 On 16 February 1983, the school escaped relatively unharmed as the infamous Ash Wednesday fires raged around it.The statewide Ash Wednesday Bushfires raged across Victoria - scorching 295 km² of bushland, taking 7 lives and destroying 628 buildings in the Macedon Ranges area alone.Despite the valiant efforts of local firefighters and volunteers, the school did lose its historic stables and grandstand - now the site of a gymnasium and theatre building.