CoolahTops Nationa Park l O pe ra tionsMap 11 212 680 E 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 250 680 E N N
FireManagement Strategy 1000 880 880 Westview 92 92 Henrys Creek
2021–2026 64 1000 64 800 Bradfordhut 600 400 600 800 1000 Thisstra teg yshould beused inconjunction with ae rialphotog ra phyand field re conna issance. Butchers Gully T r ail s T r ail
Dry Gully 800 N o r t hwes t er n T r ail Thesedata are notguaranteed tobe free from error oromission. The NSW National Parks and Wildlife and itsemployees disclaim liabilityfor any act 600 doneonthe information thein data and anyconsequences ofsuch acts oromissions. 91 rm Merrilong 91 Fa Thisdocument iscopyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose ofstudy, research criticism orreview, as permitted under d in Windy Creek thecopyright Act,nopart may be reproduced by any process without written permission. W 600 e g 1000 TheNSW National Parks and Wildlife Service ispart ofthe Department ofPlanning, Industry and Environment. an R 900 900 Publishedby the Department ofPlanning, Industry and Environment (NSW ). l Tamalie Creek 2 o 600 Contact:NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Northern BranchInland o p 800 r 900 700 90 e 90 Ardgour ISBN: 978-1-922493-53-8 DPIENumber: EES2020/0503 LastUpdated: 05/01/2021 iv 900 L North 500 1000
d 700 1000 e Thisstra teg yaisre levantPlan under Section and Section(4) 38 (3) 44 s o Camerons Creek oftheRura Fire l 1997. Act s p C ecil ' s T r ail 1000 o Black Creek r Rocky Creek 1000 1000 900 P 900 89 Omaleah Creek 89 900 1000
Bundella S 31°41.861' Pinnacle 500 DayUse E 150°1.081' 2 1100 Lookout 2 Bundella Creek LocalityMap 2 1000 900 500 1000 600 W errisCreek 700 0 10 20 40 2 88 2 88 ¯ Km BundellaLookout 500 S pringRidge
1000 1:950,000 R ocky Hydon
Creek 400 DayUse 1100 1000 Q uirindi Coxs Creek Valley Springs 900 2 Raceco u r s e T r ai l 1100 W allabadah 31° 42.585' S 31°42.585' 1000 2 2 AbandonedAirstrip 150° 2.687' E 150°2.687' Binnaway 87 600 400 87 1000 Rabsons Gully 900 600 700 Blackville W illowTree 1000
1100 900 1000 1100 900 Yarraman Creek 700 400
Murrurundi
900 1000900 86 2 1100 1100 86 1100 600 Coolah 900
900 Pigeo n B o x T r ail E ast 800 The Pinnacle Road Pinnacle The Coolaburragundy River 400 1000 Birnan Wood B un del l a T r ail 400
1000
700 1200 2 85 1000 1000 900 85 Dunedoo S cone 800 C o xs C r eek T r ail 1000 TheBarracks 800 1000 Cox'sCreek Campground 1100 900 Campground 1100 400 Merriwa 1100 1100 PigeonBox Trail 500 HistoricRuin 2 1100 2S awMill 1100 2 900 Sheep Station Gully 2 1000 1200 84 84
Brittons Gully
2 1100 800 Mapdetails 2 Datum: GDA_1994_MGA_Zone_56 GeographicCoordinate System: GCS_GDA_1994 Noted scales: True when printed onsizeA0 paper 1000 2 ThePines Turee Vale Campground Local Governm e Arent a : Liverpool PlainsUpper / Hunter / Topog ra phicMap Weetaliba 1:50,000: Blackville 8834N, 8934S4, Norfolk RoadHildegard Telstra Trail 800 Falls Campbells Creek W arrumbungle Shires Omaleah 8934N3,Glasston 8934N2 and Booyamurra 88342N W arrumbungle Shires The DayUse 83 900 83 Tops 2 1100 CluffsRoad 2 Cattle Creek Yarragabi
NorfolkFalls Phillips Creek 2 Talbragar 31° 45.083' S 31°45.083' 800 R iver Road R iver k k ! E 150°1.881' in c TalbragarFalls ContactInform a tion L a 2 r J oesHut 1100 s T Yar r al ee T r ail DayUse ll 2 2 a g n TheBald 1100 Age ncy PositionLocation / Phone F i 2 k BrackensHut Norfolk Island Creek e l Road Hills TalbragarFalls h a 82 BaldHill Trail RampR ed 82 AreaManager –John Whittall 9096930428 T Lookout NationaParks l W CreekFalls 1100 T he F o r es t Road Spring Creek DutyOfficer hour) (24 17428275 1100 2 Yarramanbah Creek & Wildlife& Service 1100 500 CastlereaghArea Office (bus.hours) 40006843
900 Dry Creek
