Major bushfires have swept through Warrandyte throughout history , and the town was at the centre of the Black Friday bushfires in 1939 , in which 71 people lost their lives . The 1962 fires also devastated North Warrandyte . Many houses were destroyed and many lifes lost . In 2010 the Black Saturday fires in Kinglake were 15 minutes away from North Warrandyte , in 2009 . On February 9th of 2014 , a bushfire broke out in Warrandyte burning approximately 10 hectares and destroying 3 houses . Major bushfires to have swept through Warrandyte include : Warrandyte is situated on the southern banks of the Yarra River . The river and hills surrounding the town were once rich in gold and the ruins of mineshafts and tunnels can be found throughout the Warrandyte State Park , amongst other locations . While the central town itself is nestled into a gorge on the river , the suburb covers a reasonably large area of land and can be divided up into the following sections : Central Warrandyte comprises the main street of Ringwood-Warrandyte Road and Heidelberg-Warrandyte Road ( Yarra Street ) , Pound Bend and the southern banks of the Yarra River
Black Saturday fires
Black Saturday bushfires
Warrandyte, Victoria