Positive Fishing Letters: Bush Fire Evacuation!!

Positive Tree Change

Thursday morning we noticed the bush fire in the distance had gotten closer to us over night. A friend who'd driven back from Flat Rock (end of Manari Road) advised us it's closer and bigger than it looks. We went for a drive up the road to check it out, had just decided to wait and see what it dose, it didn't look close enough to start packing yet....then 3 police vehicles drove past us, and we knew we were going to be moved out.

Sure enough when we got back to camp our neighbours informed us they were closing the road and we all had to move out. It was a bit of a panic to start with, the first message we got was 'don't pack, leave everything, everyone just has to drive out NOW, without their trailers'. I was frantically chucking fishing tackle and camera into the car, no way we were leaving them. Thankfully we got the next message that there was time to pack and we could take all our gear. So mid day, roasting hot sun, dry hot wind, we packed up camp and left Quondong Point, unsure of what to do with ourselves.

We had friends offer us a bed, but with everything just chucked into the trailer, not packed in it's normal easy to find place's, we were in a mess!! Hot and tired we drove out of town, booked into the Roebuck Road house, fall under a shady tree and cracked a cold beer!!

We got our first shower in 6 months!!! But didn't have any clean clothes, a towel, or even our bathroom bag; everything was still stuffed into the messy trailer. Was still lovely to have fresh water!!! We headed to the bar, Johnno wearing my holey fishing shorts, because all he had on when packing was his sexy little pants, and I'd thrown all the other clothes in...who knows where. We drunk beer laughing at how many people were in the little out of town bar, we felt like we were in the city!! It's been 6 months since we have been in a bar!!! We had the most amazing meal; Johnno ordered Chicken Parmi, I had Beef n Reef. We drunk some more beers while trying to plan our next step. Then we crashed out on the swag with the dogs next to us.

Cable Beach, Broome; Smoke from fire that moved us out of Quondong Point.

Friday, realising that the fire was bigger and the road would not be opening, we had to decide what to do. We have booked into Gateway Caravan Park, 28km out of Broome, because it's the only place that we can stay with dogs. NO FISHING HERE!!!

When we booked in the wind was blowing hard with dust blowing everywhere. We looked around wondering where we were and what we were doing here. Thankfully the wind died down, and it's been a rather relaxing weekend. Saturday we pulled everything out, cleaned and rearranged, showered, washed dogs. Four loads of washing, a dozen loads of dishes, and everything out of the car; finally we are salt and dust free! Ready to go again!!

But Manari Road still hasn't open, so today is relax, feet up, doing nothing day!