Past wall of fire better prepares locals for ‘big one’ at Warrumbungle National Park

Deep in Warrumbungle National Park is a secret oasis known only to locals. But for the first time in years, this now-tiny watering hole has almost dried up.

Maddie, Harper and Nyah Walker cool off in the shallows of a secret waterhole hidden in Warrumbungle National Park. Picture: Liam Mendes

Deep in Warrumbungle National Park is a secret oasis known only to locals.

Thirty minutes west of Coonabarabran, and tucked within winding dirt roads and wattle trees, this little NSW hideaway is typically springing with fresh water.

The sounds of the streams echo through the bush, along with the laughter of the children who splash in the water as their parents lounge nearby.

But for the first time in years, this now-tiny watering hole has almost dried up, and the region braces for potentially the worst bushfire season in a decade.

“They’ve already started putting fire bans in some parts of the national park,” said Stacey Walker, who cares for children Harper, 5, Maddie, 8 and Nyah, 10.

“We have had a couple of wet summers so this is looking like it will be a big one.”

Ms Walker says a lot of back burning had taken place and she felt the region was much better prepared, especially after a wall of fire charged through the Warrambungle park and Coonabarabran in 2013, burning through 56,000ha, injuring 28 firefighters and killing hundreds of livestock over a 41-day period.

She says her family of six children won’t be able to visit the local pool due to a price increases and that national parks were often closed on days where extreme conditions were expected. Not that it’ll make a difference – she doubts there’ll be much water left.

“We might not be able to access that little water hole anyway, it’ll be dried up for sure,” she said.

Mayor Ambrose Doolan is confident the town is better prepared than ever for the upcoming season.

“We’ve got a proactive bushfire management committee, and have held many meetings in preparation for the season,” he said. “People are alert, but not alarmed. We have much better gear than what we used to have when I first started 30 years ago, and have access to back-up from other brigades in the area.”

A series of spot fires have already been attended to in the national park, after temperatures climbed to unprecedented heights throughout September.

The region, in the north of NSW, is right in the middle of an area expected to be ravaged by fires this season.

Further north and over the border in Longreach, mayor Tony Rayner has raised concerns over a lack of people on the ground to help keep the fires at bay.

“We have had a lot of planning meetings with out local disaster management group to prepare ourselves for a big fire season,” he said.

“There’s a large volume of fuel material out there, and obviously the announcement of El Nino. But we’ve lost a lot of experienced firefighters over the past few years who have retired and moved out. “We need those remaining to be sure to pass their knowledge onto people in the region, to make sure they stay safe and have the knowledge to fight the fires as they break out.”