In the summer of 2003, the Australian Alps experienced their largest bushfires in over 60 years, with an estimated 1.73 million hectares burning. The bushfires burnt across Victoria, New South Wales (NSW), and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) during a drought that ranks as one of the worst in 103 years of official Australian weather records. The Australian Alps are found in southeastern Australia along the Great Dividing Range. They are the highest parts of Australia but are typically more rounded than jagged. They span 2 Australian states and a territory and are found to the north and east of Melbourne and to the south and west of Sydney. Canberra, Australia's capital city, is nestled immediately on the northern and eastern flank of the Alps. Some 1,657,570 hectares of the Alps have been permanently reserved in 9 contiguous protected areas and include Kosciuszko National Park (NSW), Namadgi National Park (ACT), and the Victorian Alpine National Park.
Bushfires (fires that burn within forested environments) in Australia are a natural and periodic event. In extreme drought years, bushfire dynamics change from those in average years. There is more dry and available fuel for fire, whether it is in large quantities or in small amounts. The Australian Alps bushfires started during wild electrical storms in southeastern Australia on 8 January 2003. A remarkable 140 small, individual lightning strike fires were reported starting that evening. Fire suppression crews immediately responded, with many successes, but some fires could not be contained. Fire control responses grew as the fires grew, and on peak fire control days, over 4000 professional and volunteer fire fighters, helicopters, fire tankers, bulldozers, fixed-wing aircraft, light mobile fire units, and other fire suppression equipment were committed to fire control actions across the Alps.
During the 60-day duration of the fires, fire fighters experienced 8 weather frontal changes, some of which brought extreme fire weather conditions, including high temperatures, strong winds, and very low humidity. Tragically, as a consequence of the fires, 4 lives and 506 houses were lost in Canberra on 18 January under extreme conditions. Many Canberra residents required hospital treatment. Considerable property was burnt; normal services such as power, gas reticulation, sewage treatment, and water supplies were disrupted in places; livestock was lost; and rural properties suffered damage.
Despite consistent attempts at containment and control, the fires grew during the 60 days they were active and eventually merged to form 1 continuous burnt area from central Victoria to the north of Canberra. Calmer conditions and rain during February and early March helped the fire fighters, and the fires were officially declared contained and controlled on 7 March 2003. A total area of 1.73 million hectares across 2 Australian states and a territory had been burnt, at least 551 houses destroyed, and property and livestock burnt.
The fires did not burn uniformly, as NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) alpine ecologist Dr Ken Green, an eye witness to the fires in the highest parts of Kosciuszko National Park, the “Main Range,” reported.
“The Main Range acted as a firebreak. Most of the western faces had been burnt, but as the flames came over the main ridgeline and hit the alpine herb fields, they petered out. Snowgrass was able to sustain the fire only while it had the heat and winds coming from the western faces, and in the Mt Carruthers–Twynam area, the fire progressed only 30–50 m into the snowgrass area.”
This was not always the case in lower areas. Under the extremely dry conditions, the native bushland burnt readily, and organic matter protecting the often steep catchments was stripped in many areas. Precious unburnt islands of biodiversity were an exception, although there was variation in the severity with which tree canopies had been burnt in the fire area. Two endangered animal species, the Corroboree frog and the mountain pygmy possum, were the 2 species thought to be most affected by the Kosciuszko National Park fires. Most of the Corroboree frog's habitat had been burnt, and it may be in real danger of extinction in the wild. Areas of mountain pygmy possum habitat at one of its more important locations, Mount Blue Cow, had been burnt.
Special efforts by the NSW NPWS helped to save at least 10 historically important mountain huts and historic structures in Kosciuszko National Park. Fire control actions helped to save historic buildings such as the Coolamine Homestead and its Cheese Hut, Yarrangobilly Caves House, and Kiandra Court House. Similar protection operations were carried out in Victoria and the ACT when conditions permitted. Regrettably, many of the historic mountain huts were lost across the Alps. Some 27 huts in Victoria, 19 in NSW, and at least 2 in the ACT have been lost to the fires.
The tourism industry in the mountains was affected by the fires because of fire-caused closures and the very nature of the incident. A report in the Canberra Times on 6 February stated that “bushfires in the Snowy Mountains could cost the local tourist industry up to 1000 jobs and A$121 million in lost income this summer.” In response, a A$2.6 million bushfire recovery package for the Kosciuszko National Park area was announced by the NSW Government in February. It was directed to assist the tourist industry, farmers, and environmentalists to fight erosion and protect water quality. One response to these investments, a tourism advertising campaign in March 2003 for the Kosciuszko National Park (Snowy Mountains) section of the Australian Alps, was enticing visitors to the area to view the natural recovery after the fires.
Five separate inquiries have been instituted by the ACT, NSW, Victorian, and Federal Governments to look into the nature and causes of the fires and their control. The number of inquiries reflects the jurisdictional arrangements of Australia's federal system of government. The inquiries respond directly to the loss of life and property, fire control actions, and the severity of the fires.
For the Australian Alps bush, fire is a natural phenomenon where the bush is burnt and not destroyed. There are many natural fire-adaptive responses, and most plant species quickly regenerate, for fire is part of the nature of Australia. The Australian Alps bushland in March 2003 is regenerating, although some long-lasting impacts to catchments and to some species have occurred. There have been important cultural heritage losses in the Australian Alps.
