Day 76: Fire Starters and Black Wattle Wonders

G’day adventurers! Welcome back to another ripper day of “Whoop Whoop Walk About.” If you’re still with us after Day 75’s epic paperbark escapade and the grass tree rubbing-stick showdown (hope your arms have recovered!), you’re in for a fair dinkum treat today. Get ready to dive into the not-so-humble Black Wattle – the unsung hero of soggy outback fire-making.

Now, Black Wattle (Acacia mearnsii) isn’t just a pretty tree that waves its branches in the breeze like it’s doing a bush dance. Nope! This beauty has a secret weapon: its resin. And let me tell you, when you’re out here trying to get a fire going and it looks like the heavens are about to pour, that resin is the bush equivalent of striking gold.

How It’s Done – The Bushie Way:

Find the Tree: First, locate yourself a Black Wattle. Hint: it’s the one that looks like it’s had one too many ‘bush tinnies’ with its thin, leafy foliage and somewhat ragged bark.

Harvest the Resin: Look for the globs of sticky stuff oozing from the bark – that’s the good stuff! Use your trusty stick or your ‘no-worries’ bush knife to scrape it off. Just be careful; if you get it on your hands, you’ll be sticking to your billycan for the rest of the day.

Prep Your Fire: Lay down some fine kindling – and if you’re a pro, toss in some dry bark or leaves (River Red Gum’s a beauty for this). Add a bit of the Black Wattle resin on top. This is your fire insurance – think of it as the ‘Plan B’ when the weather gods are being uncooperative.

Ignite: Light your kindling. The resin burns hot and helps even damp wood catch fire. Before you know it, you’ll be sitting by a roaring fire, ready to brew a cuppa or toast up a sausage.

Why It Works:

The resin acts as a fire accelerant, burning hotter and longer than your average bush tinder. And when paired with the dry wood of the Black Wattle, you’ve got a combo as iconic as vegemite and toast (or maybe Russell Coight and ‘mishaps’).

So, next time you’re in a bind trying to spark a flame while Mother Nature’s testing your patience, remember the Black Wattle trick – your rainy-day hero!

Want more tricks of the trade and plenty of laughs with it? Join a Whoop Whoop Walk About tour! Guaranteed stories, bushfire-making skills, and a fair dose of classic Aussie humour.