From devastation to wonder as Kangaroo Island bushfires lead to cave discoveries

Curious about the bushfire and recovery there after, found this from Lonely Planet (2023)..

A dangerous mix of hot weather, highly flammable eucalyptus oils in the air and strong winds meant that flames quickly scorched their way through the vegetation, burning almost half of the land in the process.

Australia’s native flora and fauna regenerates and even thrives after burns; in fact, some seeds will only germinate after a fire.

Kangaroo Island has turned out to be astonishingly resilient. Just 48 hours after the flames died down, a rock-like fungus started growing on the ash.

As the fungus digested the ash, it changed the pH levels of the soil, allowing other microorganisms and eventually plants to take root. Some of the plants, says McKelvey, hadn’t been seen for decades. Unlike on the Australian mainland, there were no rabbits to eat the new growth – meaning there was nothing to hold back the regeneration.

It helped that donations flooded in from all over the world after the fires. This money helped to eliminate some of the feral pigs and cats that had been damaging the local ecosystem and killing endangered wildlife.

Three years on, Flinders Chase National Park is as lush as ever, with thick undergrowth providing shelter for the island’s camera-shy wallabies.

The only reminder of the fires that ravaged this land? The blackened branches of eucalyptus trees poking out from the greenery below, giving the landscape an eerie, post-apocalyptic air.

Providing a nesting ground for birds and habitat for insects, even these uncomfortable reminders will disappear in a couple of years, as they get swallowed up by the island’s resilient vegetation.

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/kangaroo-island-south-aust...

That was a great read. I visited Kangaroo Island some months after the fire mentioned in the article, and the regrowth was something to behold. Vast sweeping hills of blackened tree trunks, all covered in winding regrowth in vivid greens, with flowering undergrowth spreading across the forest floor. The devastation was clear, but just as evident was that the ecosystem has the capability to withstand and thrive after a wildfire.

It was an incredible trip, and the locals were very excited to have tourists supporting the economy there. I can highly recommend it, especially for anyone with a lean towards exploring nature. The free flight raptor show was very cool, you get to see a whole bunch of unique Australian birds in a fairly relaxed environment for the birds, sometimes they decide not to be part of the show and just fly away for a while.

The landscape is indescribable, even for Australia which is already quite unique.

Whenever there are stories about bushfires in Australia there is inevitably discussion about how the regeneration is amazing and how fires are part of the ecosystem. While this is true to an extent, it is important to point out that in recent years due to climate change the frequency and intensity of the fires is causing huge ecosystem change to areas that are burnt multiple times before they can recover.

https://connectsci.au/wf/article-abstract/25/8/831/21102/Too...

I caved in South Australia many years ago and what is not obvious is that south Australian caves are predominantly horizontal and dry. I now live in the Peak District in the UK and caving is a muddy wet affair with too many ropes.

Nice page design and even nicer photography.

what a fantastic presentation, I wish all news articles were like that