It feels like half the bl**dy country is on fire right now. It just hasn't rained for more than a year, even in the suburbs.

It's too hazardous in Canberra (our nation's capital) to get an accurate guess on how many homes have burned to the ground, but last count is about 400. That's a small suburb in itself. Canberra is surrounded by native bush for hundreds of kilometres and our wildlife must be suffering dreadfully. There have been stories of the fires moving so quickly that people haven't had time to save any of their possessions and rescue their pets. I hope that some of them managed to escape and can be recovered when things settle.

There are many other fires along the entire eastern seaboard of the country and in the mountain ranges. In north-eastern Victoria in the mountains, there are several fires. I couldn't think of anything more terrifying then being trapped atop a mountain with a bushfire roaring up. My heart is going out to the people and wildlife.