Here's How You Can Support Bushfire Affected Communities Across The Long Weekend

Communities across Australia are still recovering from our devastating summer bushfires, with many fires still burning around the country. 

This long weekend is a fantastic time to find ways to support the rest of the country and lend a hand to those who need help getting back on their feet. We've put together some ideas for simple ways you can help out over the weekend. 

Please note these are not the only ways to help support our bushfire affected communities, they are just suggestions for people who are looking for somewhere to start. 

Visit

Many small towns rely on the tourists that visit them over summer, and with the fires and forced evacuations many of them missed out on the majority of their summer trade. This means that our shops, cafes, restaurants, pubs, hotels, camping grounds and other small businesses are hurting. 

Consider taking a day trip or even an overnight trip to one of the beautiful small towns around Australia. The majority are back open for business, and would love visitors to return to their streets over the long weekend. 

The group Shop 2 Support Bushfire Communities allows local residents, fans of businesses and business owners themselves the opportunity to share details of local companies and venues that are back open. Have a look HERE and get some inspiration for your weekend trip. 

Make sure to check local conditions before heading out. 

Shop

If you don't live close to any of the bushfire affected communities, that doesn't mean you can't still support their local businesses this weekend. Many of them have websites with options to ship their products across Australia.

Turia Pitt's Instagram initiative Spend With Them shares posts about many of the different local businesses who desperately need our support. If you have any birthdays or other gift giving occasions coming up, consider stocking up on items from some of these companies. 

Donate

Funds are still needed to rebuild our communities, to support our firies and to help local wildlife. We've put together a list of many of the different organisations who are fundraising for bushfire relief HERE.

You can also check the websites of these organisations to see if there are any current volunteer opportunities.