Mount Macedon on Fire.

Rare c.19th hand coloured engraving of the 1875 bush fire at Mount Macedon.

The bushfire at Mount Macedon in January 1875 was one of the most destructive Victorian fires of the decade. It occurred during an exceptionally hot and dry summer when severe bushfires swept much of western and central Victoria, devastating farming districts from the Grampians through Sandhurst (Bendigo), Wedderburn and the Mount Macedon ranges.  Contemporary newspaper reports described five consecutive days of extreme heat, with temperatures between 106° and 110°F (41–43°C) in Melbourne. Strong northerly winds and prolonged drought allowed numerous fires to merge into extensive fire fronts. The bushfires destroyed crops, fencing, stock, homesteads and timber reserves across much of the colony.

“Mount Macedon was enveloped in fire, and the grand old mount… now appears charred and blackened, as though it was a well-worked piece of coal country.”

From the original edition of The Australasian Sketcher.

References:
Ferguson, J. A. Bibliography of Australia Volumes 1-8, Canberra 1976: 9829g
Hughes-d’Aeth, T. Paper Nation: The Story of the Picturesque Atlas of Australia. Melbourne 2001

Collections:
National Library Australia: Bib ID 1654251
National Gallery Australia: LEGACY ID 34588
Royal Collection Trust UK: RCIN 1046852 Getty Museum Los Angeles: Object name: 1218593
State Library New South Wales: RECORD IDENTIFIER 74VvDRQZXzWd
State Library Victoria: CCF 919.4 G1