The 1974–75 Australian bushfire season is a series of

bushfires A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identif ...

, also known around the world as

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...

s, that burned across

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Fires that summer burned up an estimated . Approximately 15% of Australia's land mass suffered "extensive fire damage" including parts of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

and

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

Statistics

The fires killed six people, approximately 57,000 farm animals, farmers' crops, and destroyed nearly of fencing. The

Australian Bureau of Statistics The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is the independent statutory agency of the Australian Government responsible for statistical collection and analysis and for giving evidence-based advice to federal, state and territory governments ...

attributed the extent of the fires to "exceptionally heavy rainfall in the previous two years". Stephen J. Pyne qualified the fire season as the most destructive event in terms of hectares burned among historical fires in Australia, but added that “the 1974/75 fires had almost no impact and much of the damage was found by satellite after the fact.” Nonetheless, fire historian

Danielle Clode Danielle Clode is an Australian author of literary nonfiction, history and children's books. Life Clode was born in Adelaide in 1968 and spent her early years in Port Lincoln, South Australia. She later lived on a boat with her parents travell ...

notes that these fires remain significant for being the biggest bushfire event by area ever recorded. In 2011, retired Australian government scientist David Packham warned that "we are in for one big season" that could repeat the 1974 summer fires.

Areas impacted

Australia, being a federation of States and territories, breaks up the 1974-1975 fires by state or region: ;New South Wales Six people killed. Area burned: . 50,000 livestock lost, of fencing destroyed. to

Balranald Balranald is a town within the local government area of Balranald Shire, in the Riverina district of New South Wales, Australia. The town of Balranald is located where the Sturt Highway crosses the Murrumbidgee River in a remote, semi-desert ...

Cobar Shire Cobar Shire is a local government area in the Orana region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located in an outback area that is centred around the mining town of Cobar. The Shire is traversed by the Barrier Highway and the Kidman W ...

, Moolah–Corinya—most of the Western Division. Lost crops, and widespread damage to infrastructure, including communications, roads and railways. The Moolah-Corinya fire was "the largest fire ever contained by man in New South Wales without the help of the weather." It burned and its perimeter was over . ;Northern Territory Area burned: . The fire reached

Barkly Tableland The Barkly Tableland is a rolling plain of grassland in Australia. It runs from the eastern part of the Northern Territory into western Queensland. It is one of the five regions in the Northern Territory and covers , 21% of the Northern Terr ...

, Victoria River district, near

Newcastle Waters Newcastle Waters is a town and locality off the Stuart Highway in the Northern Territory. The nearest petrol station and accommodation is found south at Elliott. The Newcastle Waters School draws most of its few students from the Marlinja hom ...

. ;Queensland The bushfire season was defined as October 1974 to February 1975. Area burned: . 95 cattle, 6,850 sheep lost. Areas damaged: Thargomindah, Bulloo Shire, Boulia Urandangie, McKinlay Shire. ;South Australia Area burned: . The areas affected were the north-west of the state (arid and semi-arid zones), and the Adelaide Hills. ;Western Australia Area burned: of fires, damaging east and north-east of

Kalgoorlie Kalgoorlie is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is sometimes referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder, as the surrounding urban area includ ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1974-75 Australian bushfire season Bushfire seasons in Australia 1974 in Australia 1975 in Australia 1970s in New South Wales 1970s in Queensland 1970s in the Northern Territory 1970s in South Australia 1970s in Western Australia 1974 wildfires 1975 wildfires

Bush Bush commonly refers to: * Shrub, a small or medium woody plant Bush, Bushes, or the bush may also refer to: People * Bush (surname), including any of several people with that name **Bush family, a prominent American family that includes: *** ...