Surveyors from Spatial Works (Victoria, Australia) carry out remedial survey tasks under the watchful eye of 'The Flying Man from Marysville' and the 'Kangaroo Mailbox', at the remains of Bruno's Art & Sculpture Garden (see website 1) in the aftermath of the recent bushfires. The site is in the mountain tourist township of Marysville, about 70km northeast of Melbourne in South East Australia. The township (population six hundred) was completely devastated; 34 residents perished and only a handful of buildings remain.

The Office of Surveyor General in Victoria has created a Victorian Bushfire Surveying Taskforce, with volunteer surveyors identifying surviving geodetic and cadastral survey infrastructure to prevent it being destroyed during clean-up operations. This will make it easier for subsequent property and road alignment surveys to be carried out more efficiently and economically during the rebuilding phase.
Like most residents affected by the bushfires, sculptor and painter Bruno Torfs is determined to rebuild his art gallery and continue working. By getting tourist attractions operating again, towns which depend on the tourist dollar will again become viable.

The bushfires on 7th February last were one of the worst natural disasters in Australia?s history. Temperatures across southeast Australia reached a record 47.9°C (118°F) and wind gusts were in excess of 120kmh. The bushfires affected many rural towns, and outlying areas of Melbourne. After carrying out a closer scientific examination of remains, forensic teams have recently downgraded the state-wide death toll from 210 to 173; nevertheless, several million native animals are also estimated to have died. Over 2,200 houses and a similar number of out-buildings were lost in the fires, with many others partially damaged. Around 7,500 people remain homeless.

This disaster has emphasised the importance of spatial technologies in emergency management, from those monitoring the fire front on that fateful day to those involved in the recovery phase. The Victorian Government has formed a 'Bushfire Recovery and Reconstruction Authority' (see website 2) and seen the need to engage spatial advice to co-ordinate the use and availability of spatial data for those involved in the recovery and rebuilding process. Spatial data will play an important role over coming months, allowing informed decisions to be made in assessments supporting coronial enquiries, planning investigations, identification of affected utility assets, and other post-incident assessments.