Great Fire of Hobart - Black Tuesday 1967 Tasmania 

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That's our family home at 9.39 My father donned a wet sugar bag around 110 Forest Road and ran though the heat being generated by the homes being destroyed in that area at the time to save it. He arrived home at 162 Forest Road to put out small spot fires on the side door and in the guttering. Here is a story I wrote of that day What a day! - My story of the 1967 Bush Fires It started off a beautiful sunny day. First day back at school in grade 10. Of course being day one, the mandatory photos in the school uniforms had to be taken, especially as my brother Malcolm was attending New Town High for the first time. Photos all done, we were off down Forest Road in Mum's Morris Minor to catch the school bus from the GPO. Our Home room at New Town High faced west and during the day looking out the windows to Mt Wellington and West Moonah we could see fires building on the mountain. The wind had picked up dramatically during the day. The bright sunny day was now very overcast too. Just after lunch we were directed to go back to our home rooms to wait further instructions from the Headmaster. We now could see the fires had come much closer to our school and fences of homes were burning in West Moonah. It was very dark and gloomy and smoky outside. The decision was made to send us all home to whatever fate had drawn up for us. I caught a bus into town and made the 3.00pm bus to Forest Road. We normally went to the last bus stop on this route (number 11) and then walked the 1/2 mile or so home to 162 Forest Road.. This day was a tad different. The bus driver told us we 'd have to get off at Bus Stop 9 as we all could see some houses on fire at the very top of the hill. A few water tankers were there and hoses were covering the road. Walking up the hill we met up with a number of people including my Mum and Dad. Mum had left our home around 2.30pm to go pick up Dad from work as she could see the Cascade Brewery going up in flames. Separating us from the brewery was a grassy hill and it was coming fast our way. Due to the speed of the fire, Mum and Dad were not able to get back home; so there they were, stuck with us, watching houses burn and not knowing if our house was burning or not. Dad being Dad decided to do something about it. Being a baker he sometimes had to get inside 400 degree ovens to fixed dislodged bread tins that stop the conveyor inside the oven from working, so heat didn't seem to faze him. I watched as he donned a wet sugar bag and disappeared thru the smoke and flames heading up Forest Road. Now I didn't know if I had a Dad as well as a house! Mum was a mess, sitting on the edge of the gutter crying. Other than comfort her there was nothing I could do. As we sat there men around us called for volunteers to help residents in the area so I elected to help. I was 15. The houses going up in smoke were on the right hand side (or north side) of Forest Road, but the heat was incredible on the south side and it was feared these houses would go up in flames too. Two did, numbers 110 and 112. With many helping hands we went into strangers homes and packed up valuable possessions and either put them in cars, trailers and in a few cases, in a pile in the middle of Forest Road downhill from the flames. One after one house burnt as we watched. House numbers 123 to 117 had already gone up before I arrived, but gradually more houses went. 115 then 113 then 111 . Nothing could be done . There was no water pressure to save them and the fire was too ferocious. 109 then 107.. ... Thankfully that was last house in the chain. 105 remained owned by the Cresswell Family . Forest Road was saved! I helped people put the possessions back in their homes on the south side but there was one sad fact. One homeowner who elected to put their goods in Forest Road, lost them to the fire but their home was fine. Oh dear! It was now around 5.00pm and the flames had died down quite a bit on the burning homes and the wind had dropped dramatically. As this point I grabbed Mum and we ran and walked up Forest Road to see if Dad was alive and if our home was there. A few houses had gone on the south side of Forest Road, The Webb's Family home at 132 The Truchanas' Family Home at 146 and the Kissling's family Home at 152. As we got past 154 Forest Road we could see if our place was there or not . It was, and the bonus was that Dad was there too. He had managed to get thru the flames to the cool side of things, get home and put our spot fires in our roof and other areas. He saved our home. Yes we had damage, but it was absolutely minimal. The white stucco plaster of the home was now yellow and all the rubber around the windows holding the glass into frames had melted. The iron frame piano in the lounge had gone out of tune due to the heat and a garden hose had melted on what had been a very green lawn that morning. Our poor next door neighbours at 162A Forest Road didn't fare so well. It was the Derwent Hatchery and homestead. Lost were 7000 hens, the family home, a number of sheds and a beautiful Silvery blue MGA. Oh, and their family dog. I didn't go to school for the next couple of days staying at home to help Graeme Stevens from the Hatchery pick up and take to the tip all the dead chooks. So there is my story. I 'll never forget that day. Etched in my memory forever, but now on paper

