Coastal holiday spots a growing bushfire concern this summer

Popular tourism destinations along the Great Ocean Road are among the areas at greatest threat of bushfires this summer, with low soil moisture and forecast dry weather increasing the risk of dangerous blazes.

Emergency services are warning of a return to traditional bushfire conditions after high rainfall, mild temperatures and floods in Victoria eased the fire danger over the past three summers.

Firefighters have been carrying out planned burns in at-risk areas, such as Bendigo National Park.Credit: Jason South

The Otway coast and its hinterland have been identified as a serious concern for fires. Bureau of Meteorology data indicates soil-moisture levels are well below average in Victoria’s south-west.

The Country Fire Authority’s chief officer, Jason Heffernan, said the holiday hotspot of Aireys Inlet, Torquay and the region stretching back to Ballarat were among the areas of rising concern.

“I’m keeping a really close eye on the Otways,” he said. “We are seeing drying in that area.”

Other destinations, including Anglesea and Lorne, are also within the zone where soil moisture is drying.

Fire authorities are concerned tourism hotspots are exposed to fire risk this summer. Credit: Paul Jeffers

The authority is bracing for a hot and dry summer in the state’s south-west. The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast a 65 per cent chance of below median rainfall from December to February. The El Nino weather pattern has increased the likelihood of a dry, hot summer.

Heffernan said grass fires would also present a risk across the state. “That I can say for certain,” he said.

The CFA conducted 192 planned burns in 2022-23, compared with an average of about 200 each year. It carries out burns with private landholders, councils and water-management authorities.

Heffernan said the CFA would have enough people power to respond to outbreaks this summer, pointing to a total of about 52,000 volunteers, including 28,900 operational volunteers who are trained to attend fires.

Surf Coast Shire Mayor Liz Pattison said her municipality had a population of about 38,000, but that ballooned to about 100,000 during summer. She urged residents and holidaymakers to use the Vic Emergency smartphone app to keep updated about bushfires.

Last summer marked 40 years since the Ash Wednesday bushfires that brought devastation to Surf Coast towns, including Anglesea and Lorne. Since then, there have been major fires at Wye River and Separation Creek.

Pattison said the growing population meant more people were now living closer to fire-prone national parks. “The townships along the coast have expanded significantly,” she said. “They’re all within high-risk bushfire areas.”

The CFA’s warning about a risky summer comes after an early start to the bushfire season. Firefighters have spent weeks battling blazes at Loch Sport and Briagolong in Gippsland, which destroyed one house.

Ray Shingles, a farmer from Seacombe, fought the Loch Sport fire in the Gippsland Lakes region.

Chris Hardman, chief fire officer at Forest Fire Management Victoria, said about 100 firefighters were still battling the Briagolong fire last week despite heavy rain in October.

Forest Fire Management Victoria has conducted 48 planned burns across the state since July 1, as well as slashing and mulching on public land. In the 2022/23 financial year, the agency carried out planned burns and mechanical treatments (including mulching and mowing) on more than 92,000 hectares of public land.

Hardman agreed south-west Victoria faced a serious risk this summer, but said crop fires were also a danger in the Wimmera and Mallee regions, where harvesting would soon get under way. He warned crop fires could be fast moving and inflict extensive damage.

“They can be scary on a bad day with strong wind,” he said.

Fire authorities prepare for summer by carrying out a controlled burn.Credit: Jason South

Melbourne University research fellow Hamish Clarke, who studies bushfires, said climate change was increasing the frequency and severity of natural disasters. He said the overlapping fires and floods in East Gippsland this month illustrated the growing risks Victorians were facing.

“People aren’t necessarily used to being hit so quickly by repeat events,” he said.

Clarke said governments and communities might need to consider planned “retreats” where homes and infrastructure were exposed to disasters.

“We need to talk about where we’re building and how we’re designing houses,” he said.