Hobart at Risk: Why Fire and Flood Demand a Citywide Resilience Plan

Hobart is a city cradled by beauty. The Derwent River gleams while it drifts along the side of the city, Mount Wellington stands as sentinel above, and our suburbs nestle and stretch around the two. Our community is innately vulnerable to the twin threats of bushfire and flood.

History whispers warnings. The 1967 Black Tuesday bushfires remain etched in our collective memory. The 2013 Dunalley fires and the 2025 Snug Tiers fires demonstrated how quickly lives can devastatingly alter. Floods in 2018 and 2022 remind us that Hobart’s stormwater systems can turn feral in an hour of heavy rain.

Hobart is considered 23 years overdue for a major bushfire catastrophe. Coupled with stormwater infrastructure that in many places has not been upgraded since the 1940s, vulnerabilities for our community are stark.

Fern Tree blurs into bushland, and even central like West Hobart carry ember risk when hot winds sweep down from the mountain. Climate change has increased the likelihood of catastrophe.

The University of Tasmania has been conducting critical research into the flammability of vegetation, demonstrating that what we plant around our homes can have real consequences. Many native species are highly combustible. Residents are encouraged to use Fire-Resistant Plant Guides and consider fire-wise landscaping.

The Tasmanian Planning Commission has embedding fire hazard overlays into their data. At the same time, insurance companies are raising premiums for households and businesses in high-risk zones.

Our local and state governments support with various projects such as the Bushfire-Ready Neighbourhoods program to create local fire plans and the Bushfire Hazard Advisory Service gives property-level guidance. The Statewide Fuel Reduction Program, carries out strategic burns to help manage our bushland. Hobart City Council has green waste and fuel reduction programs to help make it easier for ratepayers to reduce combustible build-up around homes.

It's strangely poetic that floods as a polar opposite also pose a huge threat. Hobart’s topography funnels water into rivulets and storm drains that are already under strain. Much of our stormwater system still dates back to the 1940s—a time of much smaller population. Not only do we demand more of our storm water system with more homes but we have more roads and paved areas that create more water run-off which in turn increases the volume of water in a storm event – which overwhelms the narrow and old pipes.

The 2018 flood, which swept cars through Macquarie Street and closed the University of Tasmania’s campus, is still a recent memory. The Insurance Council has ranked Hobart among the nation’s most flood-prone capitals. The Planning Commission has now added flood-prone overlays to development applications, further highlighting the scale of the challenge.

Council’s Stormwater Upgrade Program is beginning to address these deficiencies, but the task is vast and prohibitively expensive. Flood Mapping and Hazard Overlays have been introduced to influence development planning for water courses and flood potential.

Programs run by SES and TFS such as Get Ready Tasmania provide practical checklists and training for fire, flood, and storm hazards. Neighbourhood Emergency Planning help communities build their own resilience plans. The SES Community Flood Readiness program educates residents on sandbagging, preparing emergency kits, and safe evacuation protocol.

Spring is the perfect time for you to review your personal fire and flood risk—clearing gutters, planning escape routes, checking insurance cover, and planting wisely. Taking action now means a less anxious summer.

Hobart’s natural setting is our greatest treasure but the price we pay is strong vigilance. Fire and flood are not distant threats—they are annual reminders that our city’s beauty comes with responsibility.

Hobart can be a city of heritage and charm and a city of resilience but it will take us all to ensure it happens.