January 8th, 2026Extreme Fire Danger Day
Friday 9 January 2026 has been declared an Extreme Fire Danger Day and Total Fire Ban Day by the Country Fire Authority.
Residents should monitor VicEmergency and CFA website in case that changes.
Stay informed
Reminder: Macedon Ranges Council is not the source of the latest fire advice and warnings. We will share information on the Macedon Ranges Shire Council Facebook page where we can but it is important that you follow official VicEmergency warnings and advice on the website or by using the app, call the hotline (1800 226 226) and tune into your local ABC emergency broadcaster.
Services and facility closures
For the safety of the community and employees, some of our services and facilities will not operate on days of an Extreme Fire Danger Rating.
- All resource recovery facilities = closed
- Hanging Rock = closed
- Woodend and Kyneton visitor information centres = closed
- Kyneton Museum = closed
- Casual Hoops session at Macedon Ranges Sports Precinct has been cancelled
- Local libraries: check Goldfields Libraries website for any changes to hours
- Bin collections will start early, so please put bins out tonight if your collection day is tomorrow.
For any enquires, call our customer service team on (03) 5422 0333.
Where should you go? Leave early.
Leaving high risk areas tonight (Thursday 8 Jan) is the safest option.
The CFA recommends people stay with family or friends in a low-risk area where possible. During the day, shopping centres or other air conditioned public places are also good options.
In the event of an emergency such as fire, Council will look to open a relief centre.
It provides people with a temporary gathering place to get information and basic support services such as food and accommodation.
A relief centre provides only very basic amenities and should be considered an option only if going to family, neighbours or friends is not feasible. Pets and animals are also welcome at relief centres if they are contained (e.g. in horse floats, animal cages or on a leash). Animals are not allowed inside an Emergency Relief Centre.
The location of an emergency relief centre will depend on where the bushfire and/or emergency threat is at the time.
For safety reasons, we do not publish relief centre locations in advance. A centre listed too early could end up being in the path of the fire, or unsafe to access; and we don’t want people travelling to a location that may not be open.
When a relief centre is activated, the location will be announced through official emergency channels, on the Vic Emergency App or by listening to the official emergency broadcasters on the radio.
