Ash Wednesday Bushfire Education Centre in Cockatoo, Victoria | Landmark & historical place

Ash Wednesday Bushfire Education Centre

Locality: Cockatoo, Victoria

Phone: +61 419 949 694

Address: 2 McBride Street 3781 Cockatoo, VIC, Australia

Website: http://awbec.webs.com

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• Education
• Landmark & historical place
• Community museum

25.01.2022 Thank you Warburton Fire Brigade CFA, for visiting us. <3

25.01.2022 Unfortunately, we will be closed tomorrow Saturday the 7th of March. We will be open on Sunday between 11am and 3pmUnfortunately, we will be closed tomorrow Saturday the 7th of March. We will be open on Sunday between 11am and 3pm

25.01.2022 Our centre is open Saturday & Sunday between 11am and 3 pm. We are searching for more volunteers so we can keep our doors open each and every weekend without stretching our existing volunteers to their limits. If you have a friendly personality, can take great pride in our centre and have an interest in community, we would LOVE to hear from you. The role entails greeting visitors to the centre, some minimal cleaning at times, keeping our display boards neat & tidy, and even s...ome gardening if that's what you like to do in quiet times. Please get in touch with us via messenger or send an email to [email protected]. Please note this is strictly a "volunteer" position. **EDIT** To anyone who had applied via the "job" posting, I do apologise but I had to repost as a normal listing. My thought that was posting the volunteer role under a volunteer job listing we would reach more people. Yes, we did, but after receiving numerous applications from overseas I decided that for some people it is a little bit far to travel.

24.01.2022 After many years where the health of our flowering gum, planted by Lady Diana was in question we have watch it's reinvigoration with delight.

20.01.2022 We will be back commencing on Sunday the 5th of July. At this early stage, we will only be open on Sundays until further notice. We have been approved by council to open with a maximum of 20 persons permitted in the building at any one time. With all patrons adhering to the 1.5m social distancing rules.... All necessary steps have been taken to ensure we follow the State Health Officers regulations. As such, all visitors will be required to complete our visitors log. Rest assured, this information will only be used in the event that there is a need to locate a person/s because another visitor is found to have tested positive to Corona virus. This information will not be given to a third party for promotional reasons. Nor will it be used by us to contact visitors for marketing purposes. We hope to see you soon. And we thank you for your understanding in this trying time. AWBEC Committee of Management

18.01.2022 Bushfire Education Centres Open Days As a result of the recent bushfires in Victoria two Bushfire Education Centres will be opened this weekend Saturday 1st February and Sunday 2nd February. Marysville 1030am - 330pm ... Located 300 meters from the Visitor Information Centre Pickup flyer from Visitor Information Centre The Bushfire Education Centre Marysville is normally only opened for schools, because of the impact on the public this year it is important to have these open days, to give extra knowledge about bushfires and effect on communities. Marysville was 95% destroyed on Black Saturday 7th February 2009 A lot can be learned from this community. Cockatoo 11am - 3pm The Ash Wednesday Bushfire Education Centre built on the site of the former kindergarten in McBride Street, Cockatoo. The centre is a place of learning about events during the devastating series of bushfires that occurred in south-eastern Australia on 16 February 1983. Everyone who visits these centres takes away extra knowledge about bushfires, and in an emergency it assists in making better decisions. Free Entry to both centres this weekend Contact: Marysville Barry Thomas 0418 175 090 Contact: Cockatoo Graham Simpson 0419 949 694

17.01.2022 Good afternoon everyone, As a result of the uncertain times we fined ourselves living in, the AWBEC committee have this morning made the decision to close AWBEC for the foreseeable future. We have already had a number of bookings cancel and we feel that the health and safety of our volunteers and visitors is essential and our number one priority. Any dates previously booked by group visit who are still wishing to attend will go ahead as planned however.... At this point of time we don't know how long the centre will be closed and we will follow the advise given by the health department and government as to when it may be safe to resume normal opening times again. We hope that you will all stay healthy through this pandemic situation and that you will return to visit us once we reopen, whenever that maybe. Take care and we hope to see you all soon. The AWBEC Committee of Management

06.01.2022 WARNING SOME PEOPLE MAY FIND THIS DISTRESSING There are days that will always be remembered in history. Wednesday 16th February 1983 is one of those days. The... day is now etched in our memories and colloquially referred to as Ash Wednesday. Today marks the 37th anniversary of the tragic Ash Wednesday Bushfires that swept across Victoria and South Australia on that day. The areas of Upper Beaconsfield and Cockatoo were amongst the hardest hit. 21 lives were lost in Upper Beaconsfield alone including 12 volunteer firefighters from the Panton Hill and Narre Warren Fire Brigades and another from Nar Nar Goon who passed away in the Cockatoo fire. An unfathomable 176 of the then 230 homes in Upper Beaconsfield were destroyed in the fire (by contrast, Upper Beaconsfield now has over 1000 homes). Wednesday 16th February 1983 started out as another hot summers day. The temperature climbed rapidly and peaked at 43 degrees by 3.15pm. Low humidity coupled with a strong north westerly wind gusting to 100kph was being blown straight out of Central Australia and a forecast south westerly wind change late in the day would see fire fighters on edge from the start of the day. Shortly after 3pm a fire broke out in the Belgrave Heights area and fanned by extremely strong northerly winds, started heading in a southerly direction towards Harkaway, Narre Warren East and Guys Hill. Several fires were already being tackled away from Upper Beaconsfield as a result of the growing fire and fierce wind. By late afternoon the Guys Hill fire was still tracking in a southerly direction and despite the hard work that still laid ahead, fire fighters were starting to think they might be gaining the upper hand but were conscious of the impending South Westerly wind change due later that evening. By this stage, many crews were working in and around the Guys Hill area had already saved quite a few homes from being destroyed. At around 8.50pm that evening, a dry blustery south westerly wind change hit the Upper Beaconsfield area. The wind change hit with a bang and blew relentlessly for hours. It would prove to have a disastrous affect on the fires still burning causing them to change direction and size and dramatically increase their intensity. Prior to the wind change, the fires had been burning in a relatively long and thin line with a narrow head or front. After the wind change the long eastern flank of the fire became the head or the front of the fire burning across a much wider path. With the wind change, the fire roared up the hill from Guys Hill and proceeded to wreak havoc through the township of Upper Beaconsfield tragically taking with it many lives and properties along the way. Firefighting efforts after the wind change were gallant but futile. At the height of the fires it is estimated that there were 121 fire brigades working from areas right across the state. Many people suffered loss and endured pain that day, in fact many are still feeling that pain today. February 16th 1983 will always be a day that we will never forget. Our heart goes out to those families affected by this tragedy and we can only pray that we never have to endure anything on that scale ever again.

05.01.2022 Our re-opening last week was short lived, once again our centre will be closed until further notice. Thank you for your understanding.

03.01.2022 The devastating Ash Wednesday Bushfires of the 16th of February 1983 caused widespread destruction across the states of Victoria and South Australia. Years of severe drought and extreme weather combined to create one of Australia's worst fire days in a century. The fires became the deadliest bushfire in Australian history, until the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009. In Victoria, 47 people died, while in South Australia there were 28 deaths. This included 14 Country Fire Autho...rity (CFA) and three Country Fire Service South Australia (CFS) volunteer fire-fighters who died across both states that day. Many fatalities were as a result of firestorm conditions caused by a sudden and violent wind change in the evening which rapidly changed the direction and size of the fire front. The speed and ferocity of the flames, aided by abundant fuels and a landscape immersed in smoke, made fire suppression and containment impossible. In many cases, residents fended for themselves as fires broke communications, cut off escape routes and severed electricity and water supplies. Up to 8,000 people were evacuated in Victoria at the height. The ASH Wednesday Bushfire Education Centre details the devastation that occurred on the 16th of February 1983. Not only in Cockatoo but across the whole state of Victoria. With photographs, interactive touch screens, news footage and many personal items donated by local residents on display it is a very poignant reminder of that fateful day in 1983. Our gardens are home to a reflective memorial garden, a quiet space to sit, remember & reflect. Staffed by many local volunteers, who are able to share their own experiences with you it truly is a wonderful place to visit. We are open from 11.00 3.00 Saturdays and Sundays. Entry fees are $2 per person or $5 per family. In memory of Ash Wednesday, we will be open on Sunday the 16th of February FREE of charge.

02.01.2022 Today the 31st of August, marks the 23rd anniversary of the death of Princess Diana. Whether you were a fan or not, she was someone who made a huge impact on th...e world. In 1983 she also made a huge impact on Cockatoo....and we are still fortunate to have the Eucalyptus Ficifolia that she planted with Prince Charles taking pride of place at the Ash Wednesday Bushfire Education Centre. Their visit was a huge boost to the town during very difficult times. RIP Diana See more

02.01.2022 Hard to believe its been 37 years since the devastating Ash Wednesday fires changed the face of Cockatoo and so many other towns in Victoria and SA on the 16th ...February 1983. For those that were here, the day is etched in their memories. So much was lost, so much heartache, so many lives gone. But when we look back over time, it may be different dates but not much changes.bushfires are bushfires with very similar results. Since 1851 and the Black Thursday fires, Victoria has had over 20 Million hectares of land burned with the loss of 560 lives. Proof we live in one of the worlds most bushfire prone areas. Today, on the 37th anniversary, the Ash Wednesday Bushfire Education Centre will be open from 11am 3pm. Everyone is welcome, so come along, remember, pay respect, share experiences, learn or just take some quiet time. In 1983, we had no psychological counselling and many still face challenges every day. Much was learned from Ash Wednesday and luckily those that have faced similar since 1983 get the help and counselling they need. So please come along today, it may help, or at least help you understand what has changed since 1983. As always, we give thanks to the firefighters who put their lives on the line each bushfire season to protect their communitieswe are forever grateful. Also, thanks to the Young family for the image attached.

01.01.2022 Hi everyone, we have some exciting news for you all. Commencing next weekend The Ash Wednesday Bushfire Education Centre will be FREE of any admission fees. As a volunteer run organisation, we survive wholly on your generous donations, and as always these will be gratefully accepted. We would love to see you all at some stage. We are open between 11am & 3pm Saturdays & Sundays. Closed on most public holidays, code red days, and occasionally closed due to private bookings. Please follow our page to keep up to date.