They are quintessentially Australian. Barren, dry, low (Alps is a very generous description), spread out. A few years ago very hot dry and windy conditions cr

They are quintessentially Australian. Barren, dry, low (Alps is a very generous description), spread out. A few years ago very hot dry and windy conditions created by north westerly desert air precipitated major bush fires ripping through the area, killing a few people. Fire fighting in these area is very hard, so they were essentially unstoppable. They were stopped though - by a snow dump from an Antarctic blizzard coming in from the south.