Australian Bushfires

Events

Black Sunday

February 1926 - March 1926

Seriously affected Gippsland, Yarra valley, Dandenong ranges and Kinglake
A total of 60 deaths

Black Friday

December 1938 - January 1939

Burned 2 million hectares and caused 71 deaths
Affected almost every section of Victoria

Wangaratta

22 December 1943

Killed 10 people

Hume high way (near Benella)

5 february 1952

Burned 100,00 hectares

Dandenong ranges

January 1962

Killed 32 people, destroyed over 450 homes

Gippsland

21 february 1965 - 13 march 1965

300,000 hectares burned,

Lara

January 1969

23 people died, destroyed 230 houses and killed more than 12,000 stock
Major affected areas included Lara, Daylesford, Dulgana, Yea, Darraweit Guim, Kangaroo Flat and Korongvale.

Mount Buffalo

14 December 1972

Burned for 12 days, burning 12,140 hectares of state forest and national park

Cann River Forest

January 1983

Burned more than 250,000 hectares

Ash Wednesday

february 1983

47 deaths in Victoria and 28 in South Australia

Central Victoria

January 1985

Burned 50,800 hectares. 180 houses, 500 farms and 46,000 stock were destroyed and 3 people died
Areas affected included Avoca, Maryborough and Little River. Fires also affected the alpine area, with the largest, at Mt Buffalo

Alpine

January 1998

22,000 hectares of Alpine National Park was burned

Big Desert

December 2002

Affected Big Desert Wilderness Park and Wyperfield National Park
181,400 hectares burned

Eastern Alpine fires

8 January 2003 - March 2003

Worst bushfire since Black Friday in 1939.
Burned more than 1.3 million hectares, 41 homes and more than 9,000 livestock.
Affected Mt Buffalo, Bright, Dinner Plain, Benambra and Omeo.

Grampians

January 2006

116,380 hectares, 2 people, 272 buildings and 65,598 animals and livestock lost

Great divide complex

December 2006 - february 2007

1,154,828 hectares lost

Black Saturday

7 February 2009

173 people were killed
430,000 hectares were burnt including 70 national parks and reserves

Harrietville

21 January 2013 - 27 February 2013

37,000 hectares lost in the alpine region

Aberfeldy - Donnolleys creek

February 2015

Active for 6 weeks
Burned around 86,000 hectares