Tasmania Bushfires December 2025

Dolphin Sands, Glenlusk, Levendale and Stieglitz, Parkside, Parnella, St Helens and surrounds

Emergency Assistance Grants are available to residents impacted by the Southern Tasmania Bushfires and the St Helens Area Bushfires.

This includes fire displaced residents of Glenlusk, Levendale and Dolphin Sands for the Southern Tasmania Bushfires and fire displaced residents of Stieglitz, Parkside, Parenella, St Helens and surrounds.   

The purpose of the Emergency Assistance Grants is to assist people who have been directed or advised to evacuate from their residence, have been displaced or isolated by bushfires, to obtain essential and appropriate shelter, clothing, food, transport and/or personal items.

Grant funds available are:

• $250 per adult (over 18 years);
• $125 per dependent child (under 18 years); and
• a maximum of $1,000 for any one family.

Download this factsheet:

To apply online, visit: Community Grants (dpac.tas.gov.au)

The Repair and Restoration Grant is available for people in the bushfire affected area (Dolphin Sands) who have had to evacuate their primary place of residence following the bushfires that started on December 4.  

The grant offers up to $11,650 per household who have experienced substantial property damage and meet the following criteria:   

• Are low-income homeowners and occupiers of a principal place of residence in the Dolphin Sands area
• Do not hold assets over the value of $35,000 (excluding your principal place of residence)
• Are not fully insured

For more information on eligibility and what the grant can/cannot be used for please download this factsheet:

To find out more and complete an application, go to: Community Grants - Service Tasmania

The Replacement of Household Items Grant is available for people in the bushfire affected area (Dolphin Sands) who have had to evacuate their primary place of residence following the bushfires that started on December 4.

The grant offers up to $11,650 per household for people who have experienced substantial loss of essential personal items and meet the following criteria:

• Are low-income homeowners and occupiers of a principal place of residence in the Dolphin Sands area
• Do not hold assets over the value of $35,000 (excluding your principal place of residence)
• Are not fully insured

For more information on eligibility and what the grant can/cannot be used for please download this factsheet:

To find out more and complete an application, go to: Community Grants - Service Tasmania

The Temporary Living Expenses Grant is available for people in the bushfire affected area (Dolphin Sands) who have had to evacuate their primary place of residence following the bushfires that started on December 4.

The grant offers up to $11,650 per household for people who are unable to live in their primary place of residence and who also meet the following criteria:

• Are low-income homeowners and occupiers of a principal place of residence in the Dolphin Sands area.
• Do not hold assets over the value of $35,000 (excluding your principal place of residence)
• Are not fully insured

For more information on eligibility and what the grant can/cannot be used for please download this factsheet:

To find out more and complete an application, go to: Community Grants - Service Tasmania

The Essential Services Outage Grant is available for people in the bushfire affected area (Dolphin Sands) who have been affected by prolonged disruptions to essential services such as power, water and sewerage as result of an eligible natural disaster.   

The grant offers up to $250 per adult, $125 per child up to a maximum of $1000 per household.  

Grant applicants must meet the following criteria: 

• Are low-income homeowners and occupiers (the grant is income-tested) in the Dolphin Sands area who experienced essential service disruption for more than 5 days.  
• You have not already received an Emergency Assistance Grant (see further up the page for information about Emergency Assistance Grants)

For more information on eligibility and what the grant can/cannot be used for please download this factsheet:

To find out more and complete an application, go to: Community Grants - Service Tasmania

The Dolphin Sands community has been significantly impacted by the recent bushfire, and many property owners will be returning to find their properties damaged or destroyed. The bushfire has created a large amount of fire debris and hazardous waste including remnants of buildings, vehicles and other infrastructure across a large part of Dolphin Sands.  

Support is being provided for property owners impacted by delivering a Clean-up Program. This assistance has been made under the joint Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA). 

About the program

The Program will be undertaken in two stages: 

STAGE ONE is to undertake a safety and hazard assessment of properties. This includes checking for safety risks and hazardous materials like asbestos, lithium batteries, gas bottles or other dangerous materials.  

This will be done in the coming days by specialists pitt&sherry.   

STAGE TWO is for contractors to undertake the clean-up. Information from the safety and hazard assessment will inform the physical clean-up, including prioritising properties.  

We will provide more information about this, including timing, when it’s available. 

Property owners will be contacted for permission before any safety and hazard assessment or clean up takes place. 

What happens next?

The Tasmanian Government has been attempting to contact all owners and residents of impacted properties to seek permission for: 

• pitt&sherry to enter properties to do a Safety and Hazard Assessment, and 

• their contact details to be given to the contractors. This is important so that contractors can contact people directly about Clean-up Program.  

What do residents and property owners need to do to take part?

If you haven't yet been contacted by the Tasmanian Government or spoken to pitt&sherry about the Clean-up Program, please call the TEIS information line to register for the program on: 1800 667 483

Operating hours: 9am - 5pm daily 

How can residents and property owners can get information about the Clean-up Program?

Residents and property owners of impacted Dolphin Sands properties who haven't yet spoken with a pitt&sherry representative, are encouraged to call pitt&sherry on 0482 166 711.