I was 13 at the time, we lived in Strickland Avenue. Mum, Dad and all 7 of us kids pilled into Dad's Dodge to escape the flames, visibility was about the leanth of the car's bonnet, flames leaping across the road, & trolley bus wires on the ground. The brewery was fully alight as we drove past. Our house was damaged but not destroyed we lived with my grandmother in Battery Point till it was repaired and we were able to move back in. To this day it's one of the most vivid memories of my childhood

Mate... Don't change .. your work is fantastic and highly under rated.. I hope you get all the success you deserve.. 👍.

Thanks so much Angus. As a 4 year old living at the back of Claremont in the shadow of Mt Faulkner I have this day etched in my memory. The fire took our farm shed but amazingly left the turn of the century weatherboard house relatively unscathed. My childhood friends mother was not so lucky as she was killed trying to flee the fire in one of the adjacent paddocks. Even after so many years I still flinch when I see that orange sun and smell smoke in air.

Dreadfully sad story. Awful memories for me. But so important to have this on the record. Thanks Agnus. Excellent presentation.

Thanks Angus for this story. We lived at Rosetta and I was in high school at Claremont that fateful day. The sky turned so dark, being full of smoke; the sun barely got through and when it did, it was a menacing orange. The winds were so strong, a temporary work hut on the school grounds was blown over. I thought a boy was injured in that event. We watch from the school oval as flames raced across the paddocks behind Chigwell, towards Claremont. Eventually we were allowed to go home and the thought was, "to what?" I can't exactly recall how I got home, bus I assume, but I waked over Walker Ave, so I could look down on our house in Katoomba Cres, to see if it was still there and to my amazement, it was! All the paddocks around it were black, the wooden fences were gone, but the green back lawn stood out like a sore thumb. Dad had stayed home from work with a bad back and fortunately for us he did. He was able to put out the ember attacks and save the house and sheds. We were very fortunate. All the bus behind us was burnt and animals lay burnt where they fell. It was a horrific day and an horrific event in the lives of so many people. There were so many other neighbours who had stories to ell of their narrow escapes. It may have set Tasmania back a decade, but that event brought the communities together in ways nothing else could. The generosity of mainlanders who sent over their caravans for temporary housing was amazing.

I was 6 at the time. I remember the incredible shade of red of the sky and air surrounding us, and the smoke was suffocating. Angus, your ability to tell a story is second to none 👌👏👏

Another fantastic Historic video. Thanks again for all the time and hard work you put in Angus!

Thanks, Angus, for another wonderful video on a very sad chapter in Hobart’s story. As you say, it’s very difficult to pinpoint the start of the fire. Kudos to those who fought the fire and to those who supported the injured and dispossessed.

I absolutely love that Shane Van Gisbergen is teaching us Tasmanian history.

My great grandfather worked for the housing department at the time, and was sent with a gang of men to fight the fires out the back of Claremont. They had nothing but wet hessian sacks to use. My mother was tiny at the time but she remembers the red sky and them watching with my grandmother and great grandmother from their house at rosny. They had no idea if he was alive or dead until late the next day when he could finally get a lift home.

I was growing up in Sydney then. I saw a display at the Channel Museum a few years back and there was a front page from the Sydney news. That was the memory. They had charted a flight, a round trip, to get the photos for the news. The aerial photography is haunting. The story of Snug and 67 fire is worthy of the retelling. So many moving stories. Thanks Angus.

Great video angus I really like the history on Tasmania keep up the good work. 😊

Hello Angus, I was only 8 at the time of the worst fire in Hobart's history. I was living in Ulverstone, and 67 I can remember seeing in the horror of the utter devastation that the fires caused on the news on ABC TV.

