WatchTowers Networks

22/05/2026

Did you catch the meteor last night?🔭
It lit up the sky from southern NSW to the QLD boarder just after 6:30PM.

18/05/2026

Can you spot the smoke? 👀

Low-lying cloud has our Mount Ikes WatchTower looking more like it has ocean views than valley views.

But hidden amongst the cloud is a small column of smoke that our AI picked up early across the landscape.

01/05/2026

🚜🔥A familiar sight across farming country this time of year, paddocks being burnt off ahead of reseeding.

Efficiency is key when you have kilometres of crop residue to manage, with machinery helping farmers work methodically across large paddocks.
When done properly, stubble burning can help clear leftover crop residue, manage pests and weeds, and prepare the paddock for the next sowing.

Burns still need the right conditions, notifications, and local RFS awareness before lighting up.
Not every smoke column is an emergency our cameras help RFS quickly check what is happening before sending crews out.

23/04/2026

All angles covered.
Today’s prescribed hazard reduction burn at the Lower Cotter Catchment, carried out and overseen by ACT Parks and Conservation members.
ACT Parks and Conservation Service

08/04/2026

🔥📷 The Riverina putting on a show.

Our Galore Hill station, sponsored by NSW Rural Fire Service and Transgrid near Lockhart captured this spectacular timelapse of farmers preparing their fields for harvest – and nature decided to add a little drama.

As stubble burns rolled across the landscape, multiple fire whirls formed and danced through the flames. It's a textbook example of fire behavior in action: heat, wind, and terrain coming together to create something equal parts science and spectacle.

These aren't dangerous fires – experienced farmers burning off under controlled conditions – but it's exactly the kind of activity our cameras are designed to monitor. Fire agencies can see what's happening across the landscape in real time, track multiple burns simultaneously, and keep an eye on conditions as they change throughout the day.

The Riverina knows how to work the land. We just help make sure everyone can see it.

01/04/2026

Are you more of a
Sunrise 🌅
or
Sunset 🌄 person?

Mount Youngal provides both 😍
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service

25/03/2026

Good to see the role of early detection and real-time intelligence in bushfire response being highlighted.

WatchTowers is helping give fire agencies earlier visibility of smoke and fire activity across large areas of landscape. That means crews can arrive with better information about what they’re facing and make earlier decisions about how to respond.

Technology will never replace the experience and judgement of firefighters on the ground. But giving them better intelligence, earlier, helps them do their job more safely and effectively.

We’re proud to support fire agencies with tools that help the people on the front line when it matters most.

Every minute matters when a fire starts - and we’re constantly rolling new technology to help NSW firefighters respond faster, smarter and safer.

From AI-powered camera towers to thermal imaging drones and improved satellite connectivity, these upgrades are giving crews earlier warnings, clearer intelligence and better coordination on the ground, especially in remote areas.

In the past year alone, high-definition cameras have detected nearly 4,000 fires, while drones are providing real-time vision and helping identify dangerous hotspots.

This means firefighters can make quicker, more informed decisions to protect lives and communities.

26/02/2026

🌩️📷When your fire detection network doubles as a weather tracking system.

Yesterday's massive storm cell rolled through the ACT and South East NSW – and our camera network tracked it the entire way.

This timelapse stitches together footage from south of Canberra all the way north to Yass, capturing the cell as it moved through the region. You can see the lightning, rain activity, and the sheer scale of the system as it passed over each camera site.

Built to spot smoke. Also pretty good at tracking and monitoring storms.

24/02/2026

We sat down with WIN News at ACT ESA headquarters to talk about the WatchTowers Networks camera network across the ACT and the launch of CentralWatch – Australia's first public bushfire camera platform.

The story aired on Channel 9 Canberra and covers:
- How the network has evolved since Black Summer 2020
- 5 camera sites covering the ACT with up to 90km visibility
- A sovereign AI smoke detection picking up hundreds of fires per year in the ACT
- Real-time public access through CentralWatch during fire events
- How ACT RFS and fire agencies use the platform for faster, safer responses

Thanks to and the WIN News Canberra team for telling this story, and to Rohan Scott, and the ACT Emergency Services Agency team for the partnership.

Try CentralWatch: https://centralwatch.watchtowers.io/au

10/02/2026

Adaminaby | Snowy Monaro | WatchTowers has arrived.

Our first Mobile WatchTowers in the region is now live, bringing 24/7 fire detection and monitoring to the Snowy Monaro region.

Rapid deployment. 90km visibility. Australian-built. Ready when communities need it most.

The big trout isn't the only thing keeping watch over Adaminaby anymore. 🔥📷

05/02/2026

Mate you can't sleep here

Last night one of our cameras picked up an uninvited guest who decided the lens was the perfect spot to set up camp.

We'd like to introduce you to our newest (and hairiest) fire detection volunteer. Eight eyes are better than two, right? 🕷️👀

Mate, we appreciate the enthusiasm, but we're on a Total Fire Ban today and you're blocking the entire view. Can you shuffle over? Just a bit? No? Alright then.