Mallacoota

At the time of writing this blog, 19 fires are still raging in Victoria alone and 1.3 million hectares have already been burnt in Victoria alone. It is estimated that in excess of a billion animals have been wiped out in Victoria, with similar numbers in New South Wales, and on Kangaroo Island which is off the south coast of South Australia.

Mallacoota has been particularly noticeable in the media as thousands of tourists, and residents were evacuated by the Navy, and Black Hawk helicopters.

Mallacoota is accessed via a 23 kilometre fairly narrow road through forest which branches south off the Princes Highway at Genoa. It is situated on the coast in the far south east corner of Victoria, and indeed the far south east corner of Australia.

There is one road in. This is why there have been urgent efforts to evacuate this popular boating and fishing destination, as once in, and the only road is closed due to bushfire activity and trees down, they cannot get out by road.

Mallacoota is a beautiful, isolated coastal area surrounded by the Croajingolong National Park, with one small town servicing approximately 1,000 permanent residents and during the holiday season, the large numbers of visitors.

My Mallacoota gallery contains a number of photos taken two years’ ago. Raymond Island, also depicted in this gallery, is south of Bairnsdale, and not far from Lakes Entrance, and has also been threatened by the bushfires.