Bush fires are an integral part of Australian ecosystems. During a bush walk this week, it was good to see evidence of fire management, with small areas of bush burnt under controlled conditions.

Tree trunks marked by fire have an eerie beauty.

The path opened up for these power lines, strung out into the distance.

Further along the walk, well away from the burnt area, we came to a frog dam, a fenced off wetlands area. There was a distinct sound of frogs but I couldn’t determine which type, even with this helpful board.

As with other states, Tasmania has it’s history of devastating wild fires. The worst was “Black Tuesday” on 7th February 1967 which claimed the lives of 62 people, left 900 injured and over 7,000 homeless.

Fires that began on 3rd January 2013 closed roads to the Tasman peninsular for ten days. Over 24,060 hectares (59,500 acres) were burnt with over 100 properties destroyed. Thousands of people sheltered on beaches ,in boats and at Port Arthur Historic Site.