Photo by Noah Chislett, Eaglehawk CFA
The Grampians – Wallaby Rocks and Little Desert bushfires are now contained following nearly two weeks of incredible work by crews on the ground, in the air and in the control centres.
The fires began on 27 January after dry lightning started fires in two new sections of the Grampians ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Park and at the Little Desert ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Park.
The Little Desert fire spread quickly within the first couple of days and ended up burning more than 95,000 hectares.
The Grampians fires merged with the original Yarram Gap Road fire from 17 December 2024 due to ongoing fire activity and back burning. The Wallaby Rocks section of the fire was contained on 8 February with more than 59,000 hectares burnt. The Yarram Gap Road section was contained on 6 January and declared under control on 13 January, with a fire footprint circumference of 422 kilometres, more than 76,000 hectares of national park and agricultural land burnt.
Several Emergency Warnings have been issued over the past couple of weeks with communities near both fires urged to leave.
Four residential properties were lost from the Grampians fires and one property and one business from the Little Desert fire. There were also 40 outbuildings lost at the Grampians and two at Little Desert along with significant stock losses and impacts to wildlife and vegetation across both fire regions.
Fire crews remain on scene at both fires treating hazardous trees, monitoring hot spots and consolidating containment lines.
Conditions over the next few days are still going to be challenging with strong winds forecast from the south accompanied by warm to hot conditions for the rest of the week.
Quotes attributable to State Response Controller David Nugent
“We’ve had a long and challenging fire season so far with crews from across the state and interstate working on the bushfires since December.
“It has been incredible work by everyone involved to contain these two latest bushfires at the Grampians and Little Desert ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Parks.
“The impacts to the local communities and tourism in those areas has been tough and hopefully we can now begin the process of re-opening those areas.
“Firefighters will continue to monitor and patrol the fires for a number of weeks. It is likely we will still see smoke and small flare-ups in the area, but we will continue to be present to deal with these when and as they arise.
“I want to thank the community and the public for their remarkable support during these fires.
“Your cooperation in following our messaging and adhering to road closures has been invaluable. It has allowed our crews to focus their efforts on fighting the fire effectively while prioritising community safety.”
Victorians are reminded to always have more than one source of information, including:
The VicEmergency app
The VicEmergency website www.emergency.vic.gov.au
Emergency broadcasters such as ABC local radio, commercial and select community radio stations, or SkyNews
The VicEmergency Hotline on 1800 226 226
VicEmergency on Facebook and X (formerly known as Twitter)
