Wind shift spares Derwent Valley townships from fire’s harm

The cool change that swept across the southeast helped spare Derwent Valley homes from a ferocious bushfire bearing down on them.

The road to Maydena was closed at Westerway. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

THE cool change that swept across the southeast helped spare Derwent Valley homes from a ferocious bushfire bearing down on them from Gell River.

Maydena, Westerway, Tyenna and Ellendale locals were preparing for the worst on Friday afternoon as a thick blanket of smoke covered the towns and ash fell around them.

Westerway families spent the day hosing down roofs and gardens and packing cars ready to evacuate as the threat of fire loomed nearer.

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Daniel Horvath and Julia Stroh — along with their three children — said they were prepared to leave their home near Mt Field National Park if the town was evacuated.

The Tasmania Fire Service issued a “Watch and Act” alert level for the upper Derwent Valley townships of Bushy Park, Ellendale, Westerway and Fentonbury in the afternoon to prepare residents for a possible evacuation.

That was downgraded to “Advice” level later in the evening.

Mr Horvath said he checked their insurance earlier that morning to ensure it was current.

The family had packed up their two dogs, two cats, a guinea pig and a rabbit, as well as valuables, and were ready to leave about 2pm.

“If the ash begins to turn orange, we’ll start wetting the house,” he said.

“I have no real fear the house will go, it’s mainly just for our safety and oxygen, which is why we’ll go.”

Russell Hart, from Albany, Western Australia, with children Stuart, 17, and Laura, 22, had to leave Mount Field and relocate to New Norfolk due to the bushfire. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

Dean Stoeckel, owner of the Blue Wren Riverside Cottages in Westerway, said he had never seen the town so smoky in his more than 12 years of living there.

“I can see the police at the end of the street from here, so when they start running, I should be running with them I assume,” he said.

Gordon River Rd was closed near the old Westerway railway station to westbound traffic, with only local traffic allowed through.

A West Australian family hoping to visit Russell Falls and Gordon Dam were turned away from a camping site at Mt Field National Park about 10am.

“We had a chance just to have a cup of coffee there,” said Albany dad Russell Hart, camping with his children Stuart, 17, and Laura, 22.

“We weren’t able to walk to the falls because they’d closed the paths by then and were evacuating everybody from the sites. I think it was a good decision [to evacuate the park]. There was lots of smoke covering up the whole sky in that area.”

The Star and Garter Hotel licensee Emma Pearce who is offering free accommodation and food to those who have evacuated from the fire. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

New Norfolk’s The Star and Garter Hotel opened its doors to provide free accommodation and food to those who had to evacuate their homes because of the fires.

Licensee Emma Pearce said she had experienced the Dunalley bushfire six years ago so she knew what it was like.

The Derwent Valley Salvation Army Corps also opened its Hamilton Rd centre to sleep and feed anyone fleeing Friday’s fire. Tasmanian Salvation Army Divisional Programs secretary Stuart Foster said they we’re ready to do whatever the community needed them to do.