I was 7 years old and we nearly lost out house, the garden was on fire and my Dad grabbed a fire extinguisher from work and as he got home was able to put out the fire that was just starting in our garage, I still remember it clearly

Another terrific video Angus, thanks man!

Thank you Angus, a sensitive and honest look at a terrible event. The dog does well keeping your emotions under control! I grew up near the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria, as a child I saw some small smoke clouds turn into catastrophes. As an adult I experienced the fear and uncertainty of being evacuated with my young children. In 1999 we moved to Tasmania ❤️ bushfires still cause anxiety. Me and my dog love your work! 👍

Thanks, Angus, for your great history vids to do with Hobart. I like your style with that calming voice of yours. Angus, I like your presentation just as much as Rob Parsons. Maybe you and Rob could do a livestream together?

What a wonderful way with words you have And such a great knowledge of all things Tassie

Brilliant Angus, thank you.

Thanks Angus, i lived in the Derwent Valley and it was horrific up there, it is an experience I never want to wish on anybody.

So interesting to hear how the fire started and spread! I was not quite 5 at the time so it's etched in my memory! My older siblings started back at school that day at Waimea Heights Public. Dad drove them to school that day. Mum and I drove dad to the place of someone he worked with so he could help fight the fires as he'd been a CFA volunteer for many years in Victoria. The place had white horse fences and green grass. Mum and I were at home in Taroona with 4 other children whose parents worked. They weren't due back at school yet. Mum kept us all busy. Since we were close to Taroona Beach we swam in the morning. Mum was experienced in preparing for fires so she raked up leaves with us all helping her to make sure embers couldn't catch in them. I remember mum playing cards with the other children and me looking out the window towards Hobart with a huge column of smoke between us and where my siblings were. I was very scared! It was such a dull day by the afternoon and really oppressive. After the electricity went off we ate the melting ice cream. Eventually the father of the children turned up. He had walked along the Channel Hwy through the still burning bush to get to us. Mum let him borrow our car to go and check if his place was ok. It was but since it was on the high side of the highway, they weren't allowed back there for several days so they stayed with us. After that mum and I drove through the still burning bush into Hobart to get my siblings. It was sooo scary driving there seeing just the followed out stumps still on fire and the ground still alive with fire! It was also very dark by then so I'm not sure how late it was. My siblings had been taken to a teacher's place so we picked them up from there. I was so jealous they'd had real ice cream rather than the home made stuff mum made! Lol! My dad fought the fires for 3 days. He was very frustrated with the way they were fought as they knew none of the methods he knew from Victoria! He was fine about us as he knew mum knew how to look after the house to keep it from burning down. We were only 300m from the Channel Hwy so we were quite close to the front! He was ok about us until he heard our names called out over the radio as being safe. Then he started to worry! He'd been fine about us cos he trusted mum's ability to keep us and the house safe but the radio announcement scared him! He once told me that the most scary fires are the ones that crown, ie, I stead of travelling along the ground they travel through the crowns of trees. What your very informative video didn't say was that eucalyptus oil hangs above eucalyptus trees (giving them the blue colour we see from the distance). If an ember floats into this oil cloud it instantly sets the oil on fire creating a spot fire. I believe this is part of how the Hobart fire spread - embers lighting the eucalyptus oil cloud. It was also the first time there had been fires within a town in Australia. Much was learnt about how to better manage fires from this fire. I remember in the weeks following driving down roads with mum and the grandma of the other children, and seeing house after house with only the chimney left standing amongst the rubble! Not really a great sight for a small child to see!! And, like others have said, I now hate hot northern winds, seeing columns of thick smoke and super hot days! It stays with you this stuff! I no longer live in Hobart and haven't since I was 6 and my dad lost his job the next year in my first term of school. He got another in Sydney so I've lived here ever since. Days like 7th February 1967 are etched on one's memories and it's these days that shape how we react in future to similar situations.

