WOW - my jaw hit the dash when I saw this.
I mean I KNOW I LIVE IN A BUSHFIRE PRONE AREA, My neighbours know this also – you’d have to be stupid not to realise this.
Now, I'm being told I LIVE in a bushfire area?
I want to know at what cost? - Is this a local council initiative or something that the State Government has dropped upon us?
Will ALL areas be receiving these signs, or just a few unlucky pockets?
I'd sooner see the money spent on refuges and signage for said refuges than signs like this.
The Yellow one would be 1 METRE tall and 1 METRE across, not even road signage for dangerous intersections is this large.
IF YOU LIVE IN ANY OF THESE AREAS:-
Beaconsfield Upper, Belgrave (and surrounds), Bendigo (and surrounds), Blackburn, Boronia, Burwood, Carrum Downs, Christmas Hills, Cockatoo, Creswick, Croydon (and surrounds), Diamond Creek, Doncaster East, Donvale, Eltham (and surrounds), Endeavour Hills, Ferntree Gully, Frankston (and surrounds), Gembrook, Greensborough, Hoddles Creek, Hurstbridge, Kallista, Lilydale, Lower Templestowe, Mernda, Mill Park, Monbulk, Montrose, Mount Dandenong, Narre Warren, Olinda, Pakenham (and surrounds), Research, Riddells Creek, Rosebud (and surrounds), Wantirna (and surrounds), Warrandyte (and surrounds), Wonga Park
Then expect this sign in YOUR backyard (street) and expect it to immediately devalue YOUR property AND Raise your insurance premiums.
Your thoughts?
19 comments:
I think your property has just been devalued.
The thought that I did not put in writing - you are 100% correct and that was the very first thing I thought of - I wonder if Kinglake, Marysville, Dandenongs, Greensborough, Warrandyte, Ringwood, Templestowe, Park Orchards and 100's of other suburbs in Melbourne will have the same signage so prominently displayed?
My immediate thought was what about the ppl who have lost family friends, pets, livelyhoods, etc.etc. I wouldv'e thought they have 2 many reminders without signage?
Kinglake is 10km up the road, The area where this signage has been places is a small, rural area, with no tourist attractions, nothing that would draw strangers into the area - unless they were invited and then the householder would know the risks.
I can't understand why this signage (and this size) has been placed where it has.
Noting that fire refuges signage is 10 times SMALLER.
So why?
The local radio station frequency signs have been about for a while, usually near the fire danger signs. Something like "for emergency information, tune to blah-blah"
But this just seems like a Duh! moment.
So eloquent – Kek said exactly what I was thinking in ONE WORD ‘duh!’
You are right – the radio frequency ‘thing’ has been around for years and is often located next/next to the fire danger signage (which is often located near) the council town welcoming message.
So why does a 1m X 1m sign need to be place at the entrance to an estate (established in the 1800’s) that is accepted by the residents as been in a high risk area.
Are other high risk areas going to be labelled accordingly or have we been singled out for some reason?
I think this may be one reaction to the poor flow of information of Black Saturday.
However I don't think it is helpful. Are we going to put signs along our beaches saying shark area? Signs at our Pubs saying violence area? Such moves create fear and would have a quality of living cost with very little benefit.
John - quick grab the bubble wrap - people need to be protected from themselves. This blog is of a result of Black Saturday - so I know all about the flow of information.
But in saying that the State of Victoria was warned that the 7th of Feb 2009 would be a BAD day for fires. So the information was there, the problem was the receiving ears may not have been open.
So getting back to the signage, signs like this, eventually cause some to turn a further blind eye to warnings.
Remember the boy that cried wolf? People stopped listening.
This will reduce property values and possibly cause great financial hardship for some.
My first reaction was that one of the things we learnt from black Saturday was that there are people who don't realise they live in a bushfire area, or at least don't fully appreciate the ramifications. I remember hearing about someone complaining that they never got any information because they don't listen to the radio. Well what did they want people to do - send a carrier pigeon?
But I also take your later point that it may have the opposite of the desired effect on locals.
I remember driving along the Hume and about ever 2km there were signs warning about fatigue: "Tired?" "Eyelids getting heavy?" I wasn't tired at all, but the power of suggestion almost made me so.
