The road to recovery

Bushfire Information

• Opening bushfire affected roads

  With bushfires impacting over 1300km of roads in Gippsland and North-Eastern Victoria, our number one priority is providing safe access for people to return to their homes and communities as soon as possible.

  The bushfires have severely damaged the road surface, compromised structures like retaining walls and bridges, and destroyed signs and line markings across East Gippsland and North East Victoria.

  Tens of thousands of trees have been burned. Arborists have been busy individually assessing each tree, removing any that pose as a risk.

  Some roads have suffered more damage than others. In some cases, we’ve been tackling pavement or structural damage, and restoring safety features like signs and barriers to make the network safe to use again. 

  Clearing and re-opening these roads has required a multi-agency effort. We’ve been working with DELWP Forest Fire Management, Parks Victoria, VicForests, and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to clear roads, then undertake emergency repairs to enable safe access for the community.

  This work doesn’t stop until services are restored, roads are reopened and communities are reconnected.

  Road to Recovery - North East Victoria

  Road to Recovery - East Gippsland

   

  Local people fixing local roads

   

  What fire does to a road
• Safe driving in bushfire affected area

  If you’re travelling through an area impacted by bushfires, it’s important to exercise caution, with smoke still reducing visibility on some roads.

  We have reduced speed limits in place through many fire affected areas for your safety and the safety of our crews who are still on site clearing and repairing the roads. Other potential hazards to look out for include:

  • Debris on the road from fallen trees and other vegetation
  • Damaged signage or guideposts
  • Workers or machinery on the road
  • An increased presence of wildlife. 

  Real-time traffic information is available at VicTraffic website via the VicTraffic mobile app from the App Store or Google Play.

  Stopping on bushfire affected roads

  While roads that have re-opened are considered safe for travel, they’re not always back to their optimal safe operating condition. 

  Parking on the side of the road unnecessarily can cause a hazard for other motorists. Walking through areas near the roadside can put you at an increased risk of falling trees and debris. 

  If you’re travelling through a bushfire affected area don’t stop on the side of the road unless you have to. 

• Registration and ID for bushfire affected residents

  When in a bushfire affected area, you may need identification to pass through some traffic management points.

  If you have lost your driver licence due to bushfire, VicRoads can provide you with a replacement at no fee. To arrange a replacement card, call 13 11 71 or visit a VicRoads Customer Service Centre.

  VicRoads can also assist you with replacing your registration documents or cancelling registration on a fire-damaged vehicle.
  For more information visit bushfire relief assistance.
   

• Safe road access

  During these bushfires, road access has been managed by the Incident Control Centre (ICC), set up to coordinate the emergency response. 

  Each road is inspected to ensure it’s safe for all vehicles to travel on before being reopened under the direction of the ICC. 

  To ensure safety, different levels of access have been put in place. Sometimes a road might have restricted access for a certain type or number of vehicles, this is because it’s what the road can handle at that time due to damage from fires and repair works underway. 

  This also gives critical access to emergency services and agencies to inspect and repair roads, deliver supplies and provide relief, as well as for local residents and business owners to reach their properties. 

  Road Closed 

  When a road is closed, work is happening behind the scenes to safely restore access for the community. 

  Road access may be blocked by debris and hazardous trees, and the bushfire emergency may still be underway in some areas. The ICC may need to deploy powerful, heavy machinery to clear debris to allow access routes for emergency services. 

  Logging harvesters are then used to safely remove hazardous trees. In steep terrain, specialist tree-climbing arborists are required to remove hazardous trees by hand. 

  Once the road is cleared from dangerous trees and the fire danger has passed, our crews can enter the area to assess the damage and impact to the road. We then: 

  • clear any remaining debris from the roads
  • repair the road surface where it has been damaged
  • reinstate critical road safety infrastructure including guideposts, line marking and regulatory and warning signs
  • assess the safety of critical infrastructure such as bridges, culverts and retaining walls. 

  We may reopen the road in stages with restrictions in place such as reduced speeds and lane closures, until all safety features are fully restored. 
   

  Authorised Access 

  If it’s safe to do so, local residents, business owners and relief, recovery and supply services may be provided with authorised access to closed roads

  Residents may be required to pass through traffic management points and show proof of residence.

  If you’re permitted to access restricted roads that aren’t open to the general public, please drive with caution. When travelling through the area remember to: 

  • drive slowly
  • obey directions from emergency services personnel 
  • never drive around traffic management points – these roads are not safe for you to enter. 

  Road Reopened 

  Once the road has been safely restored, we’ll reopen access to the community. 

  We’ll also reinstate public transport services across Eastern and North-Eastern Victoria as soon as we can.

  For more information download our fact sheet on accessing roads impacted by bushfires. 

   
• Regional Victoria is open for business

  The fires have significantly impacted regional businesses that would be thriving from tourism at this time of year. 

  Regional roads are vital to tourism. We’ll do everything we can to ensure roads are reopened and tourists can get through as quickly as possible.

  While there are still a few parts of Victoria that aren’t safe to visit after being affected by bushfires, so many regional destinations are open for business! 

  Chuck an empty esky in the boot and explore the amazing produce and experiences that regional Victoria has to offer. 

  Check out Visit Victoria for more details and travel inspiration and help support regional Victorian communities for your next getaway.

  Regional Victoria's parks and forests

  Parks and forests are open across Victoria. Before you plan to visit or camp for your next trip away, you can check if the park or forest you are planning to visit is open. 

  For park closures visit Parks Victoria  and for forest closures visit Forest Fire Management Victoria.

  Accredited Visitor information Centres can also assist in helping you plan your journey.

• Important information on rebuilding fences and determining boundary lines

  Victorian communities are starting the task of rebuilding and recovering what was lost or damaged in the bushfires. A big part of this will be rebuilding fences and re-determining boundary lines for property.

  It’s really important when building fences, that they lie within the correct lines and boundaries between properties. This is an opportunity to address and correct any irregularities that might have previously affected land boundaries.
  If a fence is built in the wrong place, it can lead to incorrect occupation of land under different ownership. 

  Where can I go for more information on land titles and fence parameters?

  There are a few resources you can use to help you in the construction of new fences on existing boundary lines:

   - Visit LANDATA to verify title boundaries.

   - Speak to your local Council’s planning department.

   - Have a licensed Surveyor mark out the title boundary lines for you.

  For advice on building fences adjacent to road reserves or roads, see our section on fencing and property management here.

  If you have any questions regarding the shared responsibilities of boundary lines, you can contact the Department of Transport’s property manager, BGIS.