the air, and the sepia look as seen above. Yet when I was running, I found myself drawn to looking at the sun, like a sun worshiper. I was in awe of its power to destroy and create energy. The sun was sitting bright in the red sky reminding us all about its power. Too bad the solar industry has been crippled by the coal industry in Australia.

The sun in the sky in Melbourne 6 days after the fires. Reminding us of its power.

I recall once debating with Eric (from LX) about what was worse a cyclone (hurricane/ typhoon) or a tornado and conceded that tornadoes dump all over cyclones in power. After reading some of the stories of survivors from the fires, for example statements like napalm running through the jungles, or an animal trying to trap its prey at breakneck speed, I think the firestorm is more powerful then the tornado. Thankfully, there frequency is less.

Many people I know have been affected by this tragedy. There is some good news. People have been very charitable and have raised around 100 million dollars for the affected people. I hope this will help the people affected to rebuild there lives.

Photos from the newspaper

Near the the town where I attended the wine and salsa night

The station at the town

The fires from the North East of Melbourne at about 8pm of the worst day

The firestorm approaching the Marysville

Marysville after the fire passed.

Bass Strait Tour

A few weeks ago, I travelled around Bass Strait. This trip required me to travel through the hills between where I live in Rosedale and the coast. Lots of fog was hiding in the mountains.

Monash University, Churchill in Gippsland covered in fog

Of course there was not a straight road anywhere to be seen, and street signs with directions left me lost.

The road winding around the hills past the university

the hills with their farms

Philip Island was the first destination I visited. It is an island famous for having the motorcycle grand prix each year. I felt excited to see the track and you could feel that the electricity of the park. I went into the gift shop and saw that they would let you ride in the car around the track. I inquired about the price and found out that it was about $200 for 9 minutes. Now that does not sound like value for money, yet an exciting proposition all the same. When I have some spare money I might just give it a try.

Phillip Island racetrack

From there I went to a place called pyramid rocks. Here I saw some whales breach out at sea, rabbits, and some wallabies. From here I moved along the coast pretty much going all the way to Wilson’s Prom, the most southern part of the main land.

I heard that the road pretty much ended beyond the gates and a 4WD (SUV) was needed to reach the exact point. As I looked at the map I had accomplished something by reaching the most southern sealed road on the mainland. With that I started to go home by the coast road past the lifeless wind farm on the cliffs and through some back streets to Rosedale.

The scenery on the way back

Two weeks later I wanted to complete the trip so I visited Lakes Entrance. It was recently under water from the floods (just before I arrived) however you could not tell when I was there. I noticed that the wind and rain made it a bitterly cold place. For all the hype I had heard about this place I thought it was pretty average. It was quiet, wet, and cold. On the way back though as we climbed the hills that separate this town from the main road to Melbourne and Sydney we stopped at some of the outlooks and got to see why it was called the lakes district. It was quite breathtaking yet the rain was forcing us on our way.

didn't get this photo just right, the street is actually straight

Why they call them the lakes

The way back we stopped at the last town on the rail line passing through Rosedale, Bairnsdale. Bairnsdale is a bigish country town, with wide streets and enough modern entertainment to keep everyone happy. From there I returned to Rosedale and was relieved to have seen the Gippsland’s Bass Coast. My next journey I was hoping would be the mountain region, maybe next year, since the snow seems to have finished for this year.

Rosedale, 3847, Australia

Rosedale is where I have called home since I have arrived in Australia. It is a big town of about 1000 birds. We have lots of birds nesting outside the house and I sometimes just enjoy watching them play. Soon it will be magpie season so I hope I will be safe. A magpie is a vicious black and white bird that swoops on you when you aren’t looking. Besides the birds it is rather peaceful here, I hardly know anyone else is around. Looking for a job and a house have been rather tough activities. The train takes a nice 2.5 hours to get to Melbourne, and the trains so infrequent (3 times daily early am, midday, early evening) that it is a rather time consuming adventure. I have taken some pictures of my times here in Rosedale so that you can see what it is like.

Just off the main rd (Princes St or the Princes Highway), downtown.

The main st a.k.a the Princes Highway.

If you follow the main rd you can go to Melbourne if west or Sydney if you go east. This route to Sydney is longer yet more beautiful with the Pacific Ocean on your left side.

Yes that is ice on the ground. Rosedale is absolutely freezing.

I have been lucky enough to see this a few times well a lot more than a few times when I have gone to Melbourne. I feel that the cold weather always shows itself when I need to go to town. And the answer to your second question is yes, the sun is on the way up.

Ned Kelly's Bakery is the bread spot in town.

There are quite a few references to Ned Kelly in town, mostly all at this bakery.

One of the sulphur laden sunsets that we see here as the sun goes down over the northwestern sky.

There are numerous power plants near by that lover to pour sulphur into the air so that occasionally I can taste and smell it. Plus they also have a by product (an externality

tec[h]onomic speak) of allowing me to use lights, computers, and watch DVDs.