Mount Lubra bushfire

January 2006 Grampians (Mount Lubra) Bushfire

The Grampians, or Mount Lubra bushfire, was started by lightning late on the 19th January, 2006. The fire, burning in difficult terrain, burned throughout the 20th-21st January without any serious impact. However, on the 22nd of January, hot and dry conditions that had persisted for several days, worsened considerably, spreading the fire rapidly in a southerly direction towards Dunkeld, South of The Grampians. The fire front reached the outskirts of Willaura (south-west of Ararat), before a strong but dry wind change took the fire back in the opposite direction. Winds of up to 120 km/h sent the fire northward extremely quickly, just missing the small township of Moyston (west of Ararat) and skirting around Pomonal (west of Stawell). A man and his son died between Moyston and Pomonal when they were caught up in the fire whilst attempting to drive from Stawell to Moyston. The fire was eventually controlled approximately two weeks later, having burned nearly 47% of the Grampians National Park, as well as a significant amount of private property, a total of 130,000 hectares. Approximately 25 homes were destroyed, mostly to the west of Moyston and around Pomonal. Over 50 sheds and outbuildings, 1500 kilometers of fencing, as well as 62,000 head of sheep and 500 head of cattle were lost to the blaze. (p26)