Lime farmer from Deepwater Paul Walker has had to replace most of his irrigation which was melted in last years' inferno.

The 2019 bushfire season is looming but many landowners across Queensland are still reeling from last year's catastrophic fires which turned more than 4 million hectares of land to ashes across Queensland.

key points 2018 bushfires Key points: Farmers in the Deepwater region want access to more water in preparation to the bushfire season

Pioneer Valley farmers report good winter rain has encouraged regrowth

Landowners want to be able to prepared wider firebreaks

Farmers and graziers say they are trying to adapt from last year's fires to ensure they are more prepared for the future.

This week, emergency officials warned of the dangers of the impending bushfire season, imploring the public to make sure their disaster plans are ready.

Macadamia farmers in the Deepwater region said they wanted to try and have more water on hand after large amounts of their irrigation reserves were taken from dams last year for fire trucks and water bombers to fight bushfires.

Farmer Ross Wiltshier said while he saved his trees from the flames, a handful of his macadamia trees died from the scorching temperatures and he may lose more now due to the dry.

"It took a vast amount of our water [to fight the fires] and then of course the trouble is after that it didn't rain," he said.

Mr Wiltshier said he did not regret sharing his water for firefighting but, nine months on, they only have a few more weeks of water left.

"We have a nursery here. To give you some idea, it takes 5,000 gallons (18,927 litres) of water a day to keep it going.

"The nut trees; we've got 10,000 nut trees and we're just keeping them in survival."

As his water supply has dwindled, and August indicates the start of a new fire season, Mr Wiltshier has started building new dams and expanding current ones in anticipation of another fire.

Fuel load 'scary' up north

canefield slider before and after Share Share

Hundreds of kilometres north, cane farmers in the Pioneer Valley, west of Mackay, have now been harvesting paddocks of cane that regrew from the ash of last year's unprecedented blaze.

They have faced vastly different conditions, with a wet season starting just days after the worst of the bushfires were controlled.

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Landowner and first officer of the Netherdale Rural Fire Brigade, Mick "Lizard" Seymore, said the wet conditions of winter could lead to problems in the future as the fuel load rises.

"We had such a marvellous wet since the fires. We haven't had more than 10 days straight without rain," he said.

"The fuel load that's growing back on the mountains and the country that doesn't have cattle on it is astronomically high on it already.

"It's moist at the moment but once it dries out, it could be a good fire."

Many of the bushfires last year, including the largest and most problematic at Deepwater, originated from inside Government-managed state forests, prompting calls for better management.

Eungella national park in the Pioneer valley witnessed rainforest burn, possibly for the first time.

But Mr Seymore said he had been pleased with how National Parks have responded in the wake of the criticism.

"What they're doing now is all we asked them to do prior," he said.

"They are doing a hell of a lot whether people realise it or not.

"They're running firebreaks. Where we ran last year with the fires they're putting new firebreaks through.

"National Parks are wearing the bill because they realised the forest did get destroyed due to bad management."

Calls for wider firebreaks

Road slider before and after Share Share

Landowners in central Queensland are preparing their firebreaks ahead of the coming season but some said they needed permission to make them wider.

The Vegetation Management Act 1999 (VMA) currently allows for land to be cleared to make firebreaks at a "maximum width of 1.5 times the height of the tallest vegetation next to the infrastructure, or 20 metres, whichever is wider".

There are fines up to $1 million for noncompliance.

Graziers Jane and Jamie Saunders are from Charlevue which borders the Blackdown National Park in central Queensland and they had a firebreak that stretched to 50m wide in some areas.

They made the decision to run their firebreak "two chains wide" (up to 60m) years ago but it came into its own during last year's disaster.

Share Landowners need to be allowed to clear larger firebreaks according to Jane and Jamie Saunders.

Mr Saunders said the wider firebreak, that in some sections stretched 50m, encircled their property and saved countless hectares of grass and perhaps even lives.

"In this country up here, the wind chops and changes so we are very fortunate that we had it [the firebreak] in because otherwise you never know where that fire would have ended up," he said.

Mrs Saunders said her family was commended for their firebreak even though it was arguably wider than the guidelines.

She said she would like to see other landowners, including the State Government, consider making wider breaks in preparation for future fires.

"The CEO from the Emerald Council came to personally thank Jamie and myself for pulling that fire up with our break and protecting the town of Bluff," Mrs Saunders said.

"I think more people should be looking into it, especially national parks, because if you look back at last year — how many national parks were on fire?

"It's not cheap to put a big firebreak like ours, or to maintain it, but I think it's one for the national parks all around Australia [to consider]."

Emotional scars still apparent

Share Memories of last November's roaring bushfires are still raw according to Netherdale sugarcane farmer and harvester Jenny Ward.

Jenny Ward, a canegrower and harvester from Netherdale, said the scars on the countryside were still visible, as were the ones in people's memories.

"We've just started harvesting on the farm that was burnt out, and it's cutting about half of what it should be. It really knocked it around," she said.

Crop insurance played a big role in farmers in the district's recovery, covering costs of fertilizers and the loss of crops.

While life is returning to normalcy in the valley, the effects of the bushfires are still being felt.

"If there's a fire along the hills that is a controlled burn, my 14-year-old daughter starts to panic a bit, but she's definitely getting better with it," Mrs Ward said.

"The sight of the smoke and the smell, it takes us back. Especially when it's trees, the smell of wood burning and things like that."



