This table reports macroscopic charcoal abundance from a 1 m sediment core at Purghagoolah (Lake Elusive), a lake of approximately 40 ha and 21 m depth in Croajingolong National Park, Gippsland, southeastern Australia, on Gunaikurnai Country (37°44'50"S, 149°27'9"E; decimal -37.747222, 149.452500, WGS84; 50 m a.s.l.), cored on 9 February 2021 with a Universal Corer (Aquatic Instruments), subsampled at 0.5 cm. Sediment subsamples were digested in hydrogen peroxide, sieved at 125 and 250 µm, and charcoal particles counted under a stereomicroscope. Counts were converted to charcoal accumulation rates (particles per square centimetre per year) using the sediment accumulation rate from the lead-210 and radiocarbon age-depth model. Values are reported by depth and modelled age (approximately 844 to 2021 CE) and are used as a proxy for local biomass burning.