Rebuilding Indigo

The Communities

Indigo Shire, which is located in Victoria's picturesque North East, is bordered by the Murray River and Australian Alps and is an area renowned for its natural beauty and historic character.  The Shire has a population of 15,238 and has more than 700 separate businesses with the local economy based on farming, the processing of primary produce and the provision of services including tourism. 

The Shire welcomes thousands of visitors every year. Rutherglen is a world-famous wine region and Beechworth, Chiltern and Yackandandah are rich with history. Visitors travel to the Shire to follow the trail of the Kelly Gang at Beechworth's Historic Towns Cultural Precinct or in the hills and natural reserves. The Shire boasts fine local produce, award winning restaurants and wines, all of which are popular with tourists.

The township of Stanley is around 10 minutes drive from Beechworth and has a population of approximately 690 people. The major economic activity in Stanley is agriculture - primarily fruit and nut orchards. Bruarong is about 25 minutes drive from Beechworth and has an economy based primarily on beef, sheep, dairy, fruit and viticulture.

The Bushfires

The Beechworth Fire which began late in the day on Black Saturday 2009 had a big impact in the Indigo Shire. In Beechworth, Stanley and Bruarong, significant stretches of private boundary fencing were lost and many farming businesses suffered fencing, stock and fodder losses.

Beechworth Honey lost more than 6 million bees in the fires. 

In the months after the fires there was a significant decline in the number of visitors to the Shire which affected local businesses and the economy.  Beechworth, whilst not suffering direct fire damage or infrastructure losses, experienced a 70 to 80 per cent drop in visitation.

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: