Unbelievable. Monsters and warped perverts.

I pray for your safety and for all Ozzies in this senseless destruction. There are simply no words.

I favour public lynching.....then again....there's not a sturdy limb left in the townships to hang 'em from.....

This summer is merciless.

173 ....the count continues.

Leonard Cohen is in Oz at the moment [saw him last Thursday....brilliant concert]....he's just donated 200,000 to the bushfire appeal.

More than just a great performer....a great bloke too.

That by definition is a mensch.

I'm glad he performed and brought pleasure to so many and then saw the suffering and tried to alleviate what he could. Tikkun Olam....repairing/fixing faults in this world we live in.

 Mr. Cohen.

One of these days, one of those ASS-onists, is going to set one too many fires, and lose some of their own family.. then they'll see what it's like.

My parents are situated in Healesville, which is very close to Kinglake, and not far at all down the road from Marysville.

Both of those towns are pretty much non-existent now ...nothing left.

My parents and some relatives houses are still under threat as I type this, and I've just heard that they've been evacuated again for the second time in as many days.

There are now fires in the Mt Riddell area, which is just at the outskirts of Healesville.

This is a really horrible event, and I really feel very sad at the tragic loss of lives and property thus far.

My heart goes out to those who have suffered losses of friends/relatives/loved ones.

My thoughts are with them.

I hope they and their property will be ok Erk, will be keeping them...and all, in my thoughts......been stressing about the Healesville Sanctuary too, one of my favourite haunts since little....wondering how they would be coping with all the animals there too....   with the human tragedy...sometimes people overlook the massive loss of wildlife....and the fact...that anything that does survive...then has no water or food....the 'wires' people are going to have their work cut out for them....  ...all arsonists should have to do community work...helping the distressed wildlife....to really see close-up what they have done....perhaps put a more gut wrenching face on it....maybe establish if they have anything within them that can be 'touched'....

I got a call today from my mate from Adelaide...who stays with us each year for the F1 Grand Prix....[he's a Track Firie]....he's just got the call to fly over here to help with the fires...will be here tomorrow.

Already there are Kiwis over here as well.

It's probably about time we bought our OWN 'Elvis'....instead of borrowing Cali's one each year.....[another firie I know was Elvis's 'spotter' last time it was really needed a few years ago.]

I know one woman has banded together with other livestock produces and is on her way now but i think thats only for livestock ect......... I hear what your saying about the wildlife syd.....it sucks hey?.....*sigh*  I just want it to rain, these bastards to be caught, and the misery end and the healing begin..........

saw last night...a segment on koalas being treated that would otherwise die with burnt feet etc....but when you think about the huge number of hectares burnt...it's a drop in the ocean....but it's something...

and many vets donating their services free.....

That's awful syd .. I hate it when animals fall victim to human cruelty..

Koalas already got enough problems with chlamydia and other microbes that like them so treatment success will be guarded  and the Devils in Tassie got some real nasty flesh eating facial tumours too so our wildlife under big threat at present. Neither reproduce that fast due to somnolence for one and nastiness for t'other.

Healesville Sanctuary is still under threat too where lots of the koalas would be taken to normally for treatment.

I was told all the animals at Healesville had been evacuated at the weekend.....they're saying the wildlife losses alone...not including stock....will be in the millions.....   three triage centres have been set up to save or euthenase...

seems a spark at a sawmill was the culprit for one of the main fires....

Yeah Jafo,got warm here in Adelaide.We got lucky,Saturday was hot,dry and windy(no fires though).I feel for everybody in Victoria,not something you want to happen(especially when lit by morons who want attention).Have donated at work,need to get everything back to normal as soon as possible.Only problem is it will never be the same again ever.

To much lost.

Well, if its any consolation, we are having a tough cold winter here in New England, snowfall for January already set a record, and these cold fronts that follow those storms are killers, i dont know which i would rather have, your heat down under or the cold and snow here, damned if you do and damned if you dont

It's time to revise the building code in 'fire-prone' areas.

Welcome to the nuclear bomb-shelter.

And screw those greenie legislators who prohibit tree clearing.

Either people grow brains and common sense or we get yet another black friday...ash wednesday...or whatever this will be tagged-saturday.

one couple did have a concrete shelter that the wife had insisted be built....and they are here today because of it....surprised more people had not invested a little time and money building one....

murph...the winter equivalent would be an avalanche that wipes several towns off the face of the earth, destroys over 1000 houses, kills probably 300 [many won't be identifiable for months] and makes about 3000 homeless....and fills hospital burns wards to a greater degree than the terrorist bombing in Bali.

Agreed people should be allowed basements in the ground, my cousins live in The Whipsticks and have one together with their house underground covered in lawn and own reservoir but they spent loads getting planning - they could afford it as they supply half the chickens in Vic but the normal folk cant. Macedon is another area that could get devastated again. Heavily forested mountain areas have minimal escpape roads so they need plan B to survive as conditions change rapid. Maybe big communal underground wombat cellars with oxygen generators, food, water etc

Greenies need a few gigalitres of greenies lobbed on them.

I have always loved the winter months, and despised the heat in the summer so i feel for you guys down under, my thinking is, it is easier to keep yourself warm by adding more clothing or turning up the heat/fireplace, but in summer you can only take so much off before the police arrive and tell you to put more clothing on, plus during the winter, i can spend some quality couch time without feeling guilty, warm weather usually means i have to be outside doing something constructive, or destructive which it seems i am pretty good at

@122..............Ditto

the communities are still doing it tough.....and now.....lost the li'l dude....that kinda symbolised hope....

li'l Sam....

I look at how the communites are still living....and wonder where all the millions donated....actually went....

Reminds me of the Stimulus plan

Sorry about wee Sam