Still, the majority of all signs everywhere are there to make up for lack of common sense and to remind people of what ought to be obvious so with respect, I don't see anything particularly wrong with this one.
"Still, the majority of all signs everywhere are there to make up for lack of common sense and to remind people of what ought to be obvious so with respect, I don't see anything particularly wrong with this one."
They will devalue properties - I bet you ANY money that this sign will not be seen anywhere near Donvale, Doncaster, Greensborough, Warrandyte or the Dandenongs, and until such time as they are - they can bloody well remove this sign!
Chalk one up for Whittlesea / Kinglake West boundary at the bottom of the hill. Pretty much where the first flames touched the mountain on Black Sat. Yes I took it as a bit of a FU, and someone's butt-covering for future. Does this mean there is a master plan coming for those behind the green sign and we'll be expected to toe the line like good little hill-billies and leave our properties when told?
So you've got one thee too? Haven't ben that far up the mountain - probably this weekend. It devalues property and makes you feel like an idiot FFS - trees = bushfire risk - you don't know then, you have a BIG problem :(
FYI - I'm not toeing any line - if my 70yo father can save his house in a treed area - I can save my house in grasslands with NO trees within 200m of the house. Plus other measures
Found your blog when I was looking for a pic of the sign to explain it to someone else. Yep, it just popped up this week, was a bit of a shock. We'd be expecting a council rates decrease considering our capital improved has just gone down wouldn't you think? And yes, we fought it on that Saturday and will again if it ever happens again. We didn't spend thousands on pumps, generators and sprinkler systems when we first moved here well over 10 years ago, just to walk away and let looters rape our home, because someone with no empathy in an office in the city 'thinks' we should go.
don't expect a decrease in rates from muddledindi - they're broke - take my word for it - they need every penny they can get :(
Looters the scurge of society. Perhaps you need sit down and read the ret of the blog - to give some insight both into the day and also the subsequent days, weeks, years after and why I feel so strongly aboout all of this.
Common sense is not so common these days.
As for a city bigwig telling me what to do? LOL Good luck
BTW I'm COW here - so we are almost neighbours.
LOL Howdy neighbour!
Yes I will have a read thankyou Heather and remain watching, there's some interesting stuff. I'm sure I have similar stories, some of which disgust me, (in the way 'humans' can treat each other), and others that are very humbling and show the spirit that makes this country great despite the 'dickhead element'.
I've never really spoken much on the subject as I consider myself one of the fortunate ones, (whether that be due to luck, planning or hard work on the day, or a combination of all 3), when there are others I know of who fared far worse or paid the ultimate price. I will forget the fire front, but wont forget the aftermath and things I saw and heard in the weeks of lockdown.
tell e one thing - were you ever told of the $50 petrol fairy down in town? perhaps you were a recipient?
Sounds like we need to get together in town.
Drop me a line via here - (won;t be published) and we can organise something - I'm in the same boat - not talked, consider myself lucky, denied the opportunity, Human Scum etc etc
Stay strong
Perhaps check out my other blog also Marysville Cookbook Blogspot
(Sorry - late night/early morning) I accidentally deleted Marks' response to a conversation - please accept my apologies.
LOL No, I was not aware of the petrol fairy, I got my generator fuel in one of the other non-conventional ways. Depressing that it had to come to that just to remain existing and keep life support going for family and animals, when it seemed like all the authorities wanted to do was separate families and ignore the living.
Yes we will have to catch up, you're doing some great stuff, I'll try and give you a hoy when we have a free weekend (lots on at the moment!). Speaking of which there's more support going on for Qld flood victims via Kinglake Pub on Sunday - Kinglake Pub - Sunday 13th March 2011
which we'll be chaecking out. The Sunnys are an awesome pair and have supported bushfire victims in past fundraisers.
All good Heather :)
I notice a few more signs have popped up on top of the hill, so now have them on both sides of the road - entering Kinglake West and leaving from / to Whittlesea. So the section of hill / DSE property between Whittlesea and Kinglake West is the bushfire zone or what? LOL
Great afternoon at Kinglake Pub, got rained on heavily and then befogged for good measure, but we didn't care and the band played on!
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