Bushfires in Victoria

Find books, government reports, websites, statistics, newspaper articles and images about Victorian bushfires from 1851 to today.

For current fire warnings visit Vic Emergency. For fast-breaking news follow ABC Emergency on Facebook and Twitter. Find more on our Current page.

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Clare Harlow
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Welcome

This guide explains how to find information about Victorian bushfires from 1851 to today. We explain how to find books, government reports, websites, statistics, newspaper reports and images.

Summary of bushfires in this guide

 

Year Name Coverage (hectares)  Fatalities 
1851  Black Thursday 5,000,000 12
1898  Red Tuesday  260,000  12
1939  Black Friday 2,000,000 71
1944  - 1,000,000 32
1983  Ash Wednesday 150,000  47
2002-2003  Alpine Fires 1,300,000  
2006-2007  Great Divide Fires 1,200,000 1
2009  Black Saturday 450,000 173
2019-2020 Black Summer 18,600,000 34

Sourced from DSE: Major Bushfires in Victoria and Australian Disaster Resilience Knowledge Hub.

From our Pictures Collection

Bushfire. Turner, James Alfred image from the library's catalogue

Bushfire

James Alfred Turner [ca. 1873-ca. 1908]

H2013.22/144