As many of you would have heard Deep Creek National Park was significantly impacted by a bushfire last month that affected approximately 40 % of the park. Talisker Conservation Park fared worse with 98% of the park damaged by the fire.
The principal areas of impact are between Cobbler Hill and Trig Campground, in particular Aaron Creek, Eagle Waterhole and Tent Rock Creek and the section between Trig Campground and the Deep Creek Waterfall.
Until infrastructure has been restored to these areas they are temporarily off limits. The silver lining is that a significant portion of the park was completely unaffected by the fires. For both flora and fauna this is good news although until further assessments are made it will be difficult to estimate the extent of the impact the fire has had on some animals.
With respect to flora we are already seeing signs of recovery. The regenerative power of Australian native vegetation is well known but even we were amazed at the speed of recovery.
Just 2 weeks after the fires were declared extinguished we found an abundance of pyrophilous, or fire loving fungi. This bright orange fungus acts as an early colonizer and takes full advantage of reduced competition and abundance of nutrients in the ash soil. The fungus forms mats that hold the top layer of soil together, preventing it from drying out.
Similarly, Yaccas (Xanthorrhoea) are renowned for their ability to recover and are among the first plants to show re-growth. The other thing to note and look out for in the coming weeks and months is that up to 80% of yaccas will flower after a fire. The flowering stem is a feast for a range of insects and birds feeding off its sweet pollen.
As for our accommodation Goondooloo Cottage was the only property to be affected. Much to the relief of many of our loyal customers the cottage itself was not damaged but the shed that contained our water supply and pump was destroyed. As we speak this is being re-built and all going well we hope to have Goondooloo back online sometime in April. We will keep all existing customers with bookings around that time in the loop. Of course, our other properties continue to be bookable.
So while the landscape may look different at the moment this actually represents a once in a generation opportunity to witness first hand the transformation of this beautiful landscape back to its former glory. By staying at one of our cottages you will not only support a small business but also experience that magical process close up as new signs of life sprout up everywhere.
