Australian Bushfires: How to Help

We have been sad to hear of the devastation left by the ongoing and seemingly relentless bush fires currently sweeping across Australia, and as the stories and graphic imagery continues to emerge, it’s difficult to grasp not only the extent of the situation, but how best to assist. There’s no avoiding the fact that in the wake of this crisis, dozens of lives have been lost so far, both human – and to a greater extent – animals, with nearly 20 million acres of Australia’s unique land burned down.

Naturally, as soon as we heard of the tragedy, we wanted to be able to help in whatever way we could. The situation in Australia sits particularly close to home for us; Flight Centre Travel Group was of course founded in the country, and it is still the home of our company headquarters in Brisbane, as well as the location of hundreds of our stores and businesses.

Australian Kangaroos

In light of this, we have been running an internal Flight Centre UK Bushfire Appeal. Our generous staff worldwide have been making donations to a fund that will directly assist Foodbank Australia – the only food relief organisation in Australia to play a role during emergencies and natural disasters – as well as WIRES, a NSW wildlife organisation that is actively rescuing and caring for injured animals through the bush fires. We hope to make a real impact through these two charities and our collective donations, which will be match-funded by Flight Centre.

Of course, many of you, our fellow travel lovers, may also be keen to donate and help the situation however possible. We would encourage you to donate to the two charities – Foodbank Australia and WIRES – in the hope we can ease the situation in some small way.

Australian wildlife

On a separate note, we realise that many of you may have booked an Australia holiday with us. We want to reiterate that your booking is safe with us. You can call your friendly Travel Consultant if you have any worries or concerns ahead of your trip, or even our 24/7 Emergency Assistance line should you need our help whilst you are away. If you are travelling in the near future, you can find all the latest information about each destination here. 

Australian landscape

Whilst the bush fires are being managed, it is important to bear in mind that many regions of Australia remain unaffected, and we wish to continue to support the country and its unique holiday offerings, particularly during its time in need.

We will continue to work closely with our friends, family and colleagues in Australia during this difficult time, and wish to give our heartfelt thanks to all those kindly supporting.