The fire after the flood in Munga-Thirri National Park

Munga-Thirri National Park has been transformed – two good years of rain have turned it green.

Water is still flowing through Eyre Creek and into Munga-Thirri National Park, pushing toward Kati-Thanda–Lake Eyre. Across the dunefields, spinifex has grown thick and tall, and the country is in the best condition it has been in for years.

But that abundance brings risk and all that growth is fuel—and fuel loads matter, particularly in spinifex country.  

The last major bushfire through Munga-Thirri  was in 2011, and the natural fire cycle in this landscape runs at about 15 years between large fire events. With two consecutive strong growing seasons building fuel ahead of schedule, the risk of a larger, hotter and harder-to-manage unplanned fire is very real.

That’s why the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) fire team is getting ahead of it.

This year’s planned burning program—the first major burn focus in the park since the 2011 bush fire—is about introducing fire strategically, at the right scale and in the right places, before nature does it on its own terms.

The goal is to create a healthy mosaic across the landscape of spinifex at different stages of its life cycle — some recently burnt, some mid-growth and some old.

That patchwork is important. The reptiles and birds that live in the dunes rely on different-aged spinifex for different things—nesting, shelter and foraging.  A landscape locked into one age, whether all young or all old, supports far less life than a varied one.

The work is technically demanding. Spinifex is highly volatile, but because it grows in clumps with bare ground between, fire will only carry when conditions are just right.

Reading the conditions, timing the window of opportunity, and getting crews and equipment into some of the most remote parkland in Queensland takes serious planning and a team that knows the country inside out.

That team effort and knowledge extends beyond QPWS. The Munga-Thirri crew has drawn on the knowledge of neighbouring Bush Heritage Australia, the experience of the QPWS Central West fire team, and discussions with the Mulligan River Aboriginal Corporation for planned burning on Wangkamahdla Country.

Traditional Owner involvement is central to this work—it shapes where, when and how burns happen, ensuring the work aligns with cultural values for Country while delivering ecological outcomes.

The fire team plans to return soon, conditions permitting, to continue building the park’s fire management strategy.

It is patient, careful work: reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire, supporting cultural values, and strengthening the health of one of Australia’s most remarkable and remote landscapes.

And right now, the desert is at its absolute best. With water, green growth and wildlife responding to the abundance, Munga-Thirri is as generous as it ever gets.

For visitors who make the journey over the next year or three, this special place will reward the effort.

To research and plan for a trip, visit parks.qld.gov.au/parks/munga-thirri