Brumbies scour scorched plains of Kosciuszko National Park

In Kosciuszko National Park, brumbies are searching for green shoots in the blackened earth.

Brumbies feed on a patch of grass near the historic gold mining town of Kiandra In Kosciuszko National Park. Picture: John Feder

On the scorched highland plains of Kosciuszko National Park, a young brumby foal nuzzles up to its mother as their herd searches for an island of green among the sea of blackened earth.

Much of the wild horses’ unique habitat was obliterated by the Dunns Road firestorm that recently tore through the NSW town of Batlow and into the park, leaving a trail of destruction behind it.

Not far from the road, a dead brumby unable to outrun the blaze lies on its side, its front legs twisted beneath it.

The fire, which is still burning in areas of the park, has completely changed the landscape, but the brumbies are far from the only species affected.

Also on the radar of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service as they assess the damage are endangered species such as the southern corroboree frog and the mountain pygmy possum.

NPWS’s director of the Southern Ranges, Mick Pettitt told The Australian it could take “at least a century” for the charred sections of the park to recover, but shoots of green were already starting to emerge from the destruction.

“In terms of the natural environment, low burn areas are very important for future recovery,” he said.

“Some species have already started a recovery program. As for the brumbies, I have seen population herds congregating in some of those unburnt patches looking for feed. Fortunately we had a ­mosaic of burns so there are little patches in that area that look exact­ly the same as before.”

While large swaths of Kosciuszko burned during fires in 2003 that later travelled up to Canberra, destroying hundreds of homes, this year’s horror fire season has seen parts of the park burn that have never burned before.

Nearby, in the long-abandoned gold-mining village of Kiandra, the blaze razed important parts of Australian history, including the recently restored courthouse.

“It’s very sad to see that,” said Mr Pettitt of the Kiandra Courthouse. “What you have got is an emotional, physical and financial output into that building.

“The linkages with old residents, the old families in the area, it’s hard to replace. Those memories are still there and we’ll obviously work with those communities to restore it.”

Pattinsons Hut, Wolgal Hut and the much-loved Mount Selwyn ski resort were also obliterated by the fire.

Over at the historic Kiandra cemetery, the smell of perfumed oils, long trapped under the soil but released into the air by the intense heat, lingers around the blackened tombstones.

Mr Pettitt said the NSW NPWS had been heavily involved in the firefighting efforts since September and while recovery was a key objective, their current focus was to extinguish the blazes still burning and to protect life and property.

“Everyone in the NSW Rural Fire Service is tired,” he said.

“We have been very fortunate that because of good training and strategic planning, no one has been injured badly or killed.

“We are looking forward to the rain that’s meant to come about Wednesday of this week. It doesn’t mean it’s the end of this story but it will give us a bit of respite so we can focus on recovery.”