More information

There are lots of things to consider when returning to your property following a bushfire.

This includes:

• air pollution
• rainwater tanks
• food safety
• cleaning your property and;
• hazardous materials.

For information on safely returning to your property, please visit:

Returning home after a bushfire | Tasmanian Department of Health

Public Health Services can also be contacted by phone 1800 671 738 or email public.health@health.tas.gov.au

Natural disasters can be traumatic.

It’s important to look after your mental health and seek support if you need it.

Overwhelming events can affect everyone in the community, causing disruption and damage to businesses, farmers, properties, infrastructure and the environment.

The Australian Red Cross has resources about how to support each other in the community during and after a crisis.

If you are struggling, support is available. Please see the attached fact sheet for more a services directory and more information on support available.

Visit the TasRECOVERY page on Health and Wellbeing.

If you have a private power pole that has been damaged by the bushfire, you are responsible for the repair and reinstatement of the power pole.

If you are unsure about the ownership of poles and power infrastructure on your property, you can call the TasNetworks call centre on 132 004, who may be able to assist with more information.

For information on power line electrical contractors, please visit the Consumer, Building and Occupational Services website (https://www.cbos.tas.gov.au/topics/technical-regulation/electrical-standard-safety/poles/powerline-contractors)

Public Health Services can also be contacted by phone 1800 671 738 or email public.health@health.tas.gov.au

A Recovery Centre is now open for Dolphin Sands residents impacted by bushfire.

Where: The Old Courthouse, 4 Noyes Street, Swansea.
When: 8.00am - 4.00pm, Monday – Friday

Support available at the Recovery Centre includes:

• Information and help to apply for grants
• Insurance information
• Financial counselling
• Psychological first aid, and
• Information on how to safely return to fire impacted properties.

The TEIS information line is available for residents and property owners impacted by fire to obtain general information and assistance.

Call: 1800 667 483

Operating hours: 9am - 5pm daily

Yes. Emergency Assistance Grants are available to residents of Dolphin Sands, Glenlusk, and Levendale (Southern Tamanian Bushfires December 2025) and residents of Stieglitz, Parkside, Parnella, St Helens and Surrounds who have been displaced by bushfires. 

The Emergency Assistance Grant assists people who have been directed or advised to evacuate from their residence and have been displaced or isolated by bushfires, to obtain essential and appropriate shelter, clothing, food, transport and/or personal items.

Grant funds available are:

• $250 per adult (over 18 years);
• $125 per dependent child (under 18 years); and
• a maximum of $1,000 for any one family.

If you need help with completing your grant application call the Grants Unit on :1800 204 224.

This service is available during business hours, 9am - 5pm weekdays.

You can also apply online at Community Grants, the website is www.service.tas.gov.au/community-grants

For assistance with completing your grant application or to check the status of an application you have already made, contact the Grants Unit by phoning:1800 204 224.

This service is available during business hours, 9am - 5pm weekdays.

Additional grants have been announced for residents of Dolphin Sands who have been impacted by the Southern Tasmania December 2025 Bushfires. See the Grants section further up on this webpage for more information and visit https://www.service.tas.gov.au/community-grants to make an application for any of these grants.

You do not need to arrange for cleanup of your property. Please refer to the Dolphin Sands Bushfire Clean-up Program information on this page for more details.

You can contact the Tasmanian Emergency Information Service (TEIS) line and provide details about your property for follow-up.

Call TEIS on 1800 667 483  

You will need to provide:

• Your full name
• Property address
• Contact details (phone number and email address)

TasNetworks advises that extended power outages are expected due to extensive bushfire damage in Dolphin Sands. Work to replace power poles and reconnect power in the area is expected to finish by Friday 12 December.

Stay up to date with power outage information at www.tasnetworks.com.au/outages

Take time to assess any damage, wear protective clothing, and avoid touching or disturbing anything that appears unsafe.  

Some advice from Public Health includes:

• Put on protective clothing before entering your property, including long-sleeve clothing, a P2 or N95 mask, sturdy boots and gloves. 
• Try not to disturb the dust and ash.
• Do not walk or drive over a septic tank.  
• Be mindful of contaminated water tanks. 
• When there are power outages, remember that using fuel-burning equipment inside or in poorly ventilated areas can cause carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Remember that smoke may still be present in your area and limit exposure to smoke.
• Throw out perishable food if there have been power outages in your area. 

If you would like more information about returning home after a bushfire, including specific advice relating to protective clothing, hazards to be aware of, food safety, and cleaning your home and rainwater tanks, visit the sections above about returning home after a bushfire and mental health and wellbeing.

The Office of the Valuer-General and Resilience and Recovery Tasmania are working together to assess any loss of property value due to bushfire damage. The Office of the Valuer-General may automatically adjust your property value, where appropriate.

You do not need to contact the Office of the Valuer-General. Property owners will receive a new valuation notice if an adjustment is made.

The Office of the Valuer-General will communicate these values to local councils and the State Revenue Office.

While the goodwill and generosity of the community is very much appreciated, donated goods and assistance are not required.

Currently there is no public appeal for donations, nor any need to donate bottles of water or food to firefighters. However, this situation may change in the future, so please stay informed through TasRECOVERY.com for any updates.