Restrictions on campfires, pot fires and other solid fuel stoves will come into place from 2am Saturday 21 October at identified Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) campgrounds around the state to help reduce the risk of bushfires.
PWS State Fire Manager Katy Edwards said the restrictions are important to help protect visitors and communities.
Tasmania has experienced a very warm winter and conditions are much drier than usual, particularly in the south-east of the state. Climate drivers suggest this drying pattern is set to continue for the remainder of the year, with a high chance of unusually warm and dry conditions and a high chance of unusually high fire dangers for this period and into summer.
To date, the 2023 rainfall totals have been below average for much of the south-east corner of Tasmania, with the lowest winter rainfall on record across parts of the Tasman Peninsula.
There is significant deep layer soil dryness on the west coast of the state and across the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, due to years of rainfall deficiency. Fine fuel load is significant on the east coast due to successive wet seasons allowing for significant vegetation growth. Curing grass is likely to present a grass fuel hazard over the next few months.
The seasonal campfire restrictions apply to:
- Flinders Island
- King Island
- Maria Island
- Dorset, Break O’Day, Glamorgan/Spring Bay, Sorell, Tasman, Kingborough and HuonValley municipalities
- Narawntapu National Park
- Snaky Creek Conservation Area
- Tooms Lake Conservation Area
Gas stoves and gas barbecues will be permitted.
PWS State Fire Manager Katy Edwards said the seasonal campfire restrictions are put in place to help protect visitors and communities.
“Our priority is community and visitor safety and preventing bushfires from starting. Eliminating abandoned, escaped or poorly-constructed campfires is part of our community and visitor safety strategy,” she said.
“We want to ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable camping experience and appreciate assistance from visitors and the community in complying with fire restrictions.”
Last year there were 94 reports of unattended or illegal campfires on PWS managed land.