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As you power ahead into Stage Four of the Challenge, it’s worth a quick recap of the catastrophic 2019-20 fire season, and why bushfire preparations are so important.
The 2019-2020 Black Summer Bushfires burnt an unprecedented area of land in the Blue Mountains.
Four major fires impacted the region at different times: Gospers Mountain Fire, Ruined Castle Fire, Green Wattle Fire and Erskine Ridge Fire.
Despite this, large areas of unburnt bush remain, painting a green corridor from west to east, right across the Great Western Highway corridor. Areas of high risk remain around all Blue Mountains villages.
Here is a map showing the burnt areas from the four fires. The large unburnt areas are clearly evident.
Note: These maps have been prepared with the Blue Mountains city region in mind. The full extent of these fires was much greater.
Ruined Castle Fire
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The first fire to impact the Blue Mountains was the result of lightning strike on the well known Ruined Castle, which can be seen from the popular Echo Point lookout in Katoomba. The fire spread in all directions including north towards Katoomba and would eventually join up with fires burning from much further south.
Gospers Mountain Fire
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The massive Gospers Mountain fire wreaked havoc in the far northern parts of the Blue Mountains for weeks before eventually spreading south. It swept through towns on the Bells Line of Road, reached the northern edge of Blackheath and spread across the Grose Valley to threaten the rest of the Blue Mountains. This map shows only the southern part of the fire where it impacted the Blue Mountains villages. The fireground extended much further north.
Here is a great article about this fire, including a unique timeline of the fire’s progression shown on a map.
Green Wattle Fire
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Starting at the end of November and reaching as far south as the Southern Highlands, the Green Wattle Fire threatened the Blue Mountains on approach through Megalong Valley, and would later jump Lake Burragorang to form the Erskine Ridge fire. This map shows only the northern part of the fire that impacted the Blue Mountains. The fireground extended much further south and to the east.
Erskine Ridge Fire
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Maps prepared by former Captain Peter Bennett.
After the Green Wattle fire jumped Lake Burragorang into the southern Blue Mountains the Erskine Ridge Fire was declared. It was a change of weather and a strong firefighting effort that stopped the fire from impacting villages.
Got a question?
If you have a burning question about local bushfire history or how your property may be affected by fire, feel free to contact us or find us on Facebook.