News & Advice

The Australian Bushfires: What You Need to Know if You Have a Trip Planned

Find out what areas have been affected and if you need to adjust your Australian itinerary below. 
Kantoomba Australia
Alamy

For the past the month, the world has watched in horror as vast tracts of the Australian bush have been consumed by firestorms. But if you have a trip to Australia coming up, which areas have been affected and should you change your plans? Find the answers to your bushfire questions below.

What areas are being affected?

As of January 7, it’s thought 8.4 million hectares (more than 20 million acres) have been lost to fire, an area similar in size to South Carolina, according to The Guardian. At least 25 people have been killed, thousands of homes have been destroyed, and some species of native fauna face mass extinction.

Australia is a huge continent and it can feel, especially from a distance, as though much of it has been affected by the bushfires. It’s true that some towns and regions have been decimated, including many that rely on tourism for locals’ livelihoods, but most tourism regions are open for business.

The worst affected areas are: the Blue Mountains, Snowy Mountains, Southern Highlands, and Sapphire Coast in New South Wales; East Gippsland and the northeast of the state in Victoria; the Fingal and Pelham regions in Tasmania; the Adelaide Hills and Kangaroo Island in South Australia; and the Stirling Range in Western Australia. Parts of central Queensland have also been severely affected by fires since August.

Why is it happening?

Australia is in the midst of a prolonged drought, making much of the land tinder dry. Conditions in many areas have been so bad, it has been impossible to undertake any hazard reduction burns, normally employed during the cooler winter months. The huge fuel loads combined with extremely high temperatures—on January 4, Penrith in the western suburbs of Sydney became the hottest place on Earth as the mercury reached 121.8 degrees Fahrenheit—and high winds have made fires almost impossible to contain once they start.

Much the same as Californians expect wildfires during fall, Australians are accustomed to bushfires starting and spreading during the summer (December to February). Most, apart from those who live in cities, have fire plans in place. This season, however, fires began much earlier than normal (the first bushfires in Queensland were reported in August), and fire services—staffed by volunteers in many instances—have had inadequate resources and personnel. This despite a group of former fire and emergency chiefs warning the Federal Government as far back as April 2019 that the 2020 bushfire season would likely be horrific and funds for more aerial water bombers were desperately needed.

Can and should I travel to Australia?

While the images are horrifying, much of Australia is unaffected by the fires and most tourism operations are still open. Many businesses and regions are, in fact, reporting mass cancellations despite being unaffected by fires.

Organizations, including Tourism Australia, continue to encourage travelers to visit. Beaches, natural wonders like Uluru, the Queensland islands and Great Barrier Reef, many national parks, and big summer events—the Australian Open tennis in Melbourne, Sydney Festival, WOMADelaide, and the Perth Festival, just to name a few—are ready to welcome visitors.

At the moment, a number of cities including Sydney, Canberra, and Melbourne are affected by smoke haze. Apart from obscuring the blue skies, the haze does pose a risk, especially for those with asthma and other respiratory conditions. (Individuals falling into this category should consult their physician before traveling.) The Australian Medical Association has warned conditions are more hazardous for children younger than 14, older people, and those with existing heart and lung conditions. People with a trip to Australia planned who feel as though this could become an issue should travel with a P2 mask.

How can I prepare?

Seek up-to-date information before your departure, and stay informed about changing conditions while you’re on the ground. The main reason to change plans would be if you're specifically heading to areas that have been affected by fire, but you should also check with local visitor organizations as to what is open. For instance, parts of the Blue Mountains, about an hour’s drive west of Sydney, have been severely affected by the bushfires, but the main tourist towns of Katoomba and Leura are open, although much quieter than they normally would be during the busy holiday months. Tourism Australia’s website has also released this helpful guide that includes popular regions for visitors and whether they have been impacted by the bushfires.

“Once the danger has passed, these towns will welcome you with true Aussie hospitality and warmth, knowing you are helping them revive and survive,” said Gina Woodward, board director of Tourism Snowy Mountains, where the Selwyn Snow Resort was destroyed. “Become part of their story—it could become a transformational experience for many visitors as they meet the locals and hear the stories.”

If you are planning a trip soon, contact Traveler-approved, locally based travel specialists like Stuart Rigg at Southern Crossings and Pedro O’Connor at Epic Private Journeys. Their on-the-ground expertise will help inform excellent itineraries away from the fire zones.

There are also a number of online resources that provide updated bushfire information, including local emergency services (listed below). Travelers can also speak with local visitor information centers for advice about nearby conditions.

What can I do to help?

There are many ways to help those affected by or fighting the fires in Australia. If you can’t visit, the main method is to donate money—we rounded up a few local organizations in need of resources.

If you are visiting, be sure to go to unaffected regional areas and buy from local businesses. A new Instagram account, (@spendwiththem), lists bushfire-affected businesses you can support. If you love music, comedy, and the arts and are visiting soon, there are a huge number of benefit concerts, shows, and auctions being organized around the country in the coming months, so you can do good and have fun at the same time.