As fires continue to burn along the coast from Bermagui to Batemans Bay, and into the Shoalhaven, a packed hall of Nethercote residents heard that resources remain understandably stretched across the state. And as coastal communities face months, not weeks of dealing with "this beast hanging around their backyards", the RFS has again come to the rescue, with timely advice...

Science has warned us for decades how a changing climate will affect us, with weather tending to be hotter and drier and more extreme weather events. In the Bega Valley, residents have just experienced one such extreme event, with fires in the area consuming acres of bushland, homes, outbuildings and shops, and tragically killing two men from the Cobargo area....

The NSW Rural Fire Service lifted the fire-related tourist ban over the weekend, giving the all-clear for holidaymakers to return to coastal areas of the Shoalhaven, Eurobodalla and Bega Valley which have been impacted by fires. But while tourists are encouraged to come back to coastal towns, all National Parks in the South Coast and Far South Coast remain closed while staff...

Since the New Year’s Eve bushfire fronts passed through Malua Bay and surrounding areas, residents from Batemans Bay through to Broulee have largely been without power, hot water, internet and mobile signal. Street groups have been sharing resources such as gas stoves, generators, food and ice, and trying to keep each other informed as they drive to higher places to...

The Bega Valley’s Bushfire Recovery Centre is now open and located in the Bega Valley Commemorative Civic Centre. The Recovery Centre, which is being managed by the NSW Department of Justice’s Office of Emergency Management in partnership with the Bega Valley Shire Council, is a ‘one-stop shop’, providing information and practical assistance to people affected by the bushfire emergency across...

Hilltops Mayor Brian Ingram has told About Regional that he is proud of the efforts of people in the Hilltops region – which includes Boorowa, Harden, Young and Jugiong - in supporting communities devastated by fires in recent weeks. “It’s a sign of a good community when volunteers come out and put whatever they are doing to one side to...

Bodalla Community Hall has been set up as a food hub, and volunteers are busy receiving and delivering food. But the logistics of managing donations in a major disaster are huge for small communities like Bodalla and Quaama and they are calling for help. Local businesswoman Lisa Cornthwaite says that the volunteers need assistance from authorities to manage the situation and to...

Imaginative artists have teamed up with ambitious communities to paint massive murals on concrete silos throughout rural Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia. Since about 2015 their creations have filled stark outback skies with star-lit nights, red-breasted rosellas, working sheepdogs and larger-than-life pioneers. Tens of thousands of tourists travel to long-forgotten rail sidings, reviving the spirits of close-knit, one-pub places. These...

NSW residents affected by the bushfire crisis will now be able to access a standard PBS or manufacturer's pack quantity of their prescription-only medicines (Schedule 4) without a prescription following the issuing of a special authority by the NSW Chief Health Officer. Under the special authority announced on Thursday night (9 January), NSW pharmacists will be able to supply people affected...

The Adaminaby Rural Fire Brigade has been completing major strategic burns at Denison, Youak and Bolaro ahead of today's severe fire danger rating for the area. These areas will potentially be under threat by the out-of-control Adaminaby Complex, Doubtful Gap Trail and Good-Good fires today, all of which are currently at Advice level. "A number of fires are burning in remote terrain...

Mystery Bay is a small beachside community surrounded on three sides by bush, lush with mature spotted gums, with one small access road. Last week the community was threatened by the Badja Forest Fire and, after evacuating at short notice, resident Elizabeth Walton spent the week in the Narooma evacuation centre, along with 4,000 others, as ash rained down and...

The skies overhead were deep blood red and the southerly was roaring at gale force. Tree limbs, debris and ash showered across a road full of terrified animals. And as Sarah Nolan and her partner Matt fled to safety on Saturday night, they were confronting one of the harshest realities of this fire crisis. "Once we knew that they couldn't...

The fires gripping the region have sparked an overwhelming show of support from individuals and businesses in Young, none more so than the town’s local supermarket. As bushfires gained momentum throughout NSW last week so too did local social media murmurings about assistance. It was Robert Donges and his family, owners of Donges Supa IGA, who were among the first...