Mt Stirling Re-Opens
Works have commenced to reopen areas of public land unaffected by the Alpine National Park – Bluff Creek fire. The fire, which started on 1 January 2020 by lightning, has burnt nearly 4,000 hectares.
Incident Controller at the Mansfield Incident Control Centre, Paul Foster, said while the Alpine National Park and parts of the adjacent State Forest would remain closed, key local tourism sites and camping grounds would reopen.
“We understand how important it is to the local community and businesses to have these areas reopened to the public as soon as it is safe to do so,” Mr Foster said.
“Fire crews have done a great job to limit the impact of the fire on the environment and community, and now our focus is to open up these areas for visitors.”
Areas to reopen in the High Country near Mansfield include Craig’s Hut, Stirling Circuit Road, Razorback Hut and Howqua Hills Historic Area. Mt Stirling Café will be open again from this weekend (opening hours: 10am–3pm).
Camping sites along the Howqua, Jamieson and Goulburn River will also reopen, including Running Creek, Skipworth Reserve, Sheepyard Flat, Wrens Flat, Granny’s Flat, Tobacco Flat and Tunnel Bend Flat.
Visitors can also visit nearby Mount Samaria State Park, Strathbogie State Forest, Toombullup State Forest and Delatite Arm Reserve
“We do however ask campers to never leave their campfire unattended and ensure it’s completely out before leaving.”
The Alpine Resort Management Board also welcome the reopening of Mount Buller and Mount Stirling Alpine resorts.
Forest Fire Management Victoria and Parks Victoria have been working hard on assessments of the State Forests and Parks around the bushfire affected areas.
“More than 411,000 hectares has been impacted by fire across Victoria’s North East; with several large fires not yet under control. Further reopenings of forest and parks will be considered as conditions dictate and as fires are controlled.”
Recent milder conditions have given crews short-term reprieve from fire in some areas of the state however the risk in not yet over this season.
While fire authorities are still working to bring fires across the region under control, we are also entering recovery mode in those fire affected areas, so the hard work isn’t over yet.
“There are still several national park, forest and road closures in place and there remains a risk of landslides and falling trees. We ask anyone travelling into the area to please monitor weather conditions and check the VicEmergency app or website for current information on local conditions before heading out.”
Visitors are encouraged to check the Parks Victoria website at www.parks.vic.gov.au, Forest Fire Management Victoria website and DELWP Hume Facebook page for updates on future reopening of Parks and Forests.
It’s important to also check road closures on the VicRoads website (https://traffic.vicroads.vic.gov.au/) as access to some camping areas may be difficult.
Keep up to date with latest conditions and fire warnings here:
• VicEmergency Hotline – freecall 1800 226 226
• VicEmergency app
• Facebook or Twitter (#vicfires)
• Tune in to ABC Local Radio, commercial and designated community radio stations, or Sky News TV
The Resort Management can be reached on 03 5777 6077 for additional information.