1978 Bairnsdale Fire

A fire began on the Princes Highway near Bairnsdale when a wheel fell of a trailer and the axel scraped along the road verge generating sparks that caused spot fires leading to over 9,500ha mainly private land being burnt and leaving 2 fire fighters dead. More than 6,000 stock were burnt in the fire or had to be destroyed as a result of it.

Newspaper article https://www.bairnsdaleadvertiser.com.au/news/local-news/226-jenny-remembers-husband-s-fire-fight

History Theme Pages

Bushfires in Gippsland

Agriculture was the initial driver of European settlement in Gippsland. Minor gold rushes followed in the 1850s and by the 1860...

Pre-European Fire Regimes

While the first European contact with Gippsland is thought to have occurred early in the 19th century, it wasn’t ...

1898 South and West Gippsland Fires (Red Tuesday)

The Red Tuesday bushfires took place on 1 February 1898 in South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. The bushfires claimed 12 lives, destroyed over 2,000 buildings, ...

1906 South Gippsland Fires

Destructive and widespread fires are reported to have occurred across Gippsland in 1905 and 1906, with South Gippsland being hardest hit. Many ...

1914 Central Gippsland Fires

Central areas of Gippsland suffered immense losses during the February 1914 fires that followed days of intense heat that left the ...

1926 Central Gippsland Fires (Black Sunday)

During the 1925–26 Victorian bushfire season a series of major bushfires occurred between 26 January and 10 March 1926 in the state of Victoria ...

1932 West Gippsland Fires

Large areas of state forest in Gippsland were burned in the 1932 fire and 9 people lost their lives. On 6 Feb 1932 ...

1939 Across Gippsland

The 1939 fires impacted on the Latrobe Valley and surrounding areas. Although Black Friday (13th of January 1939) is recorded as the ...

1942 South Gippsland Fires

From 3-4 March fires in South Gippsland killed on person, caused large stock losses and destroyed more than 20 homes and ...

1944 Yallourn Fires

February 1944 resulted in numerous fire. Many fires were in Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley. A fire that started near what ...

1951 Wilsons Prom Lighthouse Fire

Lighthouse cut-off from surrounding communities due to a bushfire – all wooden buildings at the lightstation destroyed including radio shack and ...

1952 East Gippsland Forest Fires

A very dry period in East Gippsland resulted in massive forest fires in January 1952. The fires spread from Dargo to ...

1965 Gippsland Bushfires

The 1965 Gippsland Bushfires are among the most extensive ever seen in Victoria. The Omeo fires started on the 17th February ...

1978 Bairnsdale Fire

A fire began on the Princes Highway near Bairnsdale when a wheel fell of a trailer and the axel scraped ...

1983 Cann River Fires

In the summer of 1982/1983 a massive bushfire raged in the Cann River area. Sparked by ...

2003 Alpine Fires

On the 8th January 2003 lighting ignited 87 fires in rugged country in the North-East and East Gippsland Regions. Eight of the ...

2003 Princes Highway Fire

The fire started at approximately 1545 hours on 12 February 2003 by a vehicle on the princess Freeway near the Churchill turn off. ...

2006 Moondarra Fire

On the January 19 2006, a deliberately-lit fire was detected burning in the Moondarra State Park, north east of Moe in Gippsland, ...

2006 Coopers Creek and Great Divide Fires

The Eastern Victoria Great Divide bushfires, also known as the Great Divide Complex, were a series of bushfires that commenced ...

2009 Churchill Fires

The Churchill fire started at about 13:32 on 7 February 2009, 3 kilometres south-east of the Churchill fire station. During the afternoon and early ...

2011 Tostaree Fire

The Tostaree Fire started on private property on 1 February 2011 and burned more than 11,000 hectares before being brought under control on 11 ...

2012-2013 Aberfeldy Fires

On 17 January, a fire ignited in bushland in the Donnelly Creek Rd. area, near Aberfeldy. As the fire spread to ...

2014 Mount Ray and Goongerah Fires

Fires that had been burning in East Gippsland when the Hazelwood Fire began have been forgotten by all but those ...

2014 Hazelwood Mine Fire

Much of the following material is from this report On 9 February 2014 fires took hold in the Hazelwood mine as a ...

2018-2019 Gippsland Fires

Dozens of communities and important assets (including Melbourne’s water storage) across Gippsland were threatened by fires during the 2018-2019 ...

2019-2020 East Gippsland Fires

By the start of the 2019-2020 fire season East Gippsland had endured more than three years of drought conditions. On ...

The Future

The “Fire by the Decades” maps below show the extent of fires in Gippsland since 1960 Climate change has resulted in ...

1978 Bairnsdale Fire

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History Theme Pages

More reading

Bushfires in Gippsland

Pre-European Fire Regimes

1898 South and West Gippsland Fires (Red Tuesday)

1906 South Gippsland Fires

1914 Central Gippsland Fires

1926 Central Gippsland Fires (Black Sunday)

1932 West Gippsland Fires

1939 Across Gippsland

1942 South Gippsland Fires

1944 Yallourn Fires

1951 Wilsons Prom Lighthouse Fire

1952 East Gippsland Forest Fires

1965 Gippsland Bushfires

1978 Bairnsdale Fire

1983 Cann River Fires

2003 Alpine Fires

2003 Princes Highway Fire

2006 Moondarra Fire

2006 Coopers Creek and Great Divide Fires

2009 Churchill Fires

2011 Tostaree Fire

2012-2013 Aberfeldy Fires

2014 Mount Ray and Goongerah Fires

2014 Hazelwood Mine Fire

2018-2019 Gippsland Fires

2019-2020 East Gippsland Fires

The Future