Visit Victoria Bushfire Statement

On behalf of the team at Visit Victoria, I want to extend our thoughts to everyone affected by the bushfires in East Gippsland, the High Country and Upper Murray regions. Visitors are advised not to visit these areas at this time.

I also want to express our gratitude and support to the outstanding emergency services teams that are working tirelessly to keep people safe and contain the fires.

We encourage all travellers with accommodation bookings in affected areas over the next few weeks to contact their host to confirm their plans.

Visitors should seek the latest information on the conditions by visiting the VicEmergency website (emergency.vic.gov.au) which includes up-to-date alerts and warnings on active Victorian bushfires.

While some parts of the state are experiencing challenging conditions, many regional destinations have not been impacted and are welcoming visitors. This includes Ballarat, Bendigo, Beechworth, the Great Ocean Road, Phillip Island, the Mornington Peninsula, Yarra Valley, Dandenong Ranges, the Grampians, Daylesford, Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula, the Murray region and West and South Gippsland, including Wilsons Promontory.

In the weeks and months to come, our priority will be to ensure communities, visitors and tourism operators who have been affected by the bushfires are supported, as well as continuing to support other regions which have not been impacted.

We will continue to rally behind affected communities to help them recover as quickly as possible and encourage people to visit as soon as it’s safe to do so.

We understand just how important local tourism is to these local communities and we’re determined to stand with them as they rebuild and recover. 

Brendan McClements 
Chief Executive Officer, Visit Victoria