So, I've been morosely watching the RFS website and all the blobs of the different fires in north-east NSW getting bigger, and bigger and bigger.
18,153ha burnt in Mt Kaputar NP
2,232ha in Nightcap NP (and still badly out of control)
17,432ha on the edge of Washpool NP
44,753ha in Gibraltar Rang and Nymboida NP
89,750ha across Chaelundi NP, Guy Fawkes River NP and Nymboi-Binderay NP
27,473ha extra in Nymboi-Binderay NP
113,900ha extra in Guy Fawkes River NP (this has been going for a month now..)
10,470ha in Crowdy Bay NP
14,039ha in Tapin Tops NP
11,077ha on the edge of Cottan-Bimbang NP
62,145ha between Cottam-Bimbang and Werrikimbe NP
124,936ha across Carrai NP and Oxley Wild Rivers NP
49,024ha in Willi Willi NP
And sundry extra smaller fires in NPs and state forests.
This is at least 585,384ha of forest burnt. 5853.85km2. This is an area about the size of Kosciuszko NP. *All* of Kosciuszko NP. The only major national parks between Newcastle and Ballina that haven't been badly burnt are Myall Lakes, Barrington Tops and New England NPs.
This is an absolute catastrophe, are we looking at a 2003-fires like event for Northern NSW? With the rest of spring and all of summer still to come?
Just how many precious places are going to be lost in this?