Bushfires bring fears of ‘new normal’ to life Down Under

Hazy skies: Tourists in masks take photos against Sydney’s famed skyline with the Opera House enveloped in the haze caused by nearby bushfires. — AFP

A GRIM summer of fire and smoke has sullied Australia’s outdoorsy and healthy image, and left many fearful for the future.

For the unfortunate few, three long months of bushfires have brought almost unfathomable pain – homes lost, lives destroyed, families ripped apart. But for many millions more the crisis has also shattered the long sunny days typically filled with beaches, barbecues and backyard cricket at this time of the year.