A time for hope as we look to an uncertain future

Major cities - Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide - are drenched in a smoky haze and populations are inhaling extraordinary levels of carcinogens, a major cause of cancer.

While images of smoke-blanketed metropolitan centres fill our screens, what can be overlooked or even forgotten are the lives of countless Australians living in small and large regional towns and communities.

For example, many Bathurst residents have taken eerie photographs of the smoke-infused skies and posted them on Facebook.

In particular, images of Bathurst's beloved Centennial Park bear witness to a spooky carcinogen mist that has enveloped the community.

For many, these scenes are apocalyptic. They are certainly evocative of Cormac McCarthy's end of the world 2006 novel The Road that was later adapted into a 2009 film of the same title.