But he admits that if daylight saving and some hotter days than normal have been the worst things to happen lately, it’s not too bad, compared to the drama just forty minutes away in the hills.
We drove past the fire chopper at the airport on Sunday and The Boss was saying to the Missus that the pilot hadn’t hadn’t seen much action this season. Then, on Monday night, he a note arrived from Winsome and Snow over at Baddaginnie Run, recounting the lucky escape they had from the Boho fires.
We didn’t hear much about them, although they burned for a week in steep, inaccessible country near Stilo’s Track and the Upper Boho Road. A Forestry Fire Management spokesperson described them as the most difficult, dangerous fires they had managed this season.
While Queensland endured flooding rains after Cyclone Alfred, the crew at Baddaginnie Run woke up on a hot and windy Saturday in early March to two fires, fanned by strong southerlies and spotting up to half a kilometre ahead.
According to Snow, just a single ridge separated the raging Stilo track fire from the charming vineyard they planted on the slopes of the Strathbogie Ranges nearly 30 years ago.
Back then, Snow Barlow was foundation professor of Viticulture at the University of Melbourne and became widely known here for his work at Dookie College (he is now Professor emeritus with the university’s School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences.)
Winsome McCaughey AO, a philosopher by training, is a former Lord Mayor of Melbourne, a former CEO of Greening Australia and of the Australia New Zealand Food Authority.
They spend most of their time at Baddaginnie Run these days, where their wines are crafted by Sam Plunkett. Sam is a medal-winning winemaker from Strathbogie who also runs Wine by Sam in Seymour.
Snow and Winsome praised the efforts of the large CFA and Forestry Fire Management crew that used the vineyard as their base to fight the Boho fire, eventually building a 28km containment line around it.
Winsome said the campaign involved more than 200 people and 80 vehicles; they fought the fire in the air and on the ground, using helicopters, planes, bulldozers, tankers, graders, excavators and other machinery.
Helped by a wind change, the danger finally subsided. Sadly, both fires seem to have been deliberately lit, following several arson attempts in the area in previous weeks. In another cruel twist, a late November frost took out the vineyard’s budding for this year’s vintage – but as Winsome drily remarked, no-one has to worry about smoke taint!
Fortunately, Baddaginnie Run still has plenty of its earlier vintages available, including the 2019 merlot and shiraz, the highly-regarded 2021 Wild Ferment shiraz. and the popular 2024 Rose and the 2024 Verdelho. The Boss tells me he’s getting hold of some: www.baddaginnierun.net.au. Woof!
