‘It’s the loss of a meeting place’: Beloved scout camp reduced to ashes

One of Victoria’s largest scout camps in central Victoria has been devastated by the giant Longwood bushfire.

Damage assessment teams were moving into the smoking wreckage of the Mafeking Rover Park in the Highlands-Caveat area, north-east of Yea, on Thursday morning.

Local rover scouts told The Age there was no chance of defending the heavily wooded property, where generations of young Victorians have enjoyed camps, competitions and other events, as the intense fires swept through on Friday, January 9, the worst day of the blazes.

Scouts Victoria said the 129-hectare site was established more than 30 years ago for use by the rover scouts, who are aged 18 to 25.

Over the years it had become a much-loved destination of the whole scouting community, where children start at five years old.

At least eight structures, including the main hall, cabins, a toilet block, sheds and training centre, were destroyed, as well as dozens of vehicles, bikes, an abseiling tower and other equipment.

It remains unclear how many of the hundreds of trees on the site will have to be cut down.

The impact on wildlife is also yet to be fully assessed.

Local rover scout Marcus Jones and James Michell, who both helped build many of the structures on the site, said that up to 6500 young people came to Mafeking each year for camps and other events, but that events scheduled for 2026 may be cancelled.

“It’s the loss of a meeting place,” Jones said.

“But we will rebuild when the time is right.”

Jones said the group wanted to offer the site to support the recovery of the local community, where at least 40 homes have been lost to fire, storing donated animal fodder or making the surviving toilet blocks available for volunteers.

But nothing could be done until the safety assessment of the camp was complete.

Chair of the Victorian rover council Kira Miles said the scouting community was mourning the loss of buildings in the park but that the rovers were doing what they could to help local families who had lost homes or structures.

“We would not be able to run the park without the support of the local community, and we want to in turn support them as much as possible,” Miles said.

“We’ve been told some lost cattle are already making good use of our unburnt areas, which is great.”

Douglas Ahearn, chair of the park’s management group, said the camp was insured but that recovery would take time and money.

“Fundraising will also be a major part of our recovery,” he said.

“Mafeking has been a great resource in the past, and we hope it will be again.”

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.