Discussion: NSW - Hilltop fire

The fire that closed the Hume Highway yesterday looks as though it could be pretty close to burning the Hilltop map on its Northern side.

(A bit like much of our native vegetation, NSW o-maps need the occasional fire to flourish, although these are a bit too big for comfort.)

I think was the other side of Wilson Dr, between balmoral & yanderra then moving north towards Bargo

Yep, it spotted across Wilson Drive once, but has spread out mainly South, almost at Cataract dam. O map is the red cross (I think), the outlined area is extent of fire.

Pretty close:

Geez it spread a fair way. Lucky with the wind direction, dads place is near the tip of the thirlmere lakes national park above the tree symbol

Meanwhile, it sounds like just about every bit of bush between the Hunter River and Port Stephens is, or has been, on fire except for the Stockton Dunes map.

I live near Stockton Blair I'm pretty sure something can be arranged.

Every time we see smoke up that way (Stockton dunes) we hope it is the dunes map area (well if something is burning it may as well be there). Never is though.

And terrain around Lithgow? And do I still try and book Easter accommodation?

The Lithgow fire is, I believe, well clear of the planned areas for the second weekend (and Easter itself is about 80km away).

I had to go into the local school today to help with something and one of the staff came in late. She had got back to Sydney at 4am, having been out on that Lithgow-Mudgee road collecting her dad's valuables and bringing them back through three fires to Sydney.

So it sounds as though the people there are worried, even if we aren't.

Last month's NSW Middle Champs area is directly downwind of the latest fire, at Minmi (although it has to get across the freeway first).

When I was course setting at Hilltop I noted some of the homes on the road into the map with trees all around and thought that I would not want to live in those places in a hot summer. There will be some very nervous home owners in that area.

In the end the Minmi fire didn't get across the freeway - which is as well because Minmi and the west side of Wallsend would have been in big trouble if it had.

Best wishes guys. We all have our disasters to face from time to time. Some naturally caused, some political.