Toolangi - Castella Bushfire MemorialPrint Page 
The monument commemorates those who died in the Black Saturday bushfires.
The monument is a series of 11 inscribed stepping stones, which lead into a small gathering space, which is placed among native trees and scrubs, Local crafted timber seats surround the space, and these were made from a tree trunk which survived the bushfire. The past, present and the future is symbolised through a sculptural glass structure in the centre of the space.
Forty percent of Murrindindi Shire was burned during the 2009 bushfires. More than 100 people lost their lives and 1,397 homes, 75 businesses, 16 community or government buildings and 234 sheds were destroyed.
The Black Saturday bushfires were a series of bushfires that ignited or were burning across the Australian state of Victoria on and around Saturday, 7 February 2009. The fires occurred during extreme bushfire-weather conditions and resulted in Australia's highest ever loss of life from a bushfire; 173 people died and 414 were injured as a result of the fires. As many as 400 individual fires were recorded on 7 February. Following the events of 7 February 2009 and its aftermath, that day has become widely referred to as Black Saturday.
Beyond the 173 deaths, 120 of them caused by a single firestorm, the fires destroyed over 2,030 houses and more than 3,500 structures, and damaged thousands more. Many towns northeast of Melbourne, the state capital, were badly damaged, and Kinglake, Marysville, Narbethong, Strathewen, and Flowerdale were all but completely destroyed. The fires affected 78 townships and displaced an estimated 7,562 people.
Location
| Address: | Maroondah Highway & Healesville - Kinglake Road , Castella Central Park, Castella, 3777 |
|---|---|
| State: | VIC |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -37.526251 Long: 145.420194 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Disaster |
| Sub-Theme: | Fire |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 07-February-2009 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 07-February-2009 |
| Artist: | Janine Tanzer |
| Monument Manufacturer: | Janine Tanzer & Ernest Fries |
| Link: | http://www.rdv.vic.gov.au |
Dedication
| Approx. Monument Dedication Date: | 2018 |
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Plaque :
Toolangi / Castella Bushfire Memorial
This memorial tells part of the story of the Black Saturday fire that burned on 7 February, 2009 through a series of 11 stepping stones. The past, present and future are symbolised through a sculptural glass element located as the centre piece of the gathering space. The sculpture is surrounded by locally crafted timber seats fashioned from a log that survived the fire and was laid to rest on the site of the memorial. Two lives lost are honoured. "Let us not look for you only in memory, where we would grow lonely without you. You would want us to find you in presence, beside us when beauty brightens, when kindness glows and music echoes eternal tones." Poem by John O`Donohue.
To learn more about the impact of the Black Saturday fires and the names of those who passed away in the Kilmore East Fire, please visit the Kinglake Memorial at Frank Thomson Reserve, Kinglake.
Plaque :
Toolangi Castella Bushfire Memorial
To those who assisted our community during and following the events of 7 February 2009
Emergency Services
Charitable Organisations
Government Agencies
All the volunteers and donors from near and far
Thank You
