Eighty seven fires were started by lightning in the north east of Victoria in January 2003. Eight of these fires were unable to be contained — they joined together to form the largest fire in Victoria since the 1939 “Black Friday” bushfires. Burning for 59 days before being contained, the fires burnt over 1.3 million hectares (3.2 million acres).
This week after a 6 year absence I drove through this region and was amazed at the change in the landscape. Because of the steepness and inaccessibility of the terrain the fire in the vicinity of Mt Hotham had been particularly fierce and most of the eucalypts — Alpine Ash and Snow Gums —were destroyed. Previously blackened trees are now stark white and the landscape almost looks snow-capped.
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