Twice in one year, the Grampians were on fire - have the tourists returned?

Once a tragedy seen every few years, bushfires in regional Victoria have become an annual event. For two summers in a row - and within the same year -  the Grampians were set alight in particularly destructive examples of this new norm. 

Only a few years later, the region is asking itself how it might need to adapt.

❓ What Happened: In February 2024 a combination of extreme heat, wind, and thunderstorm lightning caused a blaze in Pomonal that destroyed 46 homes. 

Ten months later, in December, dry lightning struck and ignited another destructive fire through the Grampians National Park. 

• Dry lightning is – as it sounds – when lightning strikes dry ground. The weather pattern creates an accelerated ignition risk due to the lack of rain to suppress sparks. 

Extreme heat was a factor in both fires, and data shows Australia is only getting hotter. 

The impact: In the Grampians, the damage following the 2024 fires was immense. 

• 135,000 hectares were burned, accounting for nearly 80 percent of the national park and including neighbouring farmland. This impacted visitor assets like campgrounds, cultural places, and, most severely of all, biodiversity.

• A heatwave elevated the danger significantly between January 4 and 5 as temperatures exceeded 40 degrees. 

• The cost to the local economy was estimated at $200 million, and a total of $1.3 million in emergency relief payments were paid to affected locals. 

Worse still: Dry vegetation and extreme weather conditions intensified the disaster. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the mean maximum temperature for Victoria in 2024 was “very much above average”, within the highest 10 percent of all years since 1910.  

Even before the summer of 2026, the Australian Seasonal Bushfire Outlook for Summer warned of a higher-than-average summer. 

The community at the centre: The Grampians is a famed tourist destination, with picturesque hikes, local zoos, and an abundance of outdoor activities. When it set on fire, the implications for revenue were significant. 

According to Grampians Mallee Tourism, the bushfires caused a tourism revenue loss close to $1.9 million per day. 

Grampians Estate owner Sarah Guthrie lost almost the entirety of her 3,000 acre farm during the blaze, where many of the estate’s vineyards were planted. 

🗣️ “The vine was completely smoke-tainted, so there was no vintage that year,” she told the Brolga. “The perception of safety impacts the whole region.” 

Guthrie is no stranger to devastation, having lost livestock and land to the 2006 bushfire in the region as well. 

• “We never dreamt we’d have another fire of that magnitude in our life.” 

💪 A resilient community: Lucy Black, from Black & Ginger Wines, echoed these statements but says the region has learned to be resilient. 

• “We’ve certainly seen a reduced number of visitors to the region. But the community is really resilient, working hard to band together and putting on a lot of collaborative events to try and stand out.” She told the Brolga. 

Events like a vintage car rally and the Grampians Grape Escape are examples of this community collaboration. 

Business changes: Adrian Manikus, owner of Grampians Outdoors and Grampians Peaks Walking Company, said his business has learned to pivot in times of disaster. 

• “It’s been an interesting journey. Some parts have bounced back quickly, others not so much,” said Manikus. “All of the trails are now open again, and it’s still incredibly interesting to walk through as you can see the story of the fire.” 

• With summer-time bushfires becoming more likely, Manikus said the region is gearing more attractions to the winter months.

• “We’ve had to diversify and be less reliant on the summer market. We are mitigating that by introducing new products in different parts of the state, like a 4-day guided canoe tour down Glenelg River.” 

🗣️: “GLOW Festival is something being offered as an alternative, so if we do lose summer that’s not the whole year written off.” 

Signs of life: Two years on, the Grampians community continues to work together to revitalise itself. This past Easter, the local caravan park was completely booked out and local markets were bustling with out-of-town visitors.