Answers to all your questions about the bushfires in Australia

As you will have seen on news sites and TV channels around the world, Australia is experiencing an enormous disaster with all the bushfires. We have received lots of questions from travellers, therefore, we have created this blog post to make it easier to find official information about the fires and the road conditions.

First, no words can describe the tragic events of loss of human life, animal life and unique pieces of nature due to these fires. Australia and the rest of the world are shocked by this disaster and the scale of it.

Second, for all travellers in Australia and the ones coming to Australia in the next weeks, it is important to follow the news, check road conditions and stay safe while travelling in our beautiful country. This blog post will help you out!

Will the fires in Australia affect my road trip?

Yes and no. Yes some parts of the country will be hard or impossible to reach, but as Australia is such a huge country there are lots of areas where nothing has happened. However, sometimes you will need to take a different route and sometimes you will need to change your plans completely. It’s always important to be flexible when on a road trip, but it’s now more important than ever.

Which areas are affected?

This information can and will change all the time, therefore we recommend using the websites and apps mentioned below.

Currently, there are fires down the coast between Sydney and Melbourne. Some of these are still not under control and are mainly in southern NSW (south of Canberra) and the East of Victoria (Gippsland).

There are no fires in Sydney and Melbourne or close to these cities. While roads are closed along the Coastal route between Sydney and Melbourne, the inland roads are still open. There are some fantastic touring options along these routes. The Coastal route will hopefully be reopened early February.

The main travel route that most roadtrippers take between Sydney and Cairns is not affected by fires and are safe to travel. See our blog for an overview of suggested itineraries. As always, check the apps and websites regularly.

Do I need to cancel my trip?

No, there’s no need to cancel or postpone your travel plans Australia is a huge country and there’s so much to do and see. You just need to be flexible and accept that fact that some areas aren’t as accessible as they used to be. Travelling with a flexible and open mind is the best thing to do.

Also, Australia needs the income from tourism now more than ever. By travelling to Australia, you will be helping out the country.

See for a complete and up-to-date list of the areas impacted

Where to find more info about the fires and stay up to date?

We highly recommend using the following websites and apps to see and hear the latest info about weather conditions, fire alerts, road closures and areas affected by the bushfires.

• Spaceships travel & camping app (Android and Apple) for up-to-date road conditions and info about campsites
• Live Traffic NSW for live updates and traveller information for New South Wales (NSW) roads.
• VicTraffic is the official VicRoads live feed of travel times, road closures, traffic alerts, roadworks, and more.
• Fires Near Me site or app from State of New South Wales for Android and Apple – this app will show you where fires are in your area (based on your phone’s GPS coordinates).

These sites and apps show road closures and the areas affected. Conditions do change and need to be monitored. However, it is expected that the worst is behind us. Please stay alert and check these sites and apps regularly.

How can I help? What can I do?

Please leave the firefighting to our heroes, the firemen/women, army and other officials that are working day and night to battle the fires and are taking care of everyone in the affected areas.

If you would like to chip in or help out, we recommend donating to the Australian Red Cross. The collective tourism industry of Australia started a donation page on the Red Cross site and our aim is to raise $250,000

Spaceships has donated $3,000 and we hope our customers, travellers in general and everyone that is a fan of Australia will donate as well. It doesn’t matter how small or how big the donation is. Every cent and every dollar will help. Please donate to the Australian Red Cross!

Update 12 January 2020: $38,515 of the goal of $250,000 has been raised so far!

How and when will Mother Nature heal?

We came across photos from photographer Murray Lowe that show how the Aussie bush responds to fire: "Ventured out into the fire grounds today to capture some images of how the Aussie bush responds to fire, and the way it regenerates itself and comes back to life. Even without any rain, life bursts through the burnt bark from the heart of the trees and the life cycle begins again"

How the Aussie bush regenerates itself and comes back to life | photo: Murray Lowe

Will we see you in Australia soon?

Even though it’s a rough time for our country with the many bushfires and it may look like now isn’t the best time to travel to Australia, the opposite is true. We hope to see you here this year. Whether it’s now or later in the year, the Spaceships Australia team and all Australians are looking forward to seeing all the smiling international faces again.

If there are any questions about the current travel conditions or your Spaceships campervan booking, our crew is ready to answer all your questions. Just contact us via email, phone or chat and we’ll reply as soon as possible.

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