I'm currently in a city - Melbourne.

But some time ago I had plans to set up a Mud Brick studio thing just outside a country town. Then a BIG milk processing plant arrived on my back door step so I couldn't go ahead with it.

BUT during the design and research stage, I had concluded that as my land was full of trees, IF a bush fire (forest fire) were to come from the north - I WOULD GET OUT OF THE WAY.

A north winds come over much land and can be very dry and forceful during summer.

I have nothing but praise for the Volunteer Fire Fighters
:w:

Hi Julian...just saw this post so....
First off the experience has solved a few issues re getting a "hot" sound for me. I also didn't have to use any software like "Toast" to "burn" a CD.And some of the guitar solo's were really smoking!
But nice of you to ask, you probably know that we got isolated here for several days, no power and we couldn't drink the water. Visibilty was down to about 150 - 200 metres and for nearly two weeks we were engulfed in this orange haze. very weird, like a post apocalypse movie. Helicopters going night and day, sirens and constant hosing down of things.Roads were closed. Houses burnt.

The thing is...since then, in my local area we've had an earthquake/tremor, floods, hailstorms, and
the ATM machine at the local pub broke down.

My studio also seems to have become a wildlife refuge/theme park (see my post on Renie's Sexmix thang). I'll probably have a few questions up here soon re ambient and location recording and 3 metre pythons.As in the snake, which (literally) has been hanging around here....I'll post a photo up tomorrow!!!!

Seriously though, thanks for asking, it got very very close close. At one stage I totally demounted and packed away my studio...not that I could have gone anywhere cos all the roads were closed.
Damn...where's that flame icon when you need it?

Wow!

"snake, which (literally) has been hanging around here....I'll post a photo up tomorrow!!!!"

Yes please!

:)

Sted:

If you don't mind, where are you located? I'd like to see on a map where all these things are happening!

Here in Southern Oregon forest fires are a major hazard. I'm out in the woods and as we speak the chainsaw crew is eating lunch- we're cleaning out the woods some to make a "green zone" around the house/studio. Last year's fire season was pretty scary around here. I know what that can be like.
Best of luck to you all down under. This is the first I heard of the fire. Sounds like a big one!
Ted

Originally posted by littledog:
Sted:

If you don't mind, where are you located? I'd like to see on a map where all these things are happening!

Yeah Hi littledog...sounds amazing but it's all true. All these things have happened within a 50km radius of where I live so...(apart from the tornado which was 100km's north and hit my parents place, oh and the bushfires which reached 500 metres from my door).

I live on the east coast of Australia. The state is called New South Wales, and the village/town I live in is called "Wombarra" about 60km's south
from Sydney CBD (Sydney - y'know - where the 'lympics were held). Wombarra is located in what's called "The Illawarra" and is actually an incredibly beautiful and unique spot (if you want I'll send you some photo's). About twenty minutes up the road is "The Royal National Park"...I think this was actually the first park of it's sort - either that or your own Yellowstone. Wombarra is like a "King Kong" landscape in that there's actually a very narrow strip which you can live on, then there's a sheer vertical cliff face covered with bush/rainforest which runs all the way down past the nearest big city to the South (which is called Wollongong - that's right Wollongong). At the bottom of my garden is the Pacific Ocean (which you can't build on!).
Most maps won't show Wombarra 'cos it's too small, but look for Wollongong and I'm about 20 minutes north - possibly you may find a town called Thirroul which is ten minutes south.
It's not normally like this...not so Biblical in proportion! It's just the last three months have been...well varied!
Kind regards

Originally posted by littledog:
Sted:

If you don't mind, where are you located? I'd like to see on a map where all these things are happening!

Yeah Hi littledog...sounds amazing but it's all true. All these things have happened within a 50km radius of where I live so...(apart from the tornado which was 100km's north and hit my parents place, oh and the bushfires which reached 500 metres from my door).

