When I got back from holidays my dirveway was covered with shredded tree bark. A friend that was looking after the place noted the tree a few days earler. Sadly a Koala had been killed by the same lightning strike and was dead on the ground under the tree.
What an amazing amount of force involved.
Sure is awesome power,very sad about the koala though.
We had one last year, struck a gum tree next doorjumped across to the power/phone lines, took out our power box, computer, and a bunch of other things. It all happened so quickly but I thought it looked like there were big orange balls running down the powerlines,veryexciting.
Grandson, David of 7 yrs, says, " I can see some lightning Pappy."
"Yeah mate, we may get a close one and that will be loud."
2minutes.... BANG! I realised it struck the gumtree at the front.
David screamed and high tails it into the bedroom seeking Ma.
I sat and continued watching the Looney Toons.
David eventually returned, " How did you know that was going to happen Pappy?"
Smuggly I answered, " Pappy's know everything mate."
Next morning revealed that our boundary gum had been struck as well as two in the neighbour's front yard. Bits of bark on the roof etc. The neighbour lost those two trees. Within days all the leaves went brown on both the trees. Ours, half died and half remained green but seems to have survived. The trunk was blackened like results of a bushfire
The trees were about 15 metres apart. That is why never shelter from a storm under a tree. The discharge must have leapt across all three trees.
The fence has a scorch mark as well.
Amazing amounts of force.
My image doesn't show it but another tree about 10m away had the same damage done to it.
This occurred just before christmas. The good news for me was that it must have been raining and didnt' catch on fire. We have had lots of bushfires around us all started by dry lightning strikes. My house is in the middle of 50acres of stringybark trees and we were away.
It really is amazing how easily lightning can blast a tree apart. As you have said, the force involved is just amazing.
I've photographed a few in the last few years, I've attached shots of two. One was so destroyed the entire trunk was splintered leaving only shards sticking out where the stump was, and large limbs and shards for 30 metres around. Very hard to photograph in the lighting and cluttered bush sorry.
Sure is awesome power,very sad about the koala though.
We had one last year, struck a gum tree next doorjumped across to the power/phone lines, took out our power box, computer, and a bunch of other things. It all happened so quickly but I thought it looked like there were big orange balls running down the powerlines,veryexciting.
I've seen that once before, during a massive lighting storm, with some near by hits (couldn't see them) we noticed orange fire balls running from the street lines down the next door neighbours power lines, then hitting the fascia board of the house. There must have been a dozen of them, I thought I was seeing things, after your account perhaps I wasn't.
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Bits of bark on the roof etc. The neighbour lost those two trees. 
Within days all the leaves went brown on both the trees. Ours, half died and half remained green but seems to have survived. The trunk was blackened like results of a bushfire
The discharge must have leapt across all three trees.
