1943-44 Victorian bushfire season
Encyclopedia
The 1943-44 Victorian bushfire season was marked by a series of major bushfires following severe drought conditions in the state of Victoria
in Australia
. The summer of 1943-44 was the driest summer ever recorded in Melbourne
with just 46 mm falling, a third of the average for the period. Between 22 December and 15 February, 51 people were killed, 700 injured, and 650 buildings were destroyed across the state. Many personnel who would have been normally available for fire fighting duties had been posted overseas and to remote areas of Australia during World War II
.
The first major fire was a grassfire at Wangarrata
on 22 December which burnt hundreds of hectares and resulted in 10 deaths. On 14 January and the following day, fires broke out across the state. To the west of Melbourne, a series of bushfires broke out between South Australian border and the outskirts of Geelong including areas near the towns of Hamilton
, Skipton
, Dunkeld
, Birregurra
and Goroke
. Many smaller towns were substantially damaged. In Derrinallum
, the only buildings left standing were the Mechanics' Institute, two churches and several business premises. In central Victoria, fires occurred near Daylesford
, Woodend
, Gisborne
and Bendigo
. In the Melbourne area, 63 homes were destroyed at Beaumaris
and another 5 in the Glenroy
- Pascoe Vale
area.
On 14 February a fire broke out near Yallourn
. In Hernes Oak, 16 houses and the post office were destroyed while 80 houses were destroyed and 6 lives lost in the Morwell
district and 40 houses destroyed and 3 deaths occurred in the Traralgon
area. A Royal Commission
was held into the Yallourn fires in 1944.
A major outcome following the fires was the establishment of the Country Fire Authority
in 1945 to co-ordinate rural fire brigades.
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The summer of 1943-44 was the driest summer ever recorded in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
with just 46 mm falling, a third of the average for the period. Between 22 December and 15 February, 51 people were killed, 700 injured, and 650 buildings were destroyed across the state. Many personnel who would have been normally available for fire fighting duties had been posted overseas and to remote areas of Australia during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The first major fire was a grassfire at Wangarrata
Wangaratta, Victoria
Wangaratta is a cathedral city of almost 17,000 people in the northeast of Victoria, Australia, about from Melbourne along the Hume Highway, with Benalla to the southwest, and Albury-Wodonga to the northeast. It is located at the junction of the Ovens and King rivers which flow from the...
on 22 December which burnt hundreds of hectares and resulted in 10 deaths. On 14 January and the following day, fires broke out across the state. To the west of Melbourne, a series of bushfires broke out between South Australian border and the outskirts of Geelong including areas near the towns of Hamilton
Hamilton, Victoria
Hamilton is a city in western Victoria, Australia. It is located at the intersection of the Glenelg Highway and the Henty Highway...
, Skipton
Skipton, Victoria
Skipton is a town in the Western District of Victoria, Australia. The town is situated on the Glenelg Highway 166 kilometres west of the state capital, Melbourne and 52 kilometres south west of the regional centre, Ballarat. Part of Corangamite Shire Local government area, Skipton is on the banks...
, Dunkeld
Dunkeld, Victoria
Dunkeld is a town in Victoria, Australia at the southern end of the Grampians National Park, in the Shire of Southern Grampians. It is approx 283 km west of Melbourne on the Glenelg Highway. The town's population is holding steady but ageing...
, Birregurra
Birregurra, Victoria
Birregurra is a town in Victoria, Australia approximately 130 km south-west of Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Birregurra had a population of 688....
and Goroke
Goroke, Victoria
Goroke is a town in the Wimmera region of Victoria. The town is located in the Shire of West Wimmera Local Government Area, north west of the state capital, Melbourne...
. Many smaller towns were substantially damaged. In Derrinallum
Derrinallum, Victoria
Derrinallum is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Hamilton Highway, in the Corangamite Shire. The town is the centre for the surrounding farming community and lies at the foot of Mount Elephant....
, the only buildings left standing were the Mechanics' Institute, two churches and several business premises. In central Victoria, fires occurred near Daylesford
Daylesford, Victoria
Daylesford is a town located in the Shire of Hepburn, Victoria, Australia. It is a former goldmining town about 115 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range. At the 2006 census, Daylesford had a population of 3,073...
, Woodend
Woodend, Victoria
Woodend is a small town in Victoria, Australia. The town is in the Shire of Macedon Ranges Local government area. It is bypassed to the east and north by the Calder Freeway and is located about halfway between Melbourne and Bendigo...
, Gisborne
Gisborne, Victoria
Gisborne is a town located approximately northwest of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. As it is close to Melbourne, but in attractive countryside, it is proving an increasingly popular place to settle. The town was named after Henry Fyshe Gisborne , the first Commissioner for Crown Lands of the...
and Bendigo
Bendigo, Victoria
Bendigo is a major regional city in the state of Victoria, Australia, located very close to the geographical centre of the state and approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne. It is the second largest inland city and fourth most populous city in the state. The estimated urban...
. In the Melbourne area, 63 homes were destroyed at Beaumaris
Beaumaris, Victoria
Beaumaris is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 20 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Bayside. At the 2006 Census, Beaumaris had a population of 12,441....
and another 5 in the Glenroy
Glenroy, Victoria
Glenroy is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 13 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland...
- Pascoe Vale
Pascoe Vale, Victoria
Pascoe Vale is a western suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland. At the 2006 Census, Pascoe Vale had a population of 13,558.- History :...
area.
On 14 February a fire broke out near Yallourn
Yallourn, Victoria
Yallourn, Victoria was a company town in Victoria, Australia built between the 1920s and 1950s to house employees of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria, who operated the nearby Yallourn Power Station complex. However, expansion of the adjacent open-cut brown coal mine led to the closure...
. In Hernes Oak, 16 houses and the post office were destroyed while 80 houses were destroyed and 6 lives lost in the Morwell
Morwell, Victoria
-Transport:The main form of transport in Morwell is the automobile. The Princes Freeway now bypasses the town to the south while the old Princes Highway which once passed through east-west through its centre is now Princes Drive and Commercial Road. The highway connects Morwell with other...
district and 40 houses destroyed and 3 deaths occurred in the Traralgon
Traralgon, Victoria
Traralgon is a regional city located in the Latrobe Valley in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. Traralgon is a city within the City of Latrobe....
area. A Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
was held into the Yallourn fires in 1944.
A major outcome following the fires was the establishment of the Country Fire Authority
Country Fire Authority
Country Fire Authority, or CFA, is the name of the fire service that provides firefighting and other emergency services to all of the country areas and regional townships within the state of Victoria, Australia, as well as large portions of the outer suburban areas and growth corridors of Melbourne...
in 1945 to co-ordinate rural fire brigades.