I live on the east coast of Australia. The state is called New South Wales, and the village/town I live in is called "Wombarra" about 60km's south
from Sydney CBD (Sydney - y'know - where the 'lympics were held). Wombarra is located in what's called "The Illawarra" and is actually an incredibly beautiful and unique spot (if you want I'll send you some photo's). About twenty minutes up the road is "The Royal National Park"...I think this was actually the first park of it's sort - either that or your own Yellowstone. Wombarra is like a "King Kong" landscape in that there's actually a very narrow strip which you can live on, then there's a sheer vertical cliff face covered with bush/rainforest which runs all the way down past the nearest big city to the South (which is called Wollongong - that's right Wollongong). At the bottom of my garden is the Pacific Ocean (which you can't build on!).
Most maps won't show Wombarra 'cos it's too small, but look for Wollongong and I'm about 20 minutes north - possibly you may find a town called Thirroul which is ten minutes south.
It's not normally like this...not so Biblical in proportion! It's just the last three months have been...well varied!
Kind regards

Thanks for the geographical update. I'm definitely going to have to grab a more detailed map of Oz. Mine has a little triangle of Sydney, Wollongong, and S. Campbell Town with no room for any detail in between! It all seems so exotic from over here - like an alien planet with poetic places named Woy Woy and Wagga Wagga, Cootamundra and Paraburdoo... it's like the land of Edward Lear come to life!

Originally posted by littledog:
Thanks for the geographical update. I'm definitely going to have to grab a more detailed map of Oz. Mine has a little triangle of Sydney, Wollongong, and S. Campbell Town with no room for any detail in between! It all seems so exotic from over here - like an alien planet with poetic places named Woy Woy and Wagga Wagga, Cootamundra and Paraburdoo... it's like the land of Edward Lear come to life!

Said the Duck to the Kangeroo,
"Good gracious! how you hop!
"Over the field and the water too,
"As if you would never stop!
"My life is a bore in this nasty pond,
"And I long to go out in the world beyond!
"I wish I could hop like you!"
Said the Duck to the Kangeroo.

From "Nonsense Songs" by Edward Lear (!)
:)

hey stedel, my guitar was born in thirroul, in the hands of one lawrence k. smith

btw, jules, the trick in australia is to live on the coast, so one can avoid all those nasties like bushfires, floods and in-breeding
cheers
max
newcastle, oz

(i was visiting my in-laws in sydney west during the 'black xmas', as it's now known in oz, and we high-tailed it out of there at the the first sign of smoke over suburban roofs)

Gotta love this country.

During the fires my back yard (where my studio is) was full of burnt black leaves and branches. The closest fire was about 15 minutes away.........we were starting to prepare (cleaning gutters, rakeing up leaves etc) however everything was fine.

I remember waking up one sunday morning and my house was full of smoke, fuckin scary stuff. The studio however was unaffected thanks to 1 foot thick Hebel walls. Actually i can walk into the studio on 40+ days and it's a nice 20 degrees in there thanks to the Hebel.

Then just last week we had a mini cyclone here and we were just about to hit the downbeat and BAM!, BLACKOUT for 48 hours!.....FUCK!. Funny thing is we were sittin in my control room and could hear the winds outside thinking "shit sounds pretty windy out there" we walked out and there were big gum trees across the roads and trees down everywhere, roofs taken off.

Gotta love this country!

Stefan Nowak

Hi to all the Australians.

;)

Stedle - you owe us one picture of the snake that's hanging out in your yard! Is it wearing a smoking jacket?

:)

(I think you have to be some sort of genius to get a photo up on these forums... :)

Re my last few posts on the Producers, Engineers, Hardware Forum.

See...even Julian's interested in Australia, But he does need this spelt charker thing,

Julian, that's "Aussies" not "Auzies"!!!!
Shame Julian.
Can't you spell in Inglish? :)

I think, to get a photo up here, you have to have your own site activated and provide a link to this,
which does seem clumsy, As my own site is not due up until October, for reasons to do with my busines plan, as yet I am unable to post a photo of the snake up here. Which is unfortunate. This is a nearly ten foot boa-constrictor which hangs around my garden, and is a beautiful creature.