NSWRura Fire l Service CastlereaghZone Manager –Corey Philip 0324150417 1100 1100 Sawers Creek Castlere a g h(NW Coolah Tops) CastlereaghZone Office 63006826 1200 1100 LiverpoolRang e(re m a inder) LiverpoolRange Manager –Myles O’Reilly 7562470409 600 Nelgowrie Glen Oak LiverpoolRange Zone Office 58006746 81 1200 81 Talbragar 1200 Fairview
FireRescue& NSW 000 1100 R iverRoad 1200 700
1200 1100
Eme rg e ncyServices Police,Fire,Ambulance 000 1200 Hilegarde C o o ba B ul ga T r ail
SES 500132 500 W allaby Creek Trail Creek W allaby Coolah 12006377 C hin am en ' s Swam p T r ail 1200 Police Merriwa 22036548 1200 1200 U pperHunter (South Coolah Tops) 11006540 1000 Red Ridge Gully Council LiverpoolPlains (North Coolah Tops) 32556746 80 Black Ridge Gully 80 Bounty Creek 1200 W arrumbungle(NW Coolah Tops) 20006849 Wallaby Creek 1100
LocalAborigina Land l Council W alhallowLALC [email protected] 900 900 1000 700 Larrys Creek 600
500
1100 Clarkes Creek 800 Com m unications 700
800 79 800 79 1100 Service Cha nne l Locationand Com m e nts Martindale NPW S 310 NorthVote Group R epeaters 617 Fireground 1100 R adioReception 317 CoolahTops tohub310NIB isvery good. 102 CoolahTops toBlue Mountains hub100 Stradbroke 900 600 N001 Castlereagh 800 R FS N004 LiverpoolRange (Upper Hunter) Spring Creek 78 1000 78 N005 LiverpoolRange (Liverpool Plains) 1000 Yarralee UHFCB - Sfires mall channel large 10, fires determined by IMT 800 1000 Cooba Bulga Stream 800 AviationCTAF - 134.70 frequencyNIB unless another frequency isallocated onanincident 800 700 Saint Elmo Leg e nd 500
Straight Creek Mobile reception islimited throughout the Reserve. Known reception points are the 800 Mobilephone 800 lookoutand the first information bay. 1 IndigenousStockyardSite Creek Group 1 NPW SEstate Oaky Creek 77 800 700 77 2 800 1000 The IndigenousSite Group 2 LandsVested thein Minister S nowGums Kindamindi Mayfield Cooba Bulga DayUse 3 FireSea sonInform a tion IndigenousSite Group 3 Wa tercourse Thecritical wildfire season occurs during October toMarch. The position ofthe Reserve high above the 1100 Gemini 1100 HistoricSite Wildfire s plainsmeans lightning strikes from thunderstorm activity isthe main ignition source. Rapid response with 1100 CattleCk MainlyDry 1100 LoopRoad Moan Creek directattack isakey tocontaining wildfires from these ignition sources. 76 Hut(Historic) 76 ThreatenedProperty NonPerennial Thehigh elevation and cool climate ofCoolah Tops NP means conditions need tobe warmer and drier Manchee Creek Pre scribed beforeeffective hazard reduction burns can occur. Prescribed burning ismost effective lateinSpring, 1000 900 Cattle Creek 1200 Burning S ummerand early Autumn when fuelmoisture has dried sufficiently for enough fuelto be available to GateNPW S Perennial
sustaincombustion. 900 BreezaDay Use Chippendale W aterBody Cunna Creek GatenonNPW S 600 Breeza S hepherds Lookout Peak Trail 75 1200 0# S urveyMarks 75 S hepherds 1100 R adioHut Access Trail Branch Creek Roa ds 800 Peak 900 O pe ra tionaGuideline l s Lookout 1100 1200 FireLookout 2 ProposedFAFT 2 Bottle Gully 1200 FireTower 900 1000 Creek Trail Aerialoperations be will managed by trained and competent personnel. This includes directing 700 1200 J emmys 1000 S trategicCat 1 900 900 aerialbombing and aerial ignition operations 900 Busbys Creek Helipad Aerial Theuse ofbombing aircraft without the support ofground based suppression crews should be 2 S trategicCat 7 O pe ra tions limitedtovery specific circumstances. 74 800 74 Goondee Trail Werieds Nook Gully HeliLanding Site aerial All ignition operations require the consent ofa senior NPW Sofficer or the Section 44 600 Appointee. 800 S trategicCat 9 Talbragar River R efugeArea 700 900 700 personnel All must be briefedfully before back burning operations begin. 