The 1974âÂÂ75 Australian bushfire season is a series of bushfires, also known around the world as wildfires, that burned across Australia. Fires that summer burned up an estimated . Approximately 15% of Australia's land mass suffered "extensive fire damage" including parts of New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.
The fires killed six people, approximately 57,000 farm animals, farmers' crops, and destroyed nearly of fencing.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics attributed the extent of the fires to "exceptionally heavy rainfall in the previous two years".
Stephen J. Pyne qualified the fire season as the most destructive event in terms of hectares burned among historical fires in Australia, but added that "the 1974/75 fires had almost no impact and much of the damage was found by satellite after the fact." Nonetheless, fire historian Danielle Clode notes that these fires remain significant for being the biggest bushfire event by area ever recorded. In 2011, retired Australian government scientist David Packham warned that "we are in for one big season" that could repeat the 1974 summer fires.
Australia, being a federation of States and territories, breaks up the 1974âÂÂ1975 fires by state or region:
Six people killed. Area burned: . 50,000 livestock lost, of fencing destroyed. to Balranald, Cobar Shire, MoolahâÂÂCorinyaâÂÂmost of the Western Division. Lost crops, and widespread damage to infrastructure, including communications, roads and railways.
The Moolah-Corinya fire was "the largest fire ever contained by man in New South Wales without the help of the weather." It burned and its perimeter was over .
Area burned: . The fire reached Barkly Tableland, Victoria River district, near Newcastle Waters.
The bushfire season was defined as October 1974 to February 1975. Area burned: . 95 cattle, 6,850 sheep lost. Areas damaged: Thargomindah, Bulloo Shire, Boulia Urandangie, McKinlay Shire.
Area burned: . The areas affected were the north-west of the state (arid and semi-arid zones), and the Adelaide Hills.
Area burned: of fires, damaging east and north-east of Kalgoorlie.