In Australia, Christmas 2001 was known as "The Black Christmas". Fires hit all along the east coast of NSW, burning thousands of hectares of bush, lots of wildlife, and hundreds of houses. We were staying practically right in the center of the fires, in Jervis Bay on the NSW South Coast, which made for a very interesting Christmas. See the satellite image below to see how big the fires actually were. We were staying at the red "X" right down the bottom of the image.

Image courtesy of Geoscience Australia - National Mapping Division

Click on the thumbnails for higher resolution, full size images, along with a full description and exposure details (where available).
 

		Cleaning the Gutters 25th December, 2001 (Christmas Day)
		Widefield Sun 25th December, 2001 (Christmas Day)
		Widefield Sun with Trees 25th December, 2001 (Christmas Day)
		Sunset on Christmas Day 25th December, 2001 (Christmas Day)
		A Tree is Still Burning 25th December, 2001 (Christmas Day)

 

		Burnt Down House #1 26th December, 2001 (Boxing Day)
		Burnt Down House #1 26th December, 2001 (Boxing Day)
		Burnt Down House #2 26th December, 2001 (Boxing Day)
		Frozen Tree 26th December, 2001 (Boxing Day)
		Burnt Bush 26th December, 2001 (Boxing Day)
		A Lonesome Bird 26th December, 2001 (Boxing Day)

All photos are Copyright (c) Geoff Sims, 2002, ">