Rebuilding Hazelwood South & Jeeralang North
The Communities
Little more than two hours from Melbourne, Hazelwood South is located to the West and Jeeralang to the south of the major centre of Churchill at the foot of the Strzelecki Ranges in Gippsland. Other nearby communities include Jeeralang Junction and Yinnar to the south west.
Both Hazelwood South and Jeeralang North have populations of around 500, while nearby Churchill has a population of approximately 4500 people.
Dairy and cattle farming, energy production and paper manufacture, education, health, forestry and logging are the key industries and employers in the region.
Visitors to the area can also enjoy a variety of water activities at Hazelwood Pondage including swimming, sailing, canoeing, power-boating, water skiing, wake boarding, and other recreational water sports. Water in the pondage is around 28 degrees celsius all year round, making it an attractive location in the cooler months of the year.
The Bushfires
The fires swept through the area on 7 February 2009.
In their wake they left two fatalities in Hazelwood and one fatality in Jeeralang Junction. In Hazelwood South, eight properties were destroyed, while there was one property lost in Hazelwood North and four in Jeeralang North.
The Jeeralang North Hall was extensively damaged, while local timber plantations and farm fencing also sustained significant damage.
Recovery Plan
Since the 2009 bushfires Community Recovery Committees and the Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority (the Authority) worked in partnership with the community, other government departments and authorities, the philanthropic sector and private donors to deliver outcomes for the vast majority of recovery projects proposed in the 33 Community Recovery Plans across the state. The plans have been pivotal in driving and directing the community rebuilding and recovery effort, through a focus on the needs and priorities of each individual community.
With around 1,100 projects and ideas identified in plans across Victoria, the Authority estimates that around 800 of these have been addressed in varying ways. Hundreds more projects identified outside this process have been delivered across affected communities.
The attachments below include the Community Recovery Plan and the response and funding status for all of the projects originally identified:
| Email the Fire Recovery Unit or call 1800 055 714 |
