Safety in the bush is especially important as we approach a high fire danger period and we all should be more aware of our own situation.
In our area of prime concern there is a very popular destination - Bendethera.
With essentially two steep 4WD tracks in and out, one should be more aware of the dangers of bushfires that might threaten this popular camping destination.
It would be worthwhile taking stock of many factors including:
- people arriving at Bendethera might be spread out over several days - what happens if they all want to leave quickly (and with trailers, and with traffic possibly coming in the opposite direction)
- what happens if there are trees down across the 4WD tracks which might stop an exodus and lead to an extreme situation
- how will you know what a fire situation is if it is out of mobile phone reception (some reception is often available at Dampier Trig or Bendethera Trig)
- if planning to leave very quickly, do you take the trailer and create a greater risk of blocking the routes
- seriously consider staying put - the threat of fires may have eased or passed. Fires tend to burn uphill so staying in the cleared valley floor is probably the best option.
There is an excellent article about bushfire safety which I would encourage you to read. It is written primarily for bushwalkers and others going to remote areas like canyons but there is a host of valuable information including "last chance options".
Link to article:
