Along with Cyclone Tracy , Ash Wednesday is arguably the natural disaster to have had the greatest impact on the Australian national psyche . For the next quarter century , it was used as the measure for all bushfire emergencies in Australia , most notably the 2003 Canberra bushfires , which experienced very similar severe fire weather . The disaster caused 75 deaths , which is the second highest death toll for a bushfire in Australia . The 2009 Black Saturday bushfire disaster has since surpassed Ash Wednesday on the list of disasters in Australia by death toll , with 180 confirmed fatalities , although the 1983 fires still remain the worst in Australian history in terms of property loss
Black Saturday
Black Saturday bushfires
Ash Wednesday bushfires