What is it about Australia that makes it so prone to fires? Have humans made things worse, or better? Is it possible to live in the Australian bush but be safe from fire? No other continent on earth is as susceptible to bushfires, over such a large area, as Australia. Fires are a constant and ongoing part of our history, ecology and culture. Yet despite repeated disasters, across all states throughout the last two centuries, we seem to be no better at surviving bushfires today than we were when fires burnt through the first European settlements. A Future in Flames is a personal journey of discovery that looks at what we have learnt from the lessons of the past and attempts to understand why, after so many years, people are still dying in bushfires.

Author Biography

Danielle Clode lives on a bush block in the fire-prone foothills of the Kinglake Ranges. She is a researcher at the University of Melbourne who has held a number of prestigious fellowships, and is an award-winning author of Australian natural history.