2009 Black Saturday Bushfire Print Page

The semi-circle memorial seat in Queen’s Park, Healesville is a place of reflection in response to the 2009 Black Saturday Bushfires. It aims to provide a place of reflection for the community to acknowledge the trauma of a town surrounded by fire. It is dedicated to the thirteen people who lost their lives in the fire and residents who responded with resilience, ingenuity, courage and selflessness. 

These bushfires were the most devastating in Australian history; 173 people tragically lost their lives, 414 were injured, more than a million wild and domesticated animals were lost and 450,000 hectares of land were burned.

In February 2009, the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments jointly established the $10 million Community Recovery Fund to assist in community development and recovery after the Victorian bushfires. Funding of $2.5 million was allocated for memorials and commemorative events and has supported the creation of 59 memorials across 18 councils through extensive consultation with those communities impacted by the fires. The memorials include walls, sculptures, places of reflection, storyboards, lookout towers, roadside stops, shelters, signage, murals, plaques and seating, commemorative gardens and rotundas. 

Location

Details

Dedication