- But lessons to be learned
MEMBERS of The Gurdies community, including residents, firefighters and members of the Western Port Woodlands group got together with Bass Coast Shire Councillors, Parks Victoria representatives and others at the The Gurdies Nature Conservation Reserve last Saturday for a ceremony of loss and renewal after the damaging bushfire of December last year.
Councillors Jon Temby, Tim O’Brien, Mat Morgan and Brett Tessari attended.
Around 192 hectares was burnt in total, including around 125ha in the northern section of the Gurdies reserve and a small area of the nearby Hurdy Gurdy Nature Conservation Reserve while threatening houses in the Woodland Close and Island View Road estates.
Losses to property included farm outbuildings and fencing with several new misses to homes, saved by CFA brigades and the general response to a serious fire.
The ceremony last Saturday involved a ‘Welcome to Country’ by local custodian Sonya Weston, a rendition of the district anthem, ‘On A Grantville Shore’ by Cr Tim O’Brien and a number of speeches before about 40 attendees took a walk into an unburnt section of the reserve.
But the impact of the fire was never far from view.
“Some of the trees will never recover but a good guide to those that will are the trees that haven’t completely lost their leaves as a result of the fire,” said Cr Jon Temby, speaking as a member of the Woodlands group, and not on behalf of the mayor.
“One of our concerns is the run-off of ash into the waterways if we get a significant rain event,” he said.
“Much of the reserve is closed to the public at the moment due to the number of dangerous limbs and unstable trees. Some of that has already been cleared away but we’ll need a decent storm to bring much of that down.”
Cr Temby said that while there were hopes for a strong recovery in burnt areas, it could take up to 100 years before the area was fully restored.
Meanwhile, the Bass Coast Shire Council has been asked to respond to questions relating to the management of the shire-owned Gurdies Bushland Reserve native vegetation offset site which backs on to the Woodland Close residential estate and sustained damage during the bushfire.
Specifically, the shire has been asked if it fully discharged its annual responsibilities set out in the Bass Coast Shire Council’s Municipal Fire Management Plan and in the bushfire management plan for the reserve prepared by its consultants Terramatrix Pty Ltd.
The shire’s Municipal Fire Management Plan says this about the shire-owned Gurdies Bushland Reserve: “The MFMP identifies that The Gurdies area as having an Extreme risk of bushfire without mitigations.”
The list of annual mitigations includes the following:
- Bushfire Moderation Zone to help reduce the potential impact of radiant heat on assets When: Annual. Where: Private property boundaries north and western edges of Woodland Close. Works required: Maintain by slashing to reduce fuels to a minimum width 2.5 to 3.0 metres.
- Fire Access Road. When: Annual, Where: Access Road from Woodland Close to the dam. Works required: Maintain by slashing track and trimming and grading as required to a 4 metres vertical and 5 metres width along track and to10 metres at turnaround near dam. Maintain removable bollards or gates with a standard key locking system and suitable signage at the entrance to all fire access tracks.
- Extra works: What: Asset Protection Zones Maintain Asset Protection Zones in line with Terra Matrix Fire Plan. Strategically remove woody weeds along Hendy Lane.
Responding to the question in general terms, Bass Coast Shire Council Mayor, Cr Rochelle Halstead said she had been assured that the shire had attended to all of its annual responsibilities but that some schedule works are still to be completed.
