In this review, John O’Donnell explores 19 town and city bushfire disasters, ranging from bushfire impacts of the early settlements in the 1851 Victorian bushfires to bushfires in 2021, a period covering 170 years. Readers can assess bushfire preparation in relation to their own and other towns and cities and consider if bushfire preparation is well managed, has improved after earlier bushfires and if it has improved since the 2019/ 20 bushfires.