Rebuilding Kinglake Ranges

The Communities

Kinglake and Kinglake Central are around 63 kms from Melbourne in the Kinglake Ranges. The Kinglake area is surrounded by forest, farmland and the Kinglake National Park.

Kinglake West is around 68 kms north-east of Melbourne and Pheasant Creek is located four kilometres further east.

Key industries include tourism, agriculture, retail, nurseries, engineering, light industrial and home based businesses.

The Bushfires

The February 2009 bushfires had a devastating effect on the area, with Kinglake and Kinglake Central recording 26 fatalities and 328 properties destroyed. Kinglake West and Pheasant Creek suffered 15 fatalities and 170 properties were destroyed. Many more properties suffered damage.

The fires destroyed a number of significant community assets, including the kindergarten and childcare centre, Middle Kinglake Primary School, Lions Park, St Mary's Roman Catholic Church and St Peters Anglican Church.

All facilities on the Kinglake Trust Reserve were also destroyed including the SES shed, toilet block, water tanks, cross country jumps, Pony Club shed and storage, and the Trust Building.

Some facilities suffered significant damage including the tennis clubrooms on the Kinglake Memorial Reserve and parts of the Kinglake Community Centre including the foyer and lounge area, Senior Citizen's meeting room, the craft room, and the kitchen and storage facilities.

A total of five shops and eight businesses were destroyed. Many home-based businesses were also lost when houses were destroyed. The Kinglake West Adventure Camp was completely destroyed.

Availability of portable water was an issue immediately after the fires as water tanks on many residential properties were destroyed or damaged, while the water was contaminated in many of the tanks which remained intact.

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: