Ash Wednesday Bushfire Education Centre (Cockatoo)

The Ash Wednesday Bushfire and Education Centre is a place of learning about events during bushfires. It has gardens which are a place of reflection about the loss fires bring.

The Ash Wednesday Bushfire Education Centre tells the stories of the eight major fires in Victoria on 16th February 1983, not just Cockatoo.

Today the building has many photos of the struggle by communities and individuals during and after the horrific bushfires.

Ash Wednesday - The devastating "Ash Wednesday" bushfires of the 16th February 1983 were felt across the world. This building was used as a refuge from the fires that raged through Cockatoo late on that evening. Men, women and children along with their pets sheltered from the firestorm under wet towels as courageous men hosed down the bitumen roof to prevent any ignition of the building.

State wide many lives were lost, as well as a significant number of properties, vehicles, livestock and livelihoods in eight major fires.

Education Centre - The centre has touch screen computers that hold large amounts of information gathered over many years of research, this includes statistics and photos of the fire affected areas from all over Victoria.

A large LCD screen provides continuous video footage collected during and after the fires. This involves news stories and interviews with those who endured the fires.

The building and information contained within, is a fantastic resource for students doing research into bushfires for school projects.

The CFA has provided a large amount of information to assist people in understanding what to do when living or travelling in high fire danger areas.

Ash Wednesday Bushfire Education Centre (Cockatoo)

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