It has been three years since lightning strikes ignited devastating fires across 9,300 hectares of Bunyip State Park on Bunurong Country, burning 60 per cent of bush.
Four fires combined to form one on March 1 2019 and burned until the end of the month, covering 15,596 hectares.
The fires reached local communities to the south of the park claiming 29 houses, numerous buildings, kilometres of fence line and farmland.
The path from 'embers to recovery' has been slow, with a staged approach required to deal with the immediate threats of pest animal predation, the spread of pest plants, soil erosion, siltation of the waterways, deer impacting on vegetation and sensitive waterways, tree risks, as well as further damage caused by illegal activities such as off-road four-wheel driving, trail bikes and illegal firewood collection.
Recovery for the local communities has also been slow and continues to this day.
Parks Victoria staff recently hosted a community day targeting local landowners, community groups and volunteers that assisted in rehabilitating Bunyip State Park.
Around 40 people joined a carpool convoy led by local rangers to celebrate the progress of new growth and the completion of key works at the park.
"We wanted to get local landowners and groups we work with on a regular basis together for a tour of their beloved Bunyip State Park," said area chief ranger for Gembrook Jack Dinkgreve.
"No one wants to see Bunyip State Park restored more than the people who spend their days looking after it. We hope the tour offered local landowners and volunteers, as well as our staff, an opportunity to show themselves a moment of kindness, to reflect on the journey so far, to hear about the significant works that have occurred in protecting and restoring the park and to acknowledge their dedication in helping us get to where we are now."
Each section of the tour reminded volunteers of the projects they supported, including the monitoring of small mammals as part of the Victorian National Parks Association's 'Caught on Camera' project; cleaning up trailer-loads of old, barbed wire fencing and rubbish; and battling rain, hail and snow to clear kilometres of walking tracks from fallen trees and debris.
Staff also provided information on the approach to recovery and the staged re-opening of the park once areas were considered safe.
Monitoring the response of specific plants and animals in the fire-impacted area will give rangers an indication of the overall health of the park. Vegetation monitoring plots have been established across protected areas of the park with this aim in mind and annual surveys of faunal species such as the Greater Glider continue.
"Some species can be expected to return quickly and enjoy the disturbance the fire creates. Others have a life cycle that might see them return after months or years. Some may never recover," Mr Dinkgreve said.
"We were thrilled to see that some animals such as Greater Gliders, bandicoots and Southern Emu Wrens had either survived the fires or are returning in healthy numbers, and to see the response of threatened plants such as the Green-striped Greenhood orchid. The displays of wildflowers in spring are a real treat."
The communities, parks, emergency personnel and rangers affected by the Bunyip fires and the Black Summer fires have been on a long journey from 'embers to recovery'. We're thrilled to see Bunyip State Park bouncing back.