Queenslanders are being warned to expect spring and summer conditions similar to the La Niña event that brought widespread flooding to parts of the state in February.
Key points:
The bushfire season is expected to be mild to moderate this year
Meteorologist Laura Boekel says “quite a bit of flooding” is expected across Queensland
Emergency services are urging people in the north and central west to be prepared for grassfires
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) today briefed cabinet on the seasonal conditions ahead.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said it was likely the state would see a mild bushfire season but above average rainfall was set to continue.
“The good news is we’re not expecting a big bushfire season, but we are expecting a wetter than normal spring,” she said.
“These conditions could be similar to the conditions over the summer of this year.”
Ms Palaszczuk said the government would ensure councils across the state were prepared for more wet weather and were implementing recommendations from the last flooding event.
‘Remove a bit of flooding’ expected
BOM meteorologist Laura Boekel said the outlook applied to the whole state, and could not be pinpointed more specifically.
“All of Queensland should be aware that we are expecting an increased chance of above average rainfall this season,” she said.
“If we couple what we have seen in the winter, which is a lot more moisture and grounds remaining wet and not drying up, with the forecast of an above average season, that means we could see quite a bit of flooding across Queensland.
“All of Queensland should be across the fact that we are expecting to see quite a bit of rainfall.”
Queenslanders living in regional areas should expect “significant grassfire activity” over spring and summer months.(Supplied: Lydall Scobell)
‘Significant grass fire activity’
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Greg Leach said while the bushfire season is expected to be normal, those in regional parts of the state need to be prepared for grassfire.
“Our modeling still shows that we’re likely to experience a normal bushfire season,” he said.
“While we’re unlikely to see the extensive bushfires such as we saw in 2018/19, we are going to see significant grassfire activity in some parts of the state.
“The recent rain we’ve had has brought on a significant amount of grass load growth through western, central and southern parts of Queensland, and the frosts that we’ve seen in recent weeks has dried off much of that vegetation.”
He said rural brigades had mobilized to complete 133 hazard reduction burns totaling nearly 60,000 hectares.
Emergency Services Minister Mark Ryan urged those in regional Queensland to be prepared for grassfires.
“For people in the north, and central and west, there is still a significant chance for you to experience grassfire… you need to be prepared for that season.”
Flood cameras and sirens to be installed across Ipswich
Ipswich City Council Mayor Teresa Harding said her council was conducting its own flood review which will begin at the end of this month.
“It’s obviously quite emotional to hear of this [outlook],” she said.
“We had feedback from residents who said we would like to see the river heights in real time rather than just seeing them as metreage, so council will be putting flood cameras and sirens in strategic locations around the city,” she said.
Ms Harding said the state government had gone to 31 households in Goodna and offered them a buy back.
“It will be very interesting to see how that happens and how quickly it happens,” she said.
Is adventure tourism, with a science bent, the new way to attract travellers?
From tracking echidna poo, trapping mosquitoes, or counting face masks on beaches, citizen science is helping boost scientific records and data.
But it is not just for locals. A new style of tourism encourages people to involve themselves in landscapes and wildlife while visiting locations, rather than just taking in the sights.
In South Australia, Kangaroo Island is known for its unique and abundant wildlife.
But 25,000 koalas and 50,000 farm animals perished in the fatal Black Summer bushfires of 2019-2020.
Two people also lost their lives.
Roanna Horbelt has been rescuing native orphaned animals at her Wildlife Land Trust Sanctuary for the past decade. She said the fires tested her mettle of her.
Roanna Horbelt and rescued kangaroo Choco on Kangaroo Island, SA.(ABC Movin’ To The Country: Tony Hill)
“We were out in the fire grounds the whole time and you see horrible things, but we didn’t focus on that at all,” she said.
“I don’t have one picture. We focused on the positive things.
“We focused on the live animals, and we had about …150 to 200 kangaroos in the sanctuary at that stage, where it really was a sanctuary.”
Tourism that helps wildlife
Ms Horbelt and her partner, Phil Smith, saw an opportunity to give back to the animals not just through rehabilitation but through research and conservation.
