Eildon MP Cindy McLeish has delivered a condolence motion in State Parliament recognising the scale and impact of the recent Longwood bushfire, which affected large parts of her electorate including Mansfield Shire. Speaking in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, February 3, Ms McLeish said the fire “moved quickly and tore through the areas of the northern part of my electorate, doubling in size and eventually burning 140,000 hectares”. She described the fire as unusual, saying it “did not have a particular fire front, it burnt in 360 degrees and left multiple paths of devastation”. Ms McLeish told Parliament that 70 per cent of the Longwood fires burned through the Eildon electorate, predominantly in Murrindindi Shire and also affecting Mansfield Shire. She said the impact assessment showed that 45 per cent of all structures destroyed across Victoria were located in Murrindindi, describing it as “a small, cash-poor shire at the best of times”. According to figures cited in the motion, 193 homes were lost across Murrindindi Shire, with further losses recorded in Highlands, Yarck, Gobur, Terip Terip, Caveat, Fawcett, Molesworth, Alexandra, Dropmore, Kanumbra, Ghin Ghin and Koriella. Mansfield Shire recorded five homes lost in Merton. Ms McLeish also outlined extensive agricultural losses, including 519 sheds, around 2000 kilometres of fencing, 14,000 hectares of farmland and more than 5500 livestock. She noted that 389 beehives were destroyed and that 3222 people sought drought disaster relief payments. She paid tribute to emergency services, volunteers and local communities, saying “our emergency services performed exceptionally, backed up by locals”, and praised the role of community-led recovery efforts across the affected towns. Ms McLeish concluded by pledging ongoing support, stating, “I will continue to support those impacted.”
