Wilsons Promontory Cathedral Fire 2009

Early on the morning of Sunday 8 February 2009, the day after what is now known as Black Saturday, a dry lightning storm passed over Wilsons Promontory and a bushfire ignited. Lightning struck a gully just north of The Cathedral, a mountain at the north end of Sealers Cove on Wilsons Promontory's east coast. This bushfire burnt 25 200ha over five weeks, close to 50% of the national park.


Fire front moving north along Five Mile Beach and swamp. The fire began on The Cathedral range area at top of the photo		Tidal River with burn in the background on 23 Feb 2009		Fire crews in the Lilly Pilly car park

The recovering landscape

A lot of native plants have developed strategies to cope with fire, including woody fruits and cones to protect seeds (for example, Hakeas and Banksias) during fire and releasing them after fire to regenerate. Some plants require fire to release seed en masse.


Banksia pods opened by the fire to release seeds		Acacia seedling.		Hakea pods.

Grass trees (Xanthorrea australis) are already sprouting green shoots and will be spectacular if you return to see them when they flower in spring. Grass trees only flower en masse after fire, so spring flowering will be a rare experience.


Bracken regrows soon after the fire.		Grass Trees near Five Mile Road		New growth against the blackened trunk of a eucalypt

Eucalypts have dormant buds which burst into life when the top growth (or canopy) is burnt. The dormant buds develop into stems that produce what is known as epicormic growth.


Butterfly Flag flowers soon after fire.		Epicormic growth at the base of a eucalypt		Tea Tree seed capsule opened by the heat of the fire.

What happened to the animals living in the bushfire area?

Animals did perish during the bushfire. After the fire is also a tough time for the creatures that survive as food is scarce and some animals have injuries resulting from the fire. After a bushfire there are winners and losers. Some wildlife populations may benefit from the fire, other species may take years to return, if at all. We will monitor and continue to learn how the Prom recovers from fire.


An Echidna returns quickly to the burnt area to feed on ants harvesting the mass seed release.		Emu wandering through a burnt area.		A Swamp Wallaby grazes on nutritious new growth.

How does the park look after the fire?

See for yourself...


View over Sealers Cove		Tidal River with Mt Oberon (unburnt) and Mt Bishop burn area in background.		Visitors return to Tidal River