All NSW National Parks closed

Hi Phil,

Just heard it also on the news.

Can't say I have ever heard of a blanket closure of National Parks in NSW before. They must be expecting some very serious weather to be launching a blanket closure of all parks in NSW.

Either that or they are trying to minimise the idiot factor.

Although I was in the bush this afternoon here in the Port Macquarie region and you could smell the vapours in the air and I thought "It won't take much to set it off".

My bushfire plan?? Hook the van on and get out PDQ at the first hint of trouble.

Cheers, Bruce.

Even rainforest parks like Border Ranges and Dorrigo?

Are ya sure its all NPs....or just the South Coast ???

From the National Parks website

ALL PARKS CLOSED

That is not surprising given the widespread forecast weather for the State.
Where I live, the Shoalhaven, the fire rating tomorrow is catastrophic and we are expecting temperatures of 43 degrees. Until now we have been very lucky, and largely spared the record temperatures being experienced in many parts of Australia.

Our little village whilst on the shores of a lake, is surrounded otherwise by some kms of wooded crown land and theres one road out...
Am I worried...YES! The plan is to leave early...the house and my 3 week old caravan as yet unused, are insured and can be replaced as heartbreaking as it would be to lose them.

Take care everybody.

regards,

Heather

Just got back from that area. It took us all day to get from Batemans Bay to Sydney due to holiday traffic. Hope everybody gets the warnings. There is so many people down there at the moment. Scary time.
Keep safe.
Sharon

I'm staying home too - bush and long grass on 2 sides of my place. Just checked my fire pump & set it up this afternoon.

btw a Section 44 (state of emergency) has been declared already - from 8am.

Lucky the kid lighting fires around here was caught a few weeks ago. Hopefully no others.
Cheers,

Vicki

I just had a squiz at the RFS website current fires map and counted over 90 current fires including the northern rainforest regions.

Some of these incidents are already in NPs

From my understanding of how the NPWS manage fires they prefer to give it a large containment line and it's all hands on deck. It is understandable that they have closed up. Imagine the logistics of evacuating camping grounds, holiday resorts, hikers, trekkers, all kinds of recreationalists, commercial businesses, protection of revenue generating properties, government infrastructure, historic and aboriginal protected sites, etc, etc. A nightmare for already severely under resourced parks. Any spare trained fire fighters from unaffected parks I'm sure, like the volunteer fire fighters, will be sent to help out other parks.

I have put a heap of links for help, information and support with phone numbers and websites on my facebook page if anyone needs it or knows someone who could do with that information. Please feel free to add more links you feel are appropriate.

Stay safe everyone

Supposedly State forests are also closed.
Something like a $2200 fine if caught in one.