They started an ocean tourism operation taking small group boat trips to the remote north-western coastline of Kangaroo Island to introduce people to the astounding diversity of animals, landscape, and geology.
Roanna Horbelt and Phil Smith are partners in business and in life.(ABC Movin’ To The Country: Tony Hill)
The tourists, along with active citizen scientists, contribute to data monitoring and collection programs by taking photos, noting locations and animals, and making new discoveries.
Kangaroo Island Dolphin Watch coordinator Tony Bartram said, surprisingly, not much was known about dolphins.
“People think we know a lot, because dolphins are on T-shirts, in movies, on TV, all the rest, but they’re actually listed as data deficient,” he said.
“Getting baseline data about all species of dolphins is incredibly important.”
Mr Bartram said this area of Kangaroo Island was the perfect place to conduct these tours.
Halina Baczkowski meets Roanna Horbelt on Movin’ To The Country.(ABC Movin’ To The Country: Tony Hill)
“It’s not like being in Queensland. In South Australia, the marine environment is largely unexplored,” he said.
Mr Bartram had high hopes for the project.
“It’s important to us because it gives us a greater data flow, but also it means that we’re getting to places we haven’t been able to get to before,” he said.
“The limits on the research we’ve done so far are the limits on us and how far we travel, not on the dolphins.”
It’s not just dolphins tourists get to see. They have also spotted whales and ospreys previously not thought to inhabit the area.
One of many stunning whale flukes captured off the coast of Kangaroo Island on Roanna’s tours.(ABC Movin’ To The Country: John Natoli)
Seeing a whale’s tail, known as a fluke, is the money shot. The unique markings help to identify the whale.
The more cameras the better, according to Ms Horbelt.
“The data they collect is vital. It’s not easy to get a fluke of a whale or a fin because the animals move very quickly,” she said.
‘Bloody hard work’ pays off
Another citizen scientist, Sue Holman, has documented ocean life around the island for eight years and was amazed at the data coming back from the tours.
“There are only seven recorded [osprey] nests around the island and they didn’t believe there were any up that end of the north coast at all, no nests,” she said.
“This is new data. This is cutting-edge stuff that we really want to show… there are nests up there that no-one knows about.”
Ms Horbelt acknowledged the tours were doing groundbreaking work.
“All this data goes on to different citizen science [web-based] platforms,” she said.
“They got so excited when they saw my fluke shots because no fluke shots of humpback whales had ever been registered here in Kangaroo Island waters.”
Her partner, Mr Smith, was not surprised no-one else had started up a citizen tourist operation in the area.
“It’s too much bloody hard work,” he laughed.
“It’s not going to be an easy business to run but it’s going to be a fun business to run. We’re going to discover so much out there with that scientific background and we can’t wait.”
Ms Horbelt wasn’t shying away from that hard work either.
“The tourism part of things is financing the research, to be honest, but it’s also giving people a reason to get excited about seeing something new — and discovering new things is exciting for anyone,” she said.
To learn more about their work and other innovative stories, watch Movin’ to the Country on ABC TV, Fridays at 7:30pm or any time on ABC iview.
Native trees like the paperbark are central to the culture of the traditional owners of K’Gari (Fraser Island).
“These species are living stories,” says Matilda Davis, who works with the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation as a biosecurity and climate change officer on the World Heritage-listed island.
Matilda Davis has been checking the health of trees after wild fires on K’gari (Fraser Island).(Supplied: Matilda Davis)
Apart from many being edible or medicinal, these trees have ancestral and spiritual connections, and are key to the health of Butchulla country, she says.
For example, the paperbark (Melaleuca quinquenervia)—called “deebing“ by the Butchulla people — can let them know when it’s safe to sustainably harvest certain foods.
“When the deebing flowers, it’s a seasonal indicator for particular kinds of seafood,” Ms Davis says.
Paperbark and other tea-trees belong to a large family known as Myrtaceae, which also include eucalypts, lilly pillies, bottlebrushes and guavas.
