Rebuilding Yarra Ranges

The Communities

Healesville, Yarra Glen, Chum Creek, Badger Creek, Steels Creek and Dixons Creek are townships in the heart of the Yarra Valley - approximately 60 kilometres east of Melbourne.

The towns are part of the Yarra Ranges Council which is home to a population of 145,000 and covers approximately 2500 square kilometres.

The region has a diverse economy of around 10,000 businesses, employing more than 35,000 people. Manufacturing is the most valuable industry, yielding $2.8 billion in regional output. Other important industries include agriculture (including wine making), tourism, construction, retail, and property and business services.

The Yarra Valley has a strong local and international reputation as a fine food and wine producing area, and each year more than two million tourists visit the region's wineries, as well as the gardens and townships of the Dandenong Ranges.

The Bushfires

These towns were all impacted by the February bushfires and some of them were significantly affected.

There were ten fatalities at Steels Creek and one in Yarra Glen.

Damage was sustained to 94 properties in Chum Creek, 92 properties in Steels Creek, 51 in Yarra Glen, 31 in Dixons Creek, 19 in Healesville, 6 in Toolangi , 4 in Coldstream, 4 in Tarrawarra, 1 in Gruyere, 1 in Belgrave South and 1 in Yering.

Some wineries, including Mandala, suffered damage to buildings and significant wine crop loss due to fire and smoke damage. The Yarra Glen Showgrounds and Recreation Reserve were also damaged.

Tourism industries in the area were hardest hit with monetary losses arising from loss of trading. Many local businesses reported mass cancellation of bookings and major events, with many weddings and the annual Grape Grazing event cancelled.

A Business Impact Assessment Summary conducted by the Yarra Valley and Dandenongs Marketing organisation reports that one winery was destroyed and 32 damaged, four accommodation facilities destroyed and seven damaged and one tourist activity operator destroyed and five damaged.

Recovery Plan

Since the 2009 bushfires Community Recovery Committees and the Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority (the Authority) have 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: