Where are bush fires?

Answer 1

Bushfires have occurred in all parts of Australia at some time. Bushfires can occur throughout Australia, depending on the time of the year. They are more likely to happen in the southern states during Summer and Autumn, in the north during Winter and Spring, and in the middle latitudes during Spring and Summer. They are also more likely in an area which has experienced a period of plenty of rainfall, followed by weeks of dry, hot weather which dries out all the new vegetation which has sprung up.

Bushfires in Australia are most like to occur along the eastern seaboard south of the NSW border and southern coastline in heavily vegetated areas. They commonly occur around Sydney, where there are huge tracts of native bushland, and the ranges around Melbourne. Currently (February 2009), bushfires are raging through the mountains and hills around Melbourne, and to the east and west of the capital city, in the Gippsland area, and west as far as Bendigo. Over 100 lives have been lost, and over 700 homes destroyed in Australia's worst bushfires ever.

Inland areas of NSW which are full of scrub are prone to bushfires. Canberra is surrounded by wooded ranges, again providing fuel for bushfires as was shown in the 2003 fires where four people lost their lives. South Australia has certainly had its share of fires, despite overall less heavily wooded areas: the Eyre Peninsula bushfires of 2005 were particularly devastating, as were the Ash Wednesday tragedies which reached the outer suburbs of Adelaide. Bushfires also occur over in the bushland around Perth. After a dry season, these areas provide enough fuel for bushfires to quickly spread, and the climate can change from pleasantly temperate to hot, dry and windy - perfect conditions for bushfires.

Bushfires are less likely in the far north because of the wetter conditions, but they do still occur. Even Brisbane and the Queensland coast rarely have serious bushfires - certainly not on the devastating scale that has been seen down south. However, Rockhampton and Mount Morgan, just inland from Queensland's central coast, recently (Spring 2009) saw several days of horrific bushfires, as conditions are drier there.

Answer 2

countries with dry forestry and dry hot climates countries with dry forestry and dry hot climates

Answer 3

The largest bushfire is the Victorian 2009 'Black Saturday fires'