Cycads are some of the world’s oldest living plants. They’re adapted to surviving bushfires, developing protected underground reserves that quickly pop back up if the above ground stem is burnt. Photographer Josh Smith saw a number of cycads emerging around the Warrumbungles about 10 days after the fires had burnt out.

Roadside eucalypts bear the scars of the extreme heat that scorched the entire park.

Fire has stripped all bankside vegetation from the Castlereagh River, leaving only soot-stained rocks in its wake.

The roadsign on Timor Road, on the northern approach to the Siding Springs Observatory, is indicative of the extreme heat endured by the area.

Black pine, the main species in Warrumbungle National Park, is killed by bushfire. The understory will recover first, along with wattles and shrubs, however trees in areas of extreme heat may not regenerate.

A destroyed building in relatively open country at the base of the Siding Springs Observatory probably came about from airborne embers that were blown from the of the top of the mountain.

Fires burnt close to 4000ha of the Pilliga forest, 35km north of Coonabarabran.

Charcoal remnants are all that remain of the roadside that marked the eastern entrance to the Warrumbungle National Park.

In the end 55 properties were damaged by the bushfires, but the impact will ultimately be to the area’s economy which relies heavily on tourism brought in by the burnt national park.

The intensity of the fire meant that many of the area’s man-made structures were incinerated, or severely warped. Fencing in particular bore the brunt of the heat, creating the mammoth task of replacing the boundaries.

The Siding Springs Observatory based in the Warrumbungles is home to the Anglo Australian Telescope, the country’s largest. This infrastructure fortunately escaped serious damage, even though the fire burnt to the edge of the facility.

Foothills on the eastern side which lead up to the Warrumbungles have been blackened by a fire front that was at various times over 100km long.

Wildlife that survived the fires will now face the problem of finding land that can support them, after such extensive burning. Koalas and rock wallabies are of particular concern.

The Warrumbungles’ usually clear skies are now temporarily shrouded in haze. The Siding Springs Observatory (SSO) was built here when Canberra’s light pollution started obstructing views from Mount Stromlo Observatory, which also burnt in the Canberra firestorms of 2003. The SSO has had a lucky escape with only moderate damage, while Mount Stromlo Observatory was almost completely destroyed.

It is estimated that 80 or 90 per cent of Warrumbungle National Park is now gone.