Here’s how MNC locals are trying to fire-proof their inland properties

Living on land on the Mid North Coast comes with a responsibility – to be prepared to protect yourself and your patch from bushfires.

In a region prone to fires – among other natural disasters – with an aging population of volunteer firefighters (and unfilled vacancies for new recruits), help and services can be stretched too thin.

The Black Summer fires are far from being forgotten, and with predictions of bushfires becoming more frequent and more severe, people on the MNC are putting lived experiences and lessons learnt into practice.

The Mid North Coaster spoke to residents – a woman living off-grid and fourth-generation farmers – who have created and re-thought their homes in a way where they feel safe to stay and protect when the next wild fires come, and when financial support is not offered.

🏠 Designed to withstand bushfires

Jennifer Schoelpple carved out her own slice of paradise among the trees near Charity Creek 25 years ago. Aware she was moving to a bushfire-prone region, Schoelpple built her off-grid set-up in the most fire-resistant way she knew how.

She opted for an energy-efficient kit home that was designed to withstand bushfires.  Schoelpple purchased from Australian company RAL Homes, which is no longer in business. It used curved, corrugated roofs to reduce the build up of debris, making it harder for embers to catch and burn during a fire.

And it doesn’t stop there. Schoelpple’s home is made of metal cladding with a steel sub-floor. The gutters sit inside the roof, so leaf litter doesn’t get caught. There’s no exposed timber and the deck is made of Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP). 

“It won’t support flames,” Schoelpple told the Mid North Coaster. “It’s a really clever design.”

High on a hill, Schoelpple chose to locate the home in a spot she felt was best protected. “Don’t look for the view, look for the risks involved in that view,” she said.

💧550,000 litres of water

After living through the 2017-2019 drought, Schoelpple upgraded her water tanks and can now store 550,000 litres. 

The pipes and concrete tanks are buried underground and, with fires in mind and water to spare, Schoelpple installed water pumps next to the house and shed, and a sprinkler system.

“We also have three proper firefighting fire hoses, one at the shed, and one at either end of the house,” she said. “It’s really comforting to know that’s all sitting there, in case it’s required.”

🌳A different approach 

In an attempt to save homes from being destroyed by fire, many clear their land and remove trees and plants growing close by, but Schoelpple has gone the other way. Her home is hugged by greenery, which she says acts as a windbreak.

“I’ve seen that many, many houses burn regardless of the fact that they have nothing around their house,” she said. “And I actually think it’s because there’s nothing impeding.

“Whereas if you have fire retardant plants, which I have … it sort of stops the transaction. 

“That's my personal opinion. I am not a firey or a scientist.”

Schoelpple said the flora she’s planted near the house “shrivels” when in contact with flames rather than sustaining fire. Some plants on her property, like the native Hibiscus Tiliaceus, have a thick canopy that does allow grass to grow underneath, providing less fuel.

💵 Insurance instability

Schoelpple knows bushfires are inevitable and believes that one day “insurers are going to stop insuring us. That’s very stressful”.

In her quarter century on the MNC, Schoelpple says she has never made an insurance claim. Nevertheless, she was recently told her insurance would not rollover in November.

“[They’re] just trying to get out of insuring people in an area that's becoming more risky,” Schoelpple said.

She convinced the insurer to continue coverage, but is concerned about any future “whopping increase” in premium that would make it unaffordable.

“I looked for other insurance. The starting point was $15,000 a year. What the hell?”

Schoelpple is expecting to be without cover in the near future.

“The idea of being uninsured and not even being able to then probably sell the property because it's uninsurable means you have to make it safe. It means you have to do the groundwork to make sure that it's not going to go down in one of those ways [fires or floods] ... and I don't believe mine will.”

🔥Black Summer fires inspired changes

Fourth-generation farmers David and Carolyn Duff also feel confident they have given themselves the best chance of protecting against fire.

The Duffs have experienced many bushfires, but none as devastating as the Black Summer fires of 2019/20.

“The fire wasn't on the ground,” David told the Mid North Coaster. “Most people think about the fire being on the ground, but it wasn't. It was in the atmosphere. It created its own weather system and it actually rained fire over all this landscape… That’s not a fire, that’s a catastrophic fire storm.”

Fire spotted across their 2,500-acre Toorooka property, west of Kempsey, destroying fences and sheds full of equipment worth millions of dollars. It left 100 head of cattle needing euthanising. Their neighbour lost his life.

🗒️ Not prepared, lessons learnt

The fires lapped at the family-home, with David fighting the fire under he and his wife’s bedroom. 

“In 2019, we thought we were prepared, but we weren't prepared,” Carolyn conceded. “Did we think we were going to get burnt like we did? Not in a million years. But we have learnt from it.”

Since then, the Duff’s have made changes to their home and property, providing less fuel for wildfires to spread.

After the Black Summer fires, the Duff’s had to re-fence their whole farm. They went with steel, instead of wood.

They removed trees from around the house and no longer use mulch in their garden beds.

In 2019, the first thing the Duffs lost was water. “The fire burned along the bluff and burnt the polypipes that go down to the river and supply the pump,” David said. “And then we lost power.”

In response, they installed a sprinkler system over the pump house, and purchased soaker hoses and a large generator.

“We put it all to the test in 2023, when the next fire came through,” Carolyn said. “And it worked really well.”

They invested in a 2,000-litre fire trailer with an attached pump and additional water tanks for more storage.

The Duffs ensure they clean up around the house in preparation for bushfire season. 

“You need to make sure that you've got no wood lying around, everything is tidy, put everything away in the house that can catch the embers, clean your gutters,” Carolyn said.

And when fires are close by, the pair take indoors everything that could catch embers, and fill gutters with water.

✏️ Making multiple plans

In the lead up to every bushfire danger season, we’re told the importance of making a plan - an escape route.

“In 2019, our plan was that we would take all the dogs and go to the river if it got really bad, but the river was on fire first,” Carolyn said. 

They now have multiple plans, each depending on the circumstances.

The Duffs say if you’re not prepared, your plan should be to leave early. “The most important thing is your life,” Carolyn said.

“I think you've got to be fit and able to be able to defend your property first and foremost,” David said.

🪵 Controlling fuel loads

The Duffs believe land management is the most important protection from another devastating fire. 

“We've got a society now where we're locking country up, not managing it; we're splitting these big acreages up to people that have got smaller acreages that are not maintaining them,” Carolyn said.

“There's a huge fuel load, so by the time it gets to us, even though we're clear, it just takes us out as well and I think that mentality needs to change.

“We need to be proactive, not reactive.”