1000 800 TacticalCat 1 1100 1000 Backburningareasin ofLow –Moderate OFHrequire will the use ofwind, or lowhumidity to Crown Land 1100 W aterPoint VH& 900 Backburning max imiseeffectiveness. Reserve TacticalCat 7 Norfolk 49174 W herepossible clear around dead and fibrous barked trees adjacent tocontrol linesprior to 73 Jemmys Creek W aterPoint Helicopter 73 backburning. TacticalCat 9 1200 700 1000 W aterPoint Vehicle 800 1100 OtherCat 1 Thefirst combatant agency onsite may assume control ofthe fire, but then must ensure the 1000 800 700 Com m a nd& relevantlandmanagement agency isnotified promptly. Spring Hills 1000 ¯ CampingArea OtherCat 7 Control Theinitial Incident Controller liaise will with the RFS toensure that the agency commandin is Half Moon Creek Spring Gully Krui River
determinedand anIncident Controller isappointed. 800 Devils Hole Creek 1000 Claremont OtherCat 9 72 700 ¯ DayUse Area 72 Newcontainment linesrequire the prior consent ofa senior NPW Sofficer. 1000 900 HeathsContour Gully Linesm100 - Dormant Constructionofnew containment linesshould be avoided, where practicable, ex ceptwhere they Ferris Creek 800 1100 canbe constructed with minimal environmental impact. Munmurra River Containm e nt 1000 personal All involved containmentin constructionline should be briefed andon, must consider both v v PowerlinesEssential - Energy Off-ParkRoads 900 Line s 600 Snake Creek 600 600
naturaland cultural heritage sites thein location. Lorimer Creek 600 600 800 containment All linesnot required for other purposes should be closed immediately atthe cessation Kennedys Creek 700 Uhrs Creek 1000 700 ofthe incident. 71 71 600 900 Naders 0 1 2 3 4 Black5 Harrys Gully
600 600 1100 Plantmay onlybe used with the prior consent ofa senior NPW SOfficer. Kuloo 800
800 km Plantmust always be guided and supervised by anex periencedofficer and accompanied by a 900 800 700 800 ¯ Earthm oving supportvehicle (NPW When S ). engaged directin or parallelattack, this vehicle must be afire 700 Roma 700 Scale: 1:40,000 800 600 fightingvehicle. 700 Tartar Equipm e nt MacqueenCreek Cream Of Four Mile Creek 600 800 700 Datum/Projection: GDA94900 MGA Z56 Creek Plantmust be washed down, where practicable, prior toit entering NPW Sestate and again on N 700 N 700 ex itingNPW Sestate. 600 700 700 600 600 ©Department ofCustomer Service 2020 880 880 2 680 2 680 70 11 12 E 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 E 70 Theuse offoam, wetting agents and retardants NOT will be permitted within metres50 ofdams Fire 64 64 andwatercourses holding water. Suppre ssion Theaerial use ofgels and retardants should be approved by asenior NPW Sofficer. Che m icals Theuse ofretardants requires the approval ofasenior NPW Sofficer. Ve g e tation Ve g e tationFire Thre sholds FireHistory RiskMana g e m eInform nt a tion W herepracticable, containment linesshould be stabilised and rehabilitated as part ofthe wildfire Reha bilitation suppressionoperation.
Wa terPoints W aterpoints are limited and not always reliable. Consider deployment ofa bulkwater carrier to supportfire operations. Bundella Creek Smoke Potentialsmoke impacts and mitigation tactics be will assessed during the planning offire ! Manag em e nt operations. Rocky Creek Rd, Racecourse
Bundella Fire Implementthe emergency management planduring Severe Fire+ Danger, or when fires are ! Visitor ! threateningwalking trails and public use facilities. Ensure the closure isadvertised onthe NPW S Manag em e nt visitorwebsite. APZ- APZ- Coxs Creek Racecourse Brackens J oesHut Theforests within Coolah Tops National Park are generally moist high elevation forests which ! Talbragar Hut
seldomdry enough tomake the significantall forest fuels available for combustion. During ! East WARNINGS ex tendeddry periods caution isrequired when evaluating the potential fire behaviour that istolikely Chinamans occur,as available fuelloads may be significantly higher than anticipated. Swamp HR
!
