Photo gallery: Australia after the bushfires — Ray Mears returns to Kangaroo Island
In the aftermath of the wildfires of early 2020, the British bushcraft expert travelled to South Australia to document the impact on the landscape and wildlife — and the astonishing resilience of the local community.
The signpost to Flinders Chase was scorched by fire, but it’s a rare survivor: the heat of the fires was so intense that most road signs simply melted.
Ian Larcombe surveys the wreckage of his soldier settler home, destroyed in the fire. Describing the evening of the fire, he says: “And then it went pitch black, and the embers were coming, and we thought, ‘we’d better get out’... later, I was told we had had about five minutes to spare."
In the aftermath of the bushfires, the view towards Bunker Hill, Flinders Chase National Park, reveals a landscape never before seen in the island’s recorded history. Despite the apparent devastation, new growth reveals nature’s incredible power of regeneration.
The indomitable Aussie ethos is to endure without complaint. Here, Kangaroo Island farmer Richard Satchell replaces burned fences on his property. It’s hoped that metal posts will withstand future fires.
Dana Mitchell (right) handfeeds an orphaned koala at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Centre. This is a full-time job that places enormous strain on her business and family life, but it’s a role she has shouldered without complaint. Dana and her husband Sam found themselves on the frontline of animal rescue when islanders identified their centre as the natural place to bring animals rescued from the flames. Overnight, the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Centre was transformed into a wildlife field hospital.The help of volunteers made the astonishing recue efforts possible. Overwhelmed with offers of support, and without time to train novices, the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Centre settled on only accepting the help from those already experienced in working with wildlife.
One of the lucky ones: an orphaned koala rescued from the bushfires begins its recovery at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Centre.
Torren Wälz (left), Karla Berris (centre) and Mike Barth (right) are some of the heroes of conservation. Prior to the bushfires, this team rescued the glossy-black cockatoo from the brink of extinction. Their concerted efforts have helped to ensure that the species was able to survive the impact of the bushfires.
Torren Wälz (left) and Karla Berris (right) inspect one of their glossy-black cockatoo nesting trees, brought down by the fire. The nest box lies crushed beneath it — although, fortunately, it wasn’t in use at the time. Initial indications suggest that very few of the birds fell victim to the fires.
The island was given its name by Matthew Flinders, who visited the island in 1802 and shot several western grey kangaroos to replenish the food supply of his ship, HMS Investigator. This remarkable young English explorer would later be responsible for giving the country the name we use today.
Rangers and workmen begin to clear fallen trees in Flinders Chase National Park. The crews cheerfully tackle the huge task of shifting debris and making the park safe for reopening to the public.
Yacca, also known as Tate's Grass Tree, grows very slowly — around 25mm per year — and is a classic feature of Kangaroo Island’s vegetation. It was once harvested for its valuable resin. A hollow stem of leaf bases protects aerial roots within from the scorching heat of the bush fires. Here, new growth already shows green among their scorched crowns. No one knows how many bushfires these trees may have already lived through in their long lives.
The shearers work in silence; more than half their flock perished in the fire. With the shearing shed having burned to the ground, the shearing is conducted on a ‘jury-rigged’ shearing platform using salvaged equipment, based in the one barn that survived. The fleeces are soiled with soot and dust, forcing the shearers to change the blunt blades of their shears every two fleeces instead of every five. It’s hard work for the men who have lost their homes, and an uncomfortable clipping for the livestock. A final ignominy is that the merino wool fleece is devalued by the need to be washed of the soot and topsoil that now taints it. Bede Larcombe (left) supports the shearers, his face is blackened with soot from stacking the smoke-tainted merino sheep fleeces.
Mike Greig, NPWSSA Kangaroo Island parks and wildlife manager, faces the challenge of clearing up after the fires and shaping the future of Flinders Chase National Park. It’s a monumental task that will require the support and cooperation of biologists and local residents alike. Sitting at ‘Remarkable Rocks’, Mike recalls that the spot holds a remarkable secret — the rocks are a natural fire shelter. Normally a popular tourist attraction, during the fire they became a sanctuary for animals fleeing the flames.
Kangaroo Island is perhaps most beautiful on its quiet, secluded beaches, where time seems to stand still. Often described as a miniature version of Australia, it’s a popular destination that casts a hypnotic spell over both domestic and overseas visitors.
A female western grey kangaroo. During the fires, residents found animals were flocking to little pockets of vegetation that hadn’t burnt, like life rafts.
Lucy Cooper (left) and Josh Deer (right) lost everything in the fires except their cafe and each other. True to Australian form, they’re still open for business.
These trees were burned in a bushfire a year earlier and so offer a window onto the future, when the scorched trees of the island will be re-foliated with epicormic growth.
A wallaby with burned feet shelters under a burned-out vehicle after the bush fires.
It takes wise eyes to put the aftermath of the bushfires into perspective. Peggy Rismiller, Kangaroo Island resident and naturalist, said: “Nature has simply pressed the reset button.”
The eastern half of Kangaroo Island escaped the fires — you’d never know there had been a nearby bushfire. The landscape here gives an idea of how the entire island once looked.