Through the haze

In previous years at about this time I have had cause to address the issue of bushfires and this year is the same. This is a short post to show some contrasting views of the Barwon during recent fire activity.
Earlier this month on 9th February, a grass fire started on the outskirts of the township of Ceres in hot, blustery conditions. On 25th January, another grass fire broke out south of Inverleigh. Neither fire reached the banks of the Barwon and both were brought under control in a relatively short time.

Glimpses of Corio Bay and the Barwon River from Montpellier Park,
Highton, 23rd May, 2013

Whilst neither fire affected the Barwon directly, the large fire which started in the Kilmore district outside Melbourne, had enough of an impact on air quality in the Geelong region on 11th February that it also impacted significantly on visibility.
So, of course I took the opportunity to head to the river to take a few comparison shots for posterity. The above photo was taken on a clear day in May, 2013. The photo below was taken on 11th February, 2014 when the smoke from the Kilmore fire descended on the region.


"View" of the Barwon and Corio Bay, 11th February, 2014
from Montpellier Park, Highton

In addition to the view from Montpellier Park, I headed round to that other popular view point - the Barwon Valley Lookout.
Things were a little clearer there as the view was closer - but not much:


View of the Barwon looking towards Fyansford, 11th February, 2014

On a foggy/smoggy day in September, 2011 the scene looked somewhat similar:

Foggy morning, September, 2011

On a clear day however, the view looks more like this:


A clear afternoon in January, 2010

Now, almost a fortnight after the smoke from Kilmore blanketed the region, things have returned to normal and we once again have our views.