Preparing Your Property for Bushfire Season

Practical Steps and the Digga Attachments That Can Help

Bushfire season is a reality across much of Australia, with heightened risk periods varying by region but often peaking through the hotter, drier months. Whether you live in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, the ACT, or Tasmania, being prepared is the best defence.

A well-maintained property not only protects your home but also reduces the risk to neighbours and the surrounding landscape. Government agencies nationwide stress the importance of clearing vegetation, maintaining access for fire trucks, and having a survival plan.

Why Bushfire Preparation Matters

Bushfires are unpredictable, and Australia’s climate is creating longer and more severe fire seasons. Extended periods of high temperatures, strong winds, and dry fuel loads increase fire danger across all states.

As a landowner, you are legally responsible for reducing bushfire hazards on your property. Excessive fuel loads, long grass, dry leaves and fallen branches can quickly escalate fire intensity so managing these hazards not only protects your property but can also prevent devastating community impacts.

Key Bushfire Preparation Steps as recommended by the Queensland Government:

Around the Home

• Clear gutters and roofs of leaves, bark, and debris.
• Seal gaps in cladding, rooflines, and under floors to prevent ember entry.
• Remove flammable items such as firewood stacks, mulch, and outdoor furniture from around buildings.
• Install fine steel mesh screens on vents, windows, and doors.

Vegetation Management

• Mow lawns regularly and reduce long, dry grass.
• Trim low-lying branches at least two metres above ground.
• Clear excess leaf litter, twigs, and dead vegetation.
• Establish firebreaks around structures and property boundaries.

Access and Safety

• Ensure driveways and access points are wide and high enough for emergency vehicles.
• Maintain water supplies, pumps, and generators in working order.
• Have personal protective clothing, an evacuation kit, and first aid supplies ready.
• Update your Bushfire Survival Plan each year and share it with your family.

At the same time, the right machinery attachments such as those made by Digga can make preparation faster, safer, and more effective around the property.

How Digga Attachments Can Help in Bushfire Preparation

Clearing land by hand is time consuming and often impractical for large properties. With the right Digga attachment, landholders across Australia can efficiently manage fuel loads, remove debris and prepare firebreaks.

Suited for high flow skid steer loaders and excavators up to 20T, the versatile Magnum Mulcher grinds material, trees, brush, and above ground stumps with a single operator. Perfect for clearing firebreaks, park & forestry trail maintenance, vegetation management, and re-mediation, debris can be mulched back into the soil.

• Heavy-duty forestry mulcher for thick brush and trees.
• Reduces fuel loads by shredding vegetation up to 200 mm.
• Creates fine mulch for moisture retention and regrowth control.
• Excellent for fire mitigation and boundary clearing.
• Robust Australian-made design built for harsh environments.

The Digga Rock Bucket is used for fast clean-ups, sifting out debris & rocks, and gathering material away from buildings and obstructions. Rock buckets can also be used in waste processing applications.

• Separates rocks, branches, and debris from soil.
• Ideal for post-fire cleanup or land clearing.
• Allows fine soil to fall through for efficient sorting.
• Optional grapple available for lifting heavy debris.
• Reduces fire hazards by removing combustible materials.

The Stick Rake is ideal for fast clean-ups, vegetation management, sifting soil/rocks and removing unwanted shrubbery and overgrowth. 

Material can be sifted and sorted to clear out unwanted debris and leave good soil or material behind. 

Available for 3-10 tonne excavators

Available for multifit and Cat Skid Steer Loaders and Euro Hitch Tractors.

• Rakes sticks, branches, and scrub into manageable piles.
• Ideal for firebreak creation and post-fire cleanup.
• Removes dead vegetation to reduce fuel loads.
• Strong tines sift soil while capturing debris.
• Built tough for Australian land-clearing conditions.

The Cleana Angle Broom is the ideal attachment for sweeping up all kinds of debris in environments such as factories, fields, road construction, and large outdoor venues. It also has various other agricultural and construction uses. Australian designed and manufactured.

• Sweeps debris sideways for quick open-area cleanup.
• Hydraulic angle control for left/right sweeping.
• Ideal for roadsides, paths, fields, and paved areas.
• Compact and easy to manoeuvre in tight spaces.
• Excellent for clearing light materials and ash or dust.

Digga’s Flail Mower for Excavators up to 10 tonnes has been engineered to handle your toughest vegetation management jobs. Ideal for clearing vegetation on hillsides, roadways, ditches, utility right-of-ways, riverbanks, lakes and more.

• Cuts and mulches thick grass, weeds, and light scrub.
• Ideal for fuel load reduction and overgrown paddock control.
• Durable flail blades shred material finely for faster breakdown.
• Produces fine mulch to prevent regrowth.
• Suitable for roadside maintenance, clearing paddocks, and fire trail upkeep.

The Slasher is a slashing attachment for Excavators and Skid Steer Loaders that can be used for the effective cutting and clearing of grass and low ground shrubbery. Slashers are ideal for excavators with flows up to 100lpm as well as skid steer loaders and tractors. Digga Slashers come complete with hoses, couplers, and hitches to suit your excavator. Usage includes landscaping, agriculture, roadway maintenance, parks maintenance, and general slashing.

• Clears long grass, light brush, small saplings and light shrubs.
• Excellent for maintaining access paths, paddocks and property boundaries.
• Heavy-duty twin blade system for consistent cutting.
• Available in multiple widths to suit various machines up to 8t.
• Great for reducing fine fuels before bushfire season.

Digga’s Dozer Blade for skid steer loaders is a versatile attachment for dozing, levelling ground and general earthmoving work. Fixed as well as hydro electric angle / tilt models available. Ideal use for earthmoving, landscaping, roadworks and more.

• Pushes soil, debris, and vegetation for shaping firebreaks.
• Strong steel design built for land clearing and grading.
• Hydraulic angle and tilt options for precision work.
• Levels ground and removes obstacles along access tracks.
• Essential for creating defensible zones around structures.

The Power Rake is designed for grading, rock and debris removal, and pulverizing compacted ground, making it an essential tool for preparing and maintaining firebreaks, access tracks, and defensible zones around properties. It efficiently clears surface fuel loads such as loose soil, stones, and dead vegetation, helping to reduce bushfire risk. This versatile attachment is ideal for builders, contractors, and property owners undertaking bushfire preparation, land restoration, or post-fire cleanup work.

• Levels, grades, and prepares soil or gravel surfaces efficiently.
• Ideal for removing debris, rocks, and light vegetation during site prep.
• Creates smooth, compacted surfaces for firebreaks or access roads.
• Adjustable roller depth for precise material control.
• Excellent for property maintenance, landscaping, and fire trail restoration.

Quick Tips!

Australia’s bushfire seasons are becoming longer and more intense, but preparation saves lives and property. By combining official bushfire readiness guidelines with practical tools like Digga’s specialised attachments, landowners can reduce risks, stay compliant with fire safety responsibilities, and protect their communities.

Government advice: Clear dry grass, shrubs, and branches.
Digga solution: Use a Slasher, Flail Mower or a Mulcher.

Government advice: Remove fallen logs and flammable debris.
Digga solution: Deploy a Rock Bucket with grapple, Stick Rake or a Dozer Blade.

Government advice: Maintain firebreaks and property access.
Digga solution: Utilise a Dozer Blade or a Power Rake.

Government advice: Clear fine debris near homes and access points.
Digga solution: Use an Angle Broom.

With the right preparation and the right equipment, you can face bushfire season with greater confidence.

*Always check your state or territory vegetation clearing laws before large-scale works, and confirm your chosen Digga attachment suits your machine’s size and hydraulic requirements.