Bushfire season prep: the garden and gutter jobs to do before summer
If you live in the Blue Mountains you don't need me to explain why this matters. What I can help with is the practical end of it — the jobs around the outside of the house that make a difference, and the order I'd do them in.
Before anything else: the NSW Rural Fire Service is the authority here, not me. They publish detailed guidance on preparing your property and on writing a Bush Fire Survival Plan, and it's worth reading properly at rfs.nsw.gov.au. The Bush Fire Danger Period generally runs from 1 October to 31 March, though the RFS can vary those dates locally, so check what applies where you are before you burn anything or use machinery that throws sparks.
What follows is the gardening side of that guidance, from someone who spends his weeks on Mountains properties.
Start with the gutters
Dry leaf litter in a gutter is one of the most common ignition points on a house during ember attack, and embers can travel well ahead of a fire front. It's also the job people most often put off, because it needs a ladder.
Clear the gutters and flush the downpipes. If you're in the Upper Mountains and had a big deciduous drop in autumn, don't assume the May clean has you covered — eight months of subsequent litter is plenty. Anything loose sitting in the roof valleys wants clearing too.
Then work outwards from the house
The RFS talks about creating defendable space around a home. In practical gardening terms, the closer something is to the house, the more it matters.
Right against the house
Clear leaf litter and debris from against walls, under decks and in corners where it collects
Move firewood stacks, and anything else flammable, away from the walls
Clear out under the deck — it's a classic ember trap and nobody looks under there
The immediate garden
Cut back shrubs that are touching or overhanging the house
Prune lower branches on trees near the house so there's no ladder from ground fuel up into the canopy
Keep mulch away from the walls — coarse, damp mulch away from the building is fine, fine dry mulch banked against a wall is not
The wider block
Keep the grass short. Long dry grass carries fire quickly and it's the easiest thing on this list to stay on top of
Remove dead branches, fallen limbs and accumulated debris
Thin out dense understorey growth, particularly on the downhill side
Timing it
September and October are the sensible window. Do it much earlier and there'll be another round of growth and drop before summer; leave it until December and everyone else has had the same idea. I get noticeably busier from mid-November onwards and the good slots go first.
A few things worth knowing
Check with your council before any significant tree or vegetation removal. Blue Mountains City Council has vegetation controls and there are rules about what can be cleared and where, including under the 10/50 Vegetation Clearing scheme, which only applies in designated areas. Don't assume — check first, because the penalties are real.
Green waste disposal also gets harder as the season goes on. If you're planning a big clean-up, think about where it's going before you start, rather than ending up with a pile of dry debris sitting beside the house for three months, which is exactly the problem you were trying to solve.
Need a hand with this one?
I'm Callum — owner-operator, based in Springwood, working across the Mountains from Glenbrook to Blackheath. Tell me your suburb and what you need and I'll come back with a clear price.
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