Heritag eGuideline s IS 1 –1 IS Asfar as possible protect site from fire. Do not cut down trees. IS 2 –2 IS Asfar as practicable protect the site from fire. Avoid ground all disturbance and driving over APZ- sites.Avoid water bombing which may cause ground disturbance. Breeza Lookout R adio Aborigina l –3 IS Avoidground all disturbance. Avoid water bombing. Site may be burnt by fire without damage.
Modifiedtre e s Tower ! Fire Cultura l Asfar as possible, protect the site from fire, and do not cut trees Tops Fire
Heritag e U seoffoams retardant& isacceptable. ! Habitationsites Half Moon Excludecontrol constructionline from sites. Consider abuffer zone ofabout metres50 from the sites. East APZ- AHIMSdatabases must be checked as part ofplanning for fire operations. Creek 2 Cattle Historicsites Coolahin Tops National Park relate tologging and forestry activities. Sites are generally in Bluff
HistoricSites maintainedclearings and nospecial protective measures are required thein event ofa fire. ! Fire CreekHut Thre a tene d Thereare nothreatened flora records Coolahin Tops National Park. The protective actions for Fauna& threatenedfauna have been incorporated into the Operational Guidelines Gra ssyWoodlands Off-Park Flora 1:165,000 1:165,000 1:165,000 1:165,000 SoilErosion Thesoils within the reserve are generally stable. Steep terrain issusceptible toerosion after disturbance. Manag em e nt Firetrails used firein operations should be drained as soon as possible after use. Ve g e tationForm a tion(Keith) Ve g e tationMana g e m eGuideline nt s FireBeha viour FireType Ve g e tationThre shold Tre a tme nt FireDetails FireMana g e m eZone nt Tre a tme nt The minimum fire interval healthyin stands ofthese grassy woodlands should beyears. 10 Where the health ofthe woodlands in Potential rates ofspread are dependent onseasonal conditions. Gra ssywoodlands compromisedthrough dieback the minimum fire interval should be increased. Low OFH and hence lowrates ofspread occur dryin years when there isgrasslittle cover. The max imuminterval between fire events should beyears. 40 Potential rates ofspread can be High Moderatein OFH due tothe grassy nature ofthe flammable elements. The minimum interval between fire events should be more than years.2 Potential rates ofspread are dependent onseasonal conditions. TooFre quentlyBurnt Firethresholds have been ex ceeded.Protect from fire as far as possible. The max imuminterval between fire events should beyears. 10 Low OFH and hence lowrates ofspread occur dryin years. Gra sslands Chinamans 2015-16: Swamp HR ha450–A fire. ModerateA toHigh OFH may develop after successive wet seasons producing continuous ground cover. these In conditions Theobjective of APZ sisthe protection of human lifeand property. This have will precedence over guidelines for the management of Suppre ssionStra teg ies potentialrate ofspread may be Moderate toVery High. Pre scribedBurn Avoid Fire intervals ofless than years7 and greater than years.30 OFH ishighly dependent ontime since fire. Wind and terrain effects are magnified runningin heath fires. The potential rates Talbragar 2015-16: East ha394AHR fire. - AssetProtection Zone s A diversityA offire intervals across the locallandscape should be max imised. ofspread can vary from Moderate toVery High. Conditions Guideline s Hea thlands Vulne ra bleFreto quentFire Thearea be will Too Frequently Burnt ifitburns this year. Protect from fire as far as possible. The heathland isvery restricted areain and surrounded by Grassy Woodlands. Through practical restrictions its fire management biodiversity.Maintain Overall FuelHazard atModerate orbelow. Allveg e tationtype s regimebe will dictated by the Grassy Woodlands. Coxs 2014-15: creek ha344AHR fire - ofmoderate intensity that did not reach tree crowns. Considerabroad containment strategy using ex istingroads, allowing long-term management Fire should be avoided. No prescribed burning should be conducted. Potential rates ofspread are usually very lowwith minimal rate ofspread. Rainfore st Firedanger rating requirementsfor biodiversity Avoid high intensity fires close torainforest boundaries. The minimum interval between lowintensity fires should be more than years.5 The potential rates ofspread during ex tendeddry season can be very high. OFH isnormally thein range ofModerate toVery WithinThre shold Firehistory iswithin the threshold for vegetation thisin area. burnA isneither required nor should one necessarily be avoided. LOWHIGH - Directand parallelattack may be applied with earthmoving machinery and fire units. DrySclerophyll Fore sts The max imuminterval between fire events should be less than years.50 High. ConsiderRAFT for lightning strikes. (Shrub/grasub-form ss a tion) The minimum interval between high intensity fires should be evaluated onforest condition. Spotting associated with uphillfire runs can be severe. Rocky 2019-20: Creek Rd Bundella ha)–amoderatesmall (20 intensity fire.
