Tag: Bushfires

Traralgon & Gippsland, Vic, Zip TripsLeave a comment

Sitting Tight

Itching for Hitching

Day Six Monday 10th Feb 2014 Traralgon, Vic We are awake early as we intend to drive home to meet the air conditioning technician to fix a problem with the downstairs air con. But the highway and the Yarram Road are both still closed to through traffic. We may as well relax, at least the smoke has cleared. One of our group is due to have a procedure at her local hospital so they take a back road through the hills and make it home in time. A few others and the ‘cabin’ crew also leave via the back roads. … Continue reading Sitting Tight

When Things Just Go Wrong7 Comments

With plans in ashes there’s only one option

Itching for Hitching

We’re not the only caravanners gripped with reluctance to travel at present. As Victorian grey nomads we prefer to leave our summer travels until the schools go back but then where do we go? We have two options: Somewhere that hasn’t burnt, either the central north or the west of the state. Or do we head to the eastern half of the state, most of which has been decimated by fires. Put it that way, the answer then is simple. This year it will be a fire ravaged area for both our safety and to bolster those broken communities. Surely … Continue reading With plans in ashes there’s only one option

Places, Vic8 Comments

Tangambalanga

Itching for Hitching

Here’s one for the readers who are fascinated by Aussie place names. When I took this photo just prior to Christmas, Tangambalanga, Vic was bathed in light smoke from the Sydney bushfires. I was going to use the photo for an entirely different story based around some folks we met last year. Now this pretty dairying centre on the Kiewa River close to Tallangatta has its own fire concerns with fronts on both the south and the east of town. For overseas readers who wish to get an understanding of the extent of these bushfires, the maps on these Victorian … Continue reading Tangambalanga

Weather15 Comments

2019 Victorian Bushfires

Itching for Hitching

Bushfires strike fear into the hearts of most Australians. Caravanners are constantly on the alert for signs of smoke, the smell, a certain golden glow that cannot be described, even the shadows that take on an eerie quality. This week while on a Caravan Club muster we found ourselves once more on alert. We can be thankful, but to those caught in nature’s path the losses to homes, livestock and livelihoods have been utterly devastating. Our hearts go out to them. March 2nd 2019, Toora, Vic To the south of us Wilson’s Promontory National Park is on fire. Back in … Continue reading 2019 Victorian Bushfires

Vic, When Things Just Go WrongLeave a comment

Bushfires

Itching for Hitching

Never before had I considered proximity to an airport and a hospital to be important when caravanning. In February 2014 we were enjoying a caravan club weekend muster at the Park Lane Top Tourist caravan park in Traralgon, Vic. On the Friday a fire started in Yallourn North and we were entertained by the fire fighting helicopters and fixed wing aircraft buzzing overhead. On the Saturday we were hunkering down to a serious heat wave and by mid morning on Sunday the heat was extreme and a strong wind was rocking the caravans. There were fires at nearby Bruthen and … Continue reading Bushfires