Looking forward to becoming friends David.  I'm in central Victoria, about 95 miles from Melbourne, and 2000 miles south of Cairns! :)  This part of the country is known for its high fire danger in the summer.  Right now, the preparations for the coming summer are going to start soon, but there's still the occasional structure fire and other incidents to deal with all year round.  Winter is considered "house fire season" down here (no doubt the same up there), as people try to keep warm.