Thanks so much Angus - have been waiting for a more in-depth episode about the 1967 Black Tuesday. My birth was less than 12 months after, but, growing up in Kettering in the Channel it was always on our minds. When you mentioned about the church being left unscathed but the building opposite completely gone reminded me of our place, where the house was ok but the big apple packing shed less than 20 metres away disappeared in the flames. My mum turned the concrete footings of that shed into a garden feature as we had lots of garden area. And neighbours talking about the insane speed of the fire fronts coming toward their homes, with nothing they could do. Something surreal for me is the fact of seeing many chimneys as the remains of houses in Tassie after fire, but, now living in New Zealand and going through the Christchurch earthquakes, it was the chimneys that were the first to fall..

LEGEND Angus a bit b4 my time but truly a sad day. My condolences to everyone that may have lost someone they loved, pets including. And mad respect to nature herself as to not rebuild some of the hotels destroyed by that massive quick moving fire. Love and Light to all of you 💙

Love the video, Angus you're voice could put me to sleep!! you should do a video on how INCAT tasmania was created, and bob cliffords story! i reckon you'll get a bust out of it! cheers mayte

Brilliant, Angus! I was 13 and you have reminded me of so much…including how I was caught on a barbed wire fence and the fire passed underneath me…to Peter out in my Dad’s well watered veggie garden.

I recall a rumour at the time that a radio station in America reported the entire island had been evacuated. May just be an urban myth but no doubt others would have heard this also.

I remember it well. I was 10 years old and it was our first day back at school. I remember waiting for the bus on Cambridge Road, Bellerive that never came. There was a queue of cars and trailers back to Clarence Street and beyond. Utes and trailers packed with what people could take with them looking everything like a refugee column. It seemed the mountain that night glowed red.

Made me cry

It’s only a matter of time before it happens again. I remember living through fires at Scamander in 2006. It’s terrifying.

7 February 1967 was my first day of school. I was five years old in Devonport. I remember my dad towing caravans to Hobart in the following days. The 'white houses' fact is very interesting.

Mum had only moved back to Tassie with my two brothers (1 & 3) shortly before the fire; dad was still in the uk wrapping things up there. Mum lived in Lenah Valley, so right under the mountain- she often used to talk about how terrifying it was being “stuck” with 2 young children & dad half a world away - I can imagine that with the smoke & lighting, Hobart must have been a scary place on that day!

Another great piece of Tasmanian history told in a comprehensive and empathetic way. We arrived from Sydney to live in May 1967 and as a three year old I remember the destruction including so many blackened trees on Wellington/Kunanyi for years afterwards.

She was certainly a big bad day . . . . . I had colleagues who now live in WA who shared their stories with us of that day. They were Hobart residents at the time . . . . .Scary stuff.

Great video Angus. There are still marks in the concrete of Cascade road where that trolley bus burnt out at 6:18. A permanent reminder that it could happen again.

Our large family sheltered in a creek down the channel at Garden Island Creek. After my father got the dozer dug a hole next to burned down house and pushed the lot into the hole and covered it up. Only " artifact" we kept was a teaspoon.. sold the 500 acres for $500. Great twist... Father bought house insurance from a guy in the pub a moth earlier. We were off to Taroona

Hey Mate, I love watching you videos on Hobart's History. As a lifelong Tasmanian I have loved your telling of history of some of the parts I spent my high school years in (Claremont, New Town, Glenorchy) I must admit I haven't seen too many of your videos on my feed of recent (stupid algorithm) but when this popped up I knew I needed to watch it. I am a volunteer with the Tasmanian Fire Service (going on twenty years now) and this one hit close to home. Indeed my Brigade, and many others, were actually formed in the wake of the tragic 67 fires. And while our agency is far greater and far better equipped then it was in 67 (we have trucks and water etc now where most of them had only beaters ie glorified mops to beat the fire out with) our climate is far dryer then it was then. Fuel loads are at their worst since pre-Dunalley fires and with seven years of drought forecast I am afraid we may be looking at another Black Tuesday again. On a more positive note though, if you ever feel like heading up the East Coast for one of your videos and are in Triabunna, hit me up. Would love to meet for a coffee or beer.