But a pandemic of an invasive fungal disease is making it harder for some Myrtaceae species to bounce back after intense bushfires.
Myrtle rust (Austropuccinia psidii), which can appear as a bloom of golden spots on leaves, can suck the life out of new growth.
The disease, which was first detected on K’gari in 2013, is a real worry for the Butchulla, Ms Davis says.
“Myrtle rust is threatening our ability to practice culture.”
The ‘other pandemic’: the spread of myrtle rust
Myrtle rust originally comes from South America, where the native Myrtaceae species have co-evolved a natural resistance to it.
But, the plant fungus has jumped from the wild — not unlike the virus that causes COVID-19 — and become a “pandemic strain”, causing disease across the globe.
The pandemic strain (see pink) is the most wide-spread strain of myrtle rust.(Supplied: Alistair McTaggart)
Its tiny spores have hitched a ride on the wind or on people’s clothes, with globalization playing a key role in the spread.
The disease has proven devastating to many “naïve” species of Myrtaceae that did not evolve with fungus.
Since it landed in Australia in 2010, it has infected forests in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Northern Territory, Tasmania and most recently Western Australia.
Tiny myrtle rust spores, which are so light they can spread on the wind, as seen under the microscope.(Supplied: Geoff Pegg)
Fungus targets growing tips of plant
When the fungus lands on species susceptible to infection it can robthe plant’s cells of nutrients, and kills off the growing tips — the new leaves, stems, flowers and fruit.
The plant is forced to put more energy into new growth, but if the plant cannot fight off the fungus, it becomes re-infected.
Midyim berry fruits are being attacked by the fungus before they can even mature.(Supplied: Matilda Davis)
“So you get this repeated cycle of growth and dieback and eventually the plant runs out of reserves and declines,” says forest pathologist Geoff Pegg of the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Dr Pegg has been working to document the impacts of myrtle rust on trees impacted by fire, including on K’Gari where he is collaborating with Ms Davis and the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation.
A shrub called midyim berry (Austromyrtus dulcis) is among the Myrtaceae species affected on K’Gari.
The plant is important for the health of the country, Ms Davis says.
She says many animals depend on the berry, which is “sweet with a distinct aftertaste.”
But myrtle rust affects the formation of the flowers and tasty berries in plants growing in areas recovering from bushfire.
‘Unprecedented’ extinction event of rainforest species likely
A recent survey of rainforests in Eastern Australia predicted a “plant extinction event of unprecedented magnitude” due to myrtle rust.
“Sixteen speciesare doomed with extinction within a generation,” says co-author of the survey, Rod Fensham, a plant ecologist from the University of Queensland.
Among the most at risk were the thready-bark myrtle (Gossia inophloia) and native guava (Rhodomyrtus psidioides).
And a further 20 species could be at risk.
“It’s an extraordinary example of a disease phenomenon,” he says.
“It’s a pretty profound event.”
Native guava (Rhodomyrtus psidioides) is at risk of going extinct thanks to myrtle rust.(Supplied: Glenn Leiper)
Dr Pegg has also seen the devastating effects of myrtle rust on the east coast, and not just in rainforests.
“There are thousands of dead trees in some sites that we’ve looked at.”
He points to one forest at Tullebudgera not far from the Gold Coast, where there were 3,400 dead trees per hectare.
When he started the study in 2014, the high-rainfall forest was dominated by Myrtaceae species such as eucalypts and silky myrtle (Decaspermum humile).
Now most of seedlings that are surviving are non-Myrtaceae natives, and weeds like lantana and camphor laurel.
All mature silky myrtle trees (Decaspermum humile) are now dead at the Tallebudgera study site, Dr Pegg says.(Supplied: Geoff Pegg)
fire and rust
While Dr Fensham doesn’t count paperbarks among the worst affected trees, others like Dr Pegg emphasize they are still at risk, especially after bushfires.
“We’ve seen quite significant impacts in some sites,” Dr Pegg says.
