Bushfires in Australia—A Historical Perspective

Abstract

Australia, like North America, has the natural potential for large bushfires and these were a regular feature of the Australian scene long before European settlement began in 1788. The early nineteenth century saw the introduction of regulations restricting the lighting and use of fires during the bushfire season. Disastrous fires were followed by accelerated government support for the development of fire-fighting organizations. Over the past 150 years the state of Victoria has suffered about half of the country's economic damage from bushfires. The 1983 bushfire disaster claimed 48 lives in Victoria and 28 lives in South Australia. The expansion of the Adelaide Hills as a commuter zone for Adelaide is one important factor in the conversion of South Australia's previously low bushfire mortality pattern into a high mortality pattern similar to that of Victoria.