Closeparallelor direct attack may be anoption atnight depending onweather conditions. Avoid fire intervals ofless than years7 and greater than years.30 OFH ishighly dependent ontime since fire. The potential rates ofspread van vary from Moderate toVery High depending on The minimum interval between high intensity fires should be evaluated onforest condition. OFH. HalfMoon 2019-20: Creek ha–a42 fire. Stra tegFire ic Advantag e Theobjective of SFAZ sisto reduce fire intensity locationsin to assist containment of wildfires, by maintaining the Overall FuelHazard Firedanger rating Distancebetween the andflank machinery and fire units should be kept toa minimum Drysclerophyll fore sts LongUnburnt Firefrequency isbelow fire thresholds thein area. prescribedA burn may be advantageous. Consider allowing unplanned fires toburn. Wildfire s (shrubbysub-form a tion) diversityA offire intervals across the locallandscape should be max imised. V ERYHIGH S ecureand deepen containment lineson the nex predicted t downwind side ofthe fire. This forest type isseveralin slivers surrounded by Dry Sclerophyll Forest (grassy sub formation). The burning regimes thisin grassy Racecourse 2018-19: ha)–moderatea small(9 intensity fire. Mayrequire aerial support tomanage spot overs and monitor fire spread. subformation determine will the fire regimes thisin forest type. Z one s lessthan HIGH. This vegetation community should have lowintensity fires only–avoid crown fires. The potential rates ofspread during ex tendeddry seasons can be High due toModerate toVery High OFH. The interval between fires should be more than years10 and less than years.50 There isahigh potential for spotting thisin vegetation type. Bundella 2018-19: Creekha) amoderatesmall (10 - intensity fire. Firefightersafety isthe paramount consideration deployment.in Wesclerophyll t fore sts A diversityA offire intervals across the locallandscape should be max imised. Undertakebroad containment strategies using main fire trails and cleared country. (gra ssysub-form a tion) Unknown Insufficientdata todetermine fire threshold. Firedanger rating The Wet Sclerophyll forest istwoin smallpatches surrounded by Grassy Woodlands, and as such its fire regimes be will dictated by Tops 2018-19: Fire ha)–afiresmall (26 ofmoderate intensity. Tacticsinclude will property protection where safe and necessary. fireintervals thein Grassy woodlands modified by fuelmoisture differentials. S EVERE- This vegetation community should have lowintensity fires only–avoid crown fires. The potential rates ofspread during ex tendeddry seasons can be High due to HighExtreto m eOFH . Closeparallelor direct attack orandmop / up offire edge may be anoption atnight depending on WeSclerophyll t Fore sts EXTREME+ The interval between fires should be more than years25 and less than years.50 There isahigh potential for spotting thisin vegetation type. (Shrubbysub-form a tion) Breeza 2017-18: Lookout haFirea6 fire. - weatherconditions. diversityA offire intervals across the locallandscape should be max imised. Fires are often ofhigh intensity. NoReg imeAssigne d Areaswhich do not have recommended fire intervals assigned tothem eg.cleared rock.land, W arning:Fire runs should be anticipated with winds from any direction. Entrapment risk isvery high. Avoid fire intervals ofless than years7 and more than years.35 Potential rates ofspread are dependent onseasonal conditions. Avoid high intensity fires. Low OFH and hence lowrates ofspread occur dryin years. East 2017-18: BluffFire ha–a2 fire. LandMana g e m eZone nt s Theobjective of LMZ sisto conserve biodiversity and protect cultural heritage. Manage fire consistent with fire thresholds. Fore stedWe tlands The Forested Wetlands are narrowin corridors associated with riparian zones. They are mostly surrounded by Grassy woodlands LowAModerate - OFH may develop after successive wet seasons producing continuous ground cover. these In conditions andthe fire regimes thesein woodlands dictate will the fire impacts onthe Forested Wetlands. potentialrate ofspread may be Moderate. Racecourse 2015-16: Fire ha–a5 fire. Fires should be avoided unless required for strategic protection ofthe reserve. Fire may promote ex oticspecies growth. Potential rate ofspread islow due toLow-Mod OFH mostin years. FireNB. thre sholdsare define for d veg e tationcom m unitiesconserveto biodiversity Fre shwaterWe tlands Strategic burning should avoid fire intervals ofless than years6 and greater than years.35 Localised areas ofHigh OFH may produce areas ofhigher fire intensity. There isone isolated freshwater wetland surrounded by Grassy Woodlands.