Bob Makinson of the Australian Network for Plant Conservation is also worried about paperbarks from a biodiversity perspective.
Paperbark trees (Melaleuca quinquenervia) vary in their susceptibility to myrtle rust.(Supplied: Glenn Leiper)
Even without sending paperbarks extinct, he says, the impact of myrtle rust on such species could have broader implications for the ecology.
“The paperbark is such an important tree for wetlands and riverbanks where there are not many other trees that can tolerate the water-logging conditions there,” Mr Makinson, a conservation botanist, says.
“This species is important for providing shade on the water, for reducing erosion and for keeping freshwater wetlands running.”
Paperbark forests play an important ecological role.(Supplied: Glenn Leiper)
And, he adds, insects, birds and flying foxes rely on the paperbark’s flowers.
“We don’t know what the knock-on effects will be of reduced flowering in those populations that are severely affected by myrtle rust,” Mr Makinson says.
Some individual trees in a species are more resistant to myrtle rust — just as some of us appear to be naturally more resistant to COVID-19.
But Dr Pegg says only 15 to 35 per cent of paperbark seedlings in New South Wales study sites have shown natural resistance to the fungus.
Ms Davis says another species on K’Gari that’s being “smashed” by fire and rust is the the Satinay (Syncarpia hilli).(Supplied: Matilda Davis)
What about eucalypts?
During the 1970s, myrtle rust decimated eucalypts in Brazil, where they were planted as an exotic tree.
Thankfully, testing so far has showneucalypts growing natively in Australia have promising levels of resistance, although there is some concern about a few eucalypt species.
And just as we’ve had to worry about the rise of more infectious strains of COVID-19, new strains of myrtle rust may be on the way.
This Plunkett mallee (Eucalyptus curtisii) is one eucalypt that could be at risk from myrtle rust.(Supplied: Glenn Leiper)
In fact, last year, Brazilian scientists reported the evolution of a new “highly aggressive” fungus that was attacking eucalypt plantations in that country, which had been bred to be resistant.
“An introduction of a new strain like that to Australia could actually increase the risk to our eucalypts,” Dr Pegg says.
Stopping the spread to save species
To stop the spread of the disease to new areas, quarantine is essential – as is monitoring.
When the fungus reached the Northern Territory in 2018, this kicked off a monitoring program which subsequently picked up myrtle rust in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
Symptoms of myrtle rust can appear variable and are sometimes hard to identify the disease unless the plants are dripping with what some have described as a “yellow sludge” of spores.
Botanic gardens and others are using every tool in the book to identify plants with natural resistance to myrtle rust.
The idea is to preserve seed or other biological material which could be crucial in saving species.
And, it wouldn’t be a pandemic without a vaccine in the wings — Australian scientists hope to use RNA-interference vaccines to get the fungus to self-destruct.
Another tree at risk of extinction is the thready bark myrtle (Gossia inophloia), which has edible fruit.(Supplied: Glenn Leiper)
But you can also help by washing your clothes (including hat!) if you’ve been in the bush in affected states, and by following quarantine rules.
And think about planting threatened species in your backyard.
Dr Fensham suggests that native guavas can make a nice addition to the home garden.
“We need more people committed to growing these things and trying to get them to reproduce,” he says.
Avoiding ‘upside-down country’
Meanwhile, back on K’Gari, Ms Davis hopes to collect seeds from paperbarks and other affected trees in an effort to conserve genetic diversity, which will be key to their survival.
And she wants to see a shift away from “bad fires” with high flames that leads to a reverse in the color scheme of forests—resulting in brown burnt treetops and green new growth below.
“That is a good indicator for us that that country is stressed,” she says.
“We call it upside-down country.”
After an intense hot fire the colour-scheme of forests can be reversed.(Supplied: Matilda Davis)
She says evidence links cooler, less-intense fires with lower impacts from myrtle rust infection.
So she’d like to see a move towards traditional “Galangoor gira” — or “good fire” — practices, something Dr Pegg agrees could be explored in the future.