My parents told stories of Flames that were so big on Black Tuesday they travelled like a huge burning wave from Kettering over to Bruny Island. Traveling over huge distances of water. Respect to those that are no longer with us via the doings of that fire. Great video Angus

I remember being very shocked from Sydney

Impressive as usual, always a must to watch.

Such a great video mate. Please keep them coming. Loved Tyler Durden turning up at the end!

Nice job recounting this tragic event. It’s sad how long it took to take it seriously and do something. It could happen again… 1991 Oakland Hills Fire here in California was similarly devastating. The fire crews thought they had put out a small fire, but it restarted and the rest is history.

Good presentation Angus, we lived in Mount Stuart then, remember very well watching from our house, the flames flying southwards up the hills behind Lenah Valley on the other side of Pottery Road. I bet today we would have been told to evacuate. I was also involved in the clean up of 1000s of dead farm animals in Colebrook and Campania areas.

I recently found your channel and have enjoyed working through your laconic, poetic and insightful journeys into Tasmania's past. You should really look into Tartaria and the mudflood in Australia, an alternative view of our past. It requires an open mind but you have all the skills to peel back the (hidden) layers.

great video, as usual. i believe there would be a lot more material on this subject.

Fantastic content brother, learnt more from you about my home than living there!

Angus thanks for sharing this with us. February 1967 I was just starting year 8 at Cosgrove High. I remember walking to school in 104 degrees with the heat and smoke. That night my Dad helped fight fires at the back of Glenorchy. My sister remembers flames licking the rear of Springfield School. I have known many people who lost their homes and family members in those fires. Today, when you look up at the mountain you can still dead trees from those fires. Lets hope the authorities have learnt from these lessons and this will never happen again

Thanks Angus and Dog. This is the best channel on RU-vid. I've learned so much from your videos. Is it worth a video considering the history of some of those little towns like Longley and Neika on the old Huon to Hobart road and how they came to be? I used to drive it in the small hours and it was like Deliverence country. Not somewhere you wanted to break down in the car at 2 a.m.

Such a wonderful video ❤

Very, very interesting.

Really interesting, thanks!

My parents still talk about the 1967 bushfires to this day. It obviously affected them badly. Then again I can still remember 1986 when it snowed like yesterday. Some memories remain with you forever

Fantastic as always Angus. I’ve just recently moved from Moonah to Neika, and the folks up here who were here for the fire, have certainly not forgotten it.

I started work at the National Bank in Burnie. I was 15½. My first pay and another bank officer started a fund raiser... all asked to donate a sponge bag and some contents. With my very first pay... a few years esrlier, working after school at the Caltex Service Station, priority for me was to buy a comb. No wonder I sort of begrudgingly purchased the sponge bag with contents. 😂

I bought a fire relief home at Granton on Black snake lain

Thanks Angus for yet another history lesson n Hobart history

More terrific, informative work, Angus. Thank you.

Great video

Thank you Angus I was 9 years old attending on the day North Chigwell Primary School approximately 1.30 pm Headmaster spoke on the PA advising us to leave the school and go home Back then between Allunga Road and Tamboon Road was a paddock of knee high grass no broker highway Went to cross the paddock but the flames forced us back we ended up taking shelter at Chigwell Primary until we were collected by our parents

Thankyou another very sobering video.

Epic!

Mums first day of high school that day

My mum talked about how my grandmother and my grandfather faught off a near fires that my grandfather built with his barehands. They killed it but it was close. bloody oath that would be scary. Also looks like skynet launched a nuckear holocaust. 6:09

did they have an aerial fire fighting unit/s back then? very sad.

😢❤

Mum was heavily pregnant with me, and dad was driving his heating oil truck, full, through Fern Tree !!

Was that a Fight Club reference at the end, Angus?

Hi Angus, you said in the video that houses that were white were less likely to burn “and now we know why” but didn’t elaborate?

So Angus what high school did you attend in Hobart eh or your not telling 😂

Algerrathem over rated anyway, no rush. In your own time