1974–75 Australian bushfire season

The 1974–75 Australian bushfire season is a series of bushfires, also known around the world as wildfires, that burned across Australia. Fires that summer burned up an estimated 117 million hectares (290 million acres; 1,170,000 square kilometres; 450,000 square miles).[1] Approximately 15% of Australia's land mass suffered "extensive fire damage"[1][2] including parts of New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.

1974–75 Australian bushfire season
Location
Statistics
Total area117 million hectares (290 million acres)
Date(s)October 1974 – February 1975
Buildings destroyed10,200 kilometres (6,300 mi) of fencing
Deaths6
Livestock losses57,000
Season
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Statistics

The fires killed six people, approximately 57,000 farm animals, farmers' crops, and destroyed nearly 10,200 kilometres (6,300 mi) of fencing.[3]:339–345

The Australian Bureau of Statistics attributed the extent of the fires to "exceptionally heavy rainfall in the previous two years".[2]

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.”[4] In 2011, retired Australian government scientist David Packham warned that "we are in for one big season" that could repeat the 1974 summer fires.[5]

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: 4.5 million hectares (11 million acres). 50,000 livestock lost, 10,170 kilometres (6,320 mi) of fencing destroyed. Bourke to Balranald, Cobar Shire, Moolah–Corinya—most of the Western Division.[3]:341 Lost crops, and widespread damage to infrastructure, including communications, roads and railways.[6]

The Moolah-Corinya fire was "the largest fire ever contained by man in New South Wales without the help of the weather." It burned 1.166 million hectares (2.88 million acres) and its perimeter was over 1,000 kilometres (620 mi).[7]

Northern Territory

Area burned: 45 million hectares (110 million acres). The fire reached Barkly Tableland, Victoria River district, near Newcastle Waters.[3]:339

Queensland

The bushfire season was defined as October 1974 to February 1975. Area burned: 7.3 million hectares (18 million acres). 95 cattle, 6,850 sheep lost. Areas damaged: Thargomindah, Bulloo Shire, Boulia Urandangie, McKinlay Shire.[3]:340

South Australia

Area burned: 15 million hectares (37 million acres). The areas affected were the north-west of the state (arid and semi-arid zones), and the Adelaide Hills.[3]:344

Western Australia

Area burned: 29 million hectares (72 million acres) of fires, damaging east and north-east of Kalgoorlie.[3]:344

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References
  1. "New South Wales, December 1974 Bushfire - New South Wales". Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience. Government of Australia. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020. Approximately 15 per cent of Australia's physical land mass sustained extensive fire damage. This equates to roughly around 117 million ha.
  2. Cheney, N. P. (1 January 1995). "BUSHFIRES – AN INTEGRAL PART OF AUSTRALIA'S ENVIRONMENT". 1301.0 – Year Book Australia, 1995. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 14 January 2020. In 1974-75, lush growth of grasses and forbs following exceptionally heavy rainfall in the previous two years provided continuous fuels through much of central Australia and in this season fires burnt over 117 million hectares or 15 per cent of the total land area of this continent.
  3. Ellis, Stuart; Kanowski, Peter (2004). "National Inquiry on Bushfire Mitigation and Management - 2004". Canberra, Commonwealth of Australia: Council of Australian Governments. pp. 339–345. ISBN 0-646-43442-X. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020 – via University of Wollongong.
  4. "How this year's fires compare to others". NewsComAu. 6 January 2020. Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  5. "Summer bushfires risk rivals the 1970s". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 6 October 2011. Archived from the original on 30 October 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2020. Retired CSIRO scientist David Packham says a repeat of the summer of 1974-75 is a strong possibility. "We are in for one big season in these more dry and arid regions, going from sort of the Mallee-type areas of Victoria-South Australia and New South Wales
  6. Chang, Charis (7 January 2020). "'Forever fires': How the Australia bush fires compare to other disasters". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 14 February 2020. widespread damage to infrastructure, including communications, roads, railways and property fencing. Farmers lost crops and livestock.
  7. Bush Fire Bulletin, Winter/Spring 1975, Official Journal of the Bush Fire Council of New South Wales, Sydney: Bush Fire Council of N.S.W., 1975, p. 4, retrieved 14 February 2020 – via Trove
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