PARKWOOD residents banded together to fight a wildfire which claimed about 100ha of bushland and threatened homes yesterday. A row of houses which faced the burning gully were within metres of being engulfed by the blaze, while other fences, backyard swing sets and sheds were severely burnt. Fourteen fire crews and two water-bombing helicopters were called in near Napper Road and Smith Street when the fire began about 1pm and spread to threaten homes on Greenacre Drive. Power was cut to about 1000 homes in the area as a precaution and the Gold Coast to Brisbane rail line was shut between Robina and Coomera while waterbombing was carried out, leaving commuters to rely on buses.
This is a place near where I grew up. My mother grew up at Blackwood Creek so I spent many of my school holidays staying with my grandparents in this country town of Tasmania.
Liffey's falls and forests have received World Heritage listing for their unique natural values.
Liffey Falls are nestled in the Great Western Tiers about an hours drive from Launceston and 1 1/2 hours from Devonport. For many years the falls were only accessible by track ~ an hours walk from below the falls. The track still exists. There is now a reserve only a short distance from above the falls. A narrow winding steep gravel road links each end of the track. The walk is very much worth the trip. The track from the upper car park is relatively steep in parts - particularly the final descent to the bottom of the falls.
There are two reserves on the upper reaches of the river, one a forest reserve managed by Forestry Tasmania and the other a state reserve managed by the Parks and Wildlife Service. The extensive picnic and barbecue facilities are in the former, while the falls themselves are in the latter, and both are part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.
There are four sets of falls along the 45-minute walk from the picnic ground down hill to the majestic Victoria Falls (commonly referred to as Liffey Falls) and return, all of which can be viewed from sturdy observation decks.
Liffey is located 41 kilometres (25 mi) south west of Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. It was named by Capt. William Moriaty. The town is situated in rainforest, on the Liffey River at the foot of the Great Western Tiers. Nearby towns are Bracknell and Blackwood Creek. The most notable attraction in the area is Liffey Falls.
The Liffey River rises on the northern edge of the Great Western Tiers, flowing through dense cool-temperate rainforest of myrtle, sassafras and leatherwood before plunging over spectacular waterfalls.
We are one but we are many And from all the lands on earth we come, we share a dream, And sing with one voice, I am, you are, we are Australian.
I came from the dream time, from the dusty red soil plains, I am the ancient heart - the keeper of the flame, I stood upon the rocky shore, I watched the tall ships come, For forty thousand years I'd been the first Australian.
I came upon the prison ship bound down by iron chains I cleared the land, endured the lash and waited for the rains. I'm a settler, I'm a farmer's wife on a dry and barren run A convict then a free man, I became Australian. I'm the daughter of a digger who sought the mother lode The girl became a woman on the long and dusty road I'm a child of the depression, I saw the good times come I'm a bushy, I'm a battler, I am Australian.
We are one but we are many And from all the lands on earth we come, we share a dream, And sing with one voice, I am, you are, we are Australian.
I'm a teller of stories, I'm a singer of songs I am Albert Namatjira, and I paint the ghostly gums I am Clancy on his horse, I'm Ned Kelly on the run I'm the one who waltzed Matilda, I am Australian. I'm the hot wind from the desert, I'm the black soil of the plains I'm the mountains and the valleys, I'm the drought and flooding rains I am the rock, I am the sky, the rivers when they run The spirit of this great land, I am Australian.
We are one but we are many And from all the lands on earth we come, we share a dream, And sing with one voice, I am, you are, we are Australian.
