SUNDAY 8 OCTOBER     NORTHPOINT CAMP

Our day off. Been here for three weeks now – it seemed so very much longer!

Did the washing. Lazed about.

A bushfire developed in the distance – probably started by lightning. Now that we were into the storm season in the Pilbara, bushfires would become more common. The grass was dry enough to be easily ignited and for site spread to be a worry.

The new Fly Camp manager was quite concerned as night came and the glow from the fire did not seem to be all that far away. I suspected  he would be making more fire breaks tomorrow!

As the night wore on, the fire did seem to be rather too close for comfort and some of the men were mobilized to get some machinery ready, if needed, and to set out hoses and fire fighting gear. In the event, the fire may have been further away than it appeared, or it encountered a patch of already burnt ground, because we got through the night with no extra dramas.