The Eastern Victoria Great Divide bushfires, also known as the Great Divide Complex, were a series of bushfires that commenced in the

Victorian Alps The Victorian Alps, also known locally as the High Country, is a large mountain system in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria. Occupying the majority of eastern Victoria, it is the southwestern half of the Australian Alps (the othe ...

in Australia on 1 December 2006 due to lightning strikes, and continued for 69 days. They were the longest running bushfires in the state's history. Between 1.2 and 1.3 million hectares were burnt, most of it public land. Victorian fire personnel were assisted by others from all states and territories of Australia, as well as teams from New Zealand, the United States and Canada.

Timeline

On 11 December it was reported that the fires had reached Mount Stirling, and destroyed Craig's Hut, well known as the setting for the film '' The Man from Snowy River''. The bushfire smoke spread across the state, and by 20 December visibility in Melbourne was reduced to two kilometres, causing disruption to flights at

Melbourne Airport Melbourne Airport , known locally as Tullamarine Airport, is an international airport serving Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Operating 24/7 service, 24 hours a day with on-site parking, shopping and dining, Melbourne Airport is the List of th ...

On 11 January a number of buildings and stock were lost at Tambo Crossing as the firefront crossed to the east of the

Great Alpine Road The Great Alpine Road is a country tourist road in Victoria, Australia, running from Wangaratta in the north to Bairnsdale in the east, passing through the Victorian Alps. The road was given its current name because it was considered the mounta ...

and climbed Mount Elizabeth. Fire activity swifts creek 2007 edit

Tawonga Gap and Tatong fires

Two separate large fires were burning nearby during the same period, one at Tawonga Gap (33,500 hectares) and another at Tatong (33,000 hectares).

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:2006-07 Eastern Victoria Great Divide bushfires Eastern Victoria Great Divide Eastern Victoria Great Divide 2000s fires in Oceania 2006 wildfires 2007 wildfires Bushfires in Victoria (state) 2007 in Victoria (state) 2006 in Victoria (state)