Reference bunkers (I got this off 'EnviroTalk').

"Hippies and survivalists have been building fire shelters for years. The ones that I've seen are usually dug in the side of a hill and are walled and roofed with logs, and with a minimum of a half metre of earth on top over the door, deeper further back. The doors were thick timber faced with corrugated iron, the corrugations have an insulating effect. The door must open inwards to preclude anything falling against it and making it impossible to open. The ground around the shelter ought to be free of any fuel, then the shelter only has to cope, hopefully, with heated air and smoke after the initial fire front passes. The hillside location makes drainage easy.
Supplies ought to be some high energy food such as quality museli bars, chocolate and plenty of boiled lollies (for the kids ,these particular supplies could be changed at Christmas) and the all important drinking water.
Boiled water or water straight from a good spring will last, without growing 'lurgies', for at least 12 months (personally tested this) in clean airtight containers.

Most important is air; it can be stored in truck tubes complete with tyres and wheels, (or tubeless tyres), the reason for having the tyres and wheels is that the pressure can be high and thus a fair amount of air, without any danger to the tube. A tube alone will probably hold a greater volume of air at a much lower pressure but the tube is vulnerable. Don't forget some candles, matches, a torch and a battery powered wireless.

As far as cutting down trees they need to be cut back from towns whatever distance it takes to make the town and the people safe, people are more important than trees around towns. There are fire retardant/resistant trees that can be planted for shade etc. Eucalypts are a hazard around homes.".

Seems sensible. I'd add that a firearm and a box of ammo would come in handy to humanely dispatch badly burned animals.

*Paleif
Your suggestion is very short sighted and it depends on a number of issues.
Terrain,
If it is a catchment area,
Local weed infestations they often burn more fiercely than grass fires.*
examinator,*

Examinator had you stayed on that station with your Nan (who BTW sounds fantasic) and learned from 'real farmers you might see you have got it totally arse about.

The WEED clogs up the dams rivers and that what put the soil.. The stock controlled both for many years. Look people are dead aothers have lost everything its no time for us to start a beef up.

For those of you who think a Royal Commission is the ants pants I can *assure you there are there for damage control and nothing else.

I for one will be looking at the terms of reference!

National Parks and Wildlife through this country have FAILED to keep up the maintance of the old dirt roads and fire breaks the farmers put in and used to maintain.

My farm is in the heart of one of the biggest National Parks . Its dairy and timber country. I can tell you that these roads are not maintained since the farmers were told to move their stock.

You have got Roos being shot out in some areas totally which doesnt help.

Lets make SURE the terms of reference look at WHO issues the permitts to cull Roos and ``How much the licence is worth.

Including behind the scenes.```

You have stock removed, Roos shot out, no services to the old fire road breaks.- Weeds clogging up the waterways that stock and Roos used to keep under control.

Then The Government says oh lets hold a Royal Commission- "damage "control.

The people responsible for this can be found at the Federal and State Governments.

Lets for now just give blood and offer to built new fire proof brick homes for these poor poor people.

Lets not forget them after a couple of months. . They have lost family.
God forgive the Australian Governments and National Parks and Wild Life.

Because I cant.

Home protection.
A archetect friend of mine who lost his home in the North west of Sydney about 20 years ago rebuilt his house of glass and steel suspended about 5 meters over the edge of a bush valley escarpment. Above the house up the hill was a large dam that gained run off from the road that ran along the ridge above his house. He had put a 50mm steel pipe underground into the base of the dam that fed by gravity down to the house equipped with a deisel motor and pump under the house that he constantly tested in rainy conditions. Mounted on the centre of the roof was a large monsoon spray that had a radius of 20 meters that soaked the whole area and the water ran off into a pool under the house which was surrounded by native ferns etc.

I believe it would be nationally accepted if the Federal Government gave each family $40,000 toward families rebuilding their lost homes as well as what they have already given. This would create employment and growth in those areas devistated by the fires. Of course many people would have their homes insured but they have other needs. That would compensate for loss, including loss of local employment.

In my first post I observed “check the quality of controlled burns which have not been undertaken because of enviromentalist/green protestors asserting their authority to protect the lesser-known dingbat too,”

Listening to the radio this am, it seems some “experts” hold a similar view…

The failure of DSE to back burn when they had the opportunity is being expressed as a real contributory factor….

The price of pandering to the demands of misguided environmental activists = 200 or so Dead.

The DSE have really earned their alternate name - Dept of Scorched Earth

Ah Belly “But the Dickie's of this world are the problem never the answer. “….
“National parks are no burn zones,”. . . .
“made it so hard people no longer control burn in winter,”

At least we seem to agree on some matters

Perhaps the answer is underground homes or partly above ground houses with mud brick walls and with earth covered roofs that can be mown.
There is a two storey mud brick house in the Wollombi Valley, nth. of Sydney, that has a turf covered roof. Regularly mown by hoisting a goat up, she has a good feed then bleats to be let down.
The Federal Parliament House in Canberra is a prime example of a turfed roof.