Ms Davis says the “positive and respectful” partnership with scientists like Dr Pegg is allowing for a two-way learning, placing traditional custodians of the land at the center of the response to ecological problems like myrtle rust
“I do believe the answers are in our old people’s ways.” she says.
It has been six months since a devastating bushfire ripped through WA’s Wheatbelt region, and impacted farmers are still counting the cost.
Key points:
A fire started after a permitted stubble burn reignited in “catastrophic conditions”
The blaze destroyed 45,000 hectares and multiple homes
Locals say a permit should never have been issued and are calling for a public inquiry
The Shire of Corrigin, 220 kilometers east of Perth, was among the regions hardest hit.
About 45,000 hectares of land was burned, four homes, and dozens of buildings destroyed, and more than 1,000 livestock perished after a prescribed stubble burn reignited in what authorities labeled “catastrophic conditions”.
One farmer caught in the fire’s path was Steven Bolt, who estimated millions of dollars in losses from the February blaze.
Mr Bolt is deputy chief of Corrigin’s Volunteer Fire Brigade and said the fire, which engulfed his property, could have been prevented.
“We all knew the risk coming that weekend, and for a permit to be issued is absolutely staggering, and the fire should never have happened, and the permit should have never been issued,” he said.
A shed burns in Corrigin during the February bushfires.(Twitter: Ashley Jacobs)
The neighboring Shire of Bruce Rock permitted the stubble burn several days before the blaze started on February 6.
An investigation by the WA Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) found the authorized burn-off was reignited in 43-degree temperatures before it spread rapidly in strong winds.
No total fire ban was in place at the time, but Mr Bolt contacted authorities with his concerns.
He said his pleas were ignored.
“I told [them] this was going to happen and now it has, and we need all the resources we can find, particularly air support, because we were never going to stop that fire,” he said.
‘We don’t like coming out here anymore’
Tim and Shannon Hardingham survey the damage on their property.(ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt: Sam McManus)
Tim and Shannon Hardingham run a farm 10km east of Corrigin.
Between paddocks of vibrant yellow canola crops now lies a metal scrap yard.
The Hardinghams said the past six months had been the hardest of their lives, and much of the recovery was still ahead of them.
“People who haven’t been through it have a lot of empathy, but there’s a daily struggle in what to do next because there’s just so much to do,” Ms Hardingham said.
“The single biggest cost that is shocking to us is the asbestos clean-up, which we’ve been quoted around $250,000 to clean up.”
More bushfire destruction on the Hardingham’s Correcting property.(ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt: Sam McManus)
The couple now avoids coming out to the farm and have chosen to keep their kids away.
“It doesn’t even resemble the same farm,” Mr Hardingham said.
Please for answers
The burning permit that led to the fire was issued by the Shire of Bruce Rock, which declined to comment on the issue.
Shire president Stephen Strange said it had been a difficult time for the region, but praised the work of local authorities, volunteers, and the state government.
“The recovery will be ongoing for years and years to come… the farmers themselves have done a good job getting the landscape back into pretty good condition,” he said.
“The communication has been very good between affected landholders, community members, and the shire.”
In a statement, DFES acting deputy commissioner Jon Broomhall said the Bruce Rock Shire was within its rights to grant the burning permit, and an “after-action review is currently underway, focusing on the four bushfires that occurred across the state that day.”
Mr Bolt with one of his sheds destroyed by bushfire.(ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt: Sam McManus)
But local farmers and firefighters said they had so far been left in the dark.
Mr Bolt was calling for a separate investigation into the Correcting fire.
“This needs to be a standalone inquiry. The issue of the permit being given is different to what occurred in the other fires,” he said.
“We haven’t even come close to being able to discuss the issues that have led to this catastrophe through this area,” he said.
Law firm Hall & Wilcox has been engaged by insurers representing impacted landholders, with inquiries still in the early stages.
Ms Hardingham said a thorough investigation could help prevent similar incidents in the future.
“We don’t find ourselves privy to much information about what went wrong,” she said.
“It would be nice to think it will never happen to anyone again and that people could learn from our loss and what we’ve gone through.”
