Council update - NSW Bushfires

The Yass Valley currently has a lot of displaced travellers heading home from evacuated areas of the South Coast and Snowy Mountains. While we are trying our best to accommodate these people and have opened up Joe O’Connor Park for travellers with their own tents and vans to rest and revive, Council wishes to advise that Yass is not yet set up as an official designated evacuation centre by the State Government.

The decision to open an evacuation centre is not one made by local councils but by the State Government emergency agencies. Evacuation centres require a wide range of State Government bodies to come together to support those in need and at this stage, those agencies have designated Goulburn Recreation Area as that place. Yass Valley Council, however, remains willing to assist those agencies in whatever way we can should we be called upon to do so.

Until such time, it would be safest for travellers to stop, rest and revive in Yass and then continue on their journey home when they are able to do so or on to the Goulburn Recreation Area on Braidwood Road ahead of Saturday’s forecasted dangerous fire conditions. This is the directive we have received from State emergency agencies to encourage people to be as far away from fire prone areas as possible this weekend. Yass is not set up to receive large animals at this time and an animal evacuation centre remains open in Goulburn alongside the Goulburn Recreation Area for this purpose.

Council will endeavour to keep the Yass Valley community notified of all developments in our area over the coming days, including if and/or when any local evacuation centres are set up. We hope everyone, locals and visitors alike, stay safe.

For all major fire updates, please see the RFS website.

For information on large animal welfare assistance, please see the Local Land Services website.