Australia is rediscovering a truth that once shaped every landscape on the continent: fire, when used with knowledge and care, is a tool for healing.

A 2026 ABC Nightlife discussion on cultural burning showed how dramatically the land changed once Aboriginal fire practices were disrupted. When cool, deliberate burns stopped, fuel loads increased and the fires that followed became hotter and more destructive.

Cultural burning works differently from modern hazard‑reduction burns. It is slow, cool and precise. Practitioners read the land closely, soil moisture, grasses, canopy health, animal movement, and burn only when conditions are right. The fire creeps gently across the ground, clearing fuel without damaging trees or habitats.

Over time, this creates a mosaic of safe zones that reduce the risk of catastrophic summer fires.

South Australia is becoming part of this national shift. The revival of Peramangk cultural burning in the Adelaide Hills, Mount Barker region and Fleurieu foothills is one of the most important developments in the state’s fire future.

These areas have become increasingly vulnerable after decades of fire suppression, and events like the Cudlee Creek fire showed how quickly conditions can turn dangerous.

Peramangk Elders and cultural fire practitioners are now working with community groups, councils and landholders to reintroduce cool burns. Programs like Gawler Environment Centre’s “Healing Country with Fire” help locals understand how cultural burning restores ecosystems and reduces risk.

Firstival’s “Caring for Country”, in June brought Peramangk knowledge holders together with the public to share stories, explain cultural fire practices and reconnect people with the land.

These efforts show that cultural burning is not just a fire‑management technique.

It is cultural restoration, ecological repair and community education. It also demonstrates what happens when governments choose to listen to community expertise rather than ignore it.

When traditional knowledge was sidelined, landscapes became more dangerous. When it is respected, Country begins to recover.

Cultural burning is not about returning to the past.

It is about moving forward with knowledge that kept these landscapes healthy for thousands of years. As Peramangk practitioners continue their work, South Australia is rebuilding a safer, more sustainable relationship with fire; one shaped by both science and culture.