Jamieson Creek bushfire — marketing a myth; a hypothetical

Following on from my Tuesday, 28 March 2017 posting "Wye River–Separation Creek bushfire — lightning strike and what to look for", where would one take an independent investigator to stand at the top of a “gorge” to demonstrate “inaccessibility” and point out the scene of a lightning strike through tree canopies that are very largely unaffected by a fire?

If one wanted to point out a “gorge” one would drive along the relatively sedate Cumberland Track off Wye Road via Curtis Track or maybe come in from the Lorne end if that’s not too rough. It’s certainly a very steep drop down off the southern side of Cumberland Track in places.

Relevant maps, etc, from my posting of Monday, 20 March 2017 "Wye River–Separation Creek bushfire — in pursuit of the truth"

Or maybe drive along the relatively sedate Jamieson Track off Wye Road to impress with a steep, to some, drop off from the northern side of that track.

Below are two photos of the northern side of Jamieson Track near where the drone was flown.

One would hardly have the investigator bounce along a steep in a couple places and dusty bulldozed track to show a gorge that does not exist on the southern side of Jamieson Creek. A track that leaves Wye Road in the condition as shown in the following photograph.

And further along that track to where I parked my vehicle, and from where easy access to the site of the lightning strike as shown in my posting on Tuesday, 28 March 2017 "Wye River–Separation Creek bushfire — lightning strike and what to look for" can be achieved on foot. Photographs in that posting show the slope that I've calculated from the 1:30 000 topographical map to be approximately 15 degrees down towards the north and north of northwest and Jamieson Creek at the foot of the slope.

And further on towards the northeast from where my vehicle is parked.

If one had access to a helicopter the investigator could be flown over the whole fire area to impress, while avoiding providing access to enable the investigator to actually ‘walk the ground’ around the lightning strike.

The government's position on inaccessibility, fact or fiction? Fiction!

A case of operational dysfunction?

I've recently seen an email from DELWP to a citizen who suffered loss from the Wye River–Separation Creek bushfire that includes the following statement: "as they [EMV] were the lead control agency of the Wye River-Jamieson Track fire".

Raises questions of competence and the possibility of operational dysfunction right from the beginning of the lightning strike. And opportunism?

Clearly a need to re-examine the IGEM's "Review of the initial response to the 2015 Wye River–Jamieson Track fire" in the light of DELWP's stated position.

Finally, what drives me? Costs involved with bushfire continuing to rise due to emphasis on response and recovery rather than prevention by governments at all levels, as covered in this story in the 12 April 2017 edition of The Australian.

Wye River–Separation Creek is a prime example of governments and supine politicians failing us, as covered in my Sunday, 21 February 2016 posting "Obfuscation, sanitising, cabinet-in-confidence documents, burying, leaking — examples of some of the processes of government".