Conflagrations, black smoke and charred kangaroos: the images of the fires in Australia have shocked the world. But most tourist destinations have been spared. An inventory.
Sydney (dpa / tmn) - TV pictures have great power - and the pictures that went around the world from Australia in winter were shocking: there were immense firewalls, miles of smoke columns and burned kangaroos.
One could get the impression that the whole continent was burning - which was not true. At the same time, the forest fires have hit tourism in Australia hard. Anyone who has thought about a trip to the country in the coming months may now be unsettled: what damage did the fires leave? Have great sights once been destroyed? So maybe I have to change plans?
Most of Australia was spared
The all-clear can be given here: Large parts of Australia have been spared, reports the organization Tourism Australia. Most tourist regions continued to be visited as normal. A digital map that is updated regularly can be found on the Australian tourism website.
Great damage on Kangaroo Island
One place that is still considered "partially affected" is Kangaroo Island off the south coast in the state of South Australia, in English Kangaroo Island. The island was badly devastated by the fires. Animal experts had said that about half of the 50,000 koalas could have died there. Tourism Australia points out, however, that a good 75 percent of Kangaroo Island was not affected by the fires. Tourists can visit the island.
Other areas where travelers have to expect restrictions are the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, Capital Country, the Snowy Mountains and parts of the south coast including the Kangaroo Valley. According to Tourism Australia, it is currently impossible to say how long the affected regions will remain affected.
The same applies here: Not entire regions have been destroyed or closed. In the Blue Mountains, for example, the Scenic World tourist attraction has continued to open with its funicular.
Many tourist highlights are not affected
The following sights, which are highlights of a holiday to Australia for many vacationers, are not affected: Queensland with its beaches along the Great Barrier Reef, large parts of the outback, the island of Tasmania, the Great Ocean Road west of Melbourne and the west of the Landes with Perth, Margaret River and the Coral Coast. According to Tourism Australia, the cities of Sydney and Melbourne are no longer affected.
Information on bush fires and affected sights
Map with attractions in Australia
Scenic World