Ash Wednesday at Mt Macedon                                     

       A tribute to the people and fire fighters of the Macedon Ranges
     Written by Peter Harry

The main street of Macedon- the day after Ash Wednesday

 

Introduction

Fuelled by one of the worst droughts in living memory, February 16 was a day feared by fire fighters. 
By afternoon, Victoria and South Australia would be gripped by at least 6 major bushfires which would kill 72 people and destroy the homes of 2,000 families.
The people in the Macedon Ranges had just emerged from the devastation of a bushfire 2 weeks earlier which had burnt the north face of the Mount, destroying 24 homes and 6200 hectares before halting near Riddells Creek. 
Weary local volunteer fire fighters had been on duty for 16 days. Prior to that, a major bushfire on Jan 8 had taken hold north of Baccush Marsh in the Wombat State Forest where 2 Forest Commission workers lost their lives. The 2 bulldozer drivers were trapped when racing to cut a firebreak to stop the fire reaching Geendale. 
With another hot summer day forecast, shady trees around the Mount would offer some refuge from the heat......

 
 Ash Wednesday 1983 was the day Mt Macedon burned.
 The towns of Macedon and Mt Macedon were virtually wiped out. 

 "It was a day when ordinary people endured extraordinary circumstances".   
 These are the stories as told by the fire fighters and there families.

 

 

 

  
Images 
  A collection of photos portraying Ash Wednesday 
  in the Macedon Ranges click here

 

 
"It is the firestorm that the survivors remember the most, and yet they cannot describe it".- Herald Newspaper   "Victoria is a firebomb waiting to go off" warned CFA Chief Officer Ron Orchard.

 


 The Weather

  1982–83 drought was probably Australia's worst in the twentieth century. It started in autumn 1982, with severe rainfall deficiencies over eastern Australia. Dry conditions persisted, and by year's end extensive areas of eastern Australia had had record or near-record low rainfall. Reservoirs throughout the southeast fell to levels unknown for many years. On February 8, Melbourne experienced a massive dust storm. A 500km wide and 100km deep wall of dust enveloped the city sending people running for shelter. The dust storm was a reminder that the State's fire situation was growing more serious. With winds strong enough to raise a dust storm like that, the fire potential was indeed hazardous.

The severe drought led to tinder dry conditions throughout the grasslands and forests. On 16 February 1983, near-gale force northerly winds, and temperatures well over 40°C were to drive the huge fires.
 
At 8am the relative humidity (RH) in Melbourne was 49% and the temperature 23c. At 1pm the RH had dropped to 8% and temperature risen to 37c. By 4pm the temperature in the city peaked at 43c and RH dropped even further to just 6%. The northerly wind was averaging 60km/h. The full force of the SW wind change swept through Macedon around 9:30pm. Gale force winds gusting 80-100km/h ripped through the State.
The Lead Up

The week had begun after a cool Sunday reaching only 23c, warming to 34c on Monday, and a total fire ban declared on Tuesday with light winds and 31c. By mid morning on Ash Wednesday, the day's forecast was amended and another total fire ban imposed. Conditions were to be worse than first thought, and ripe for disaster....

 
 

The Stories

Ash Wednesday was a day when ordinary people endured extraordinary circumstances. These are the stories as told by some of the fire fighters and there families. (Further submissions are welcome)

Kerry Murphy- Captain of Mt Macedon Fire Brigade in 1983

Peter Moore- Captain of Gisborne Fire Brigade in 1983

Tom Ritchie- Senior Fire Ffighter (Gisborne)

Mary Ritchie- wife of a Fire Fighter

Images
A collection of images from Ash Wednesday  

 

 
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