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How does time-since-fire influence the structural recovery of semi-arid, eucalypt-dominated Murray-Mallee shrublands after fire, and is recovery affected by spatial variation in climate? We assessed the structure and dynamics of a hummock grass, Triodia scariosa N.T. Burb, and mallee eucalypts - two key structural components of mallee shrublands - using a >100year time-since-fire chronosequence. The relative influence of climatic variables, both individually and combined with time-since-fire, was modelled to account for spatial variation in the recovery of vegetation structural components. Time-since-fire was the primary determinant of the structural recovery of T.scariosa and eucalypts. However, climate, notably mean annual rainfall and rainfall variability, also influenced the recovery of the eucalypt overstorey, T.scariosa cover and mean hummock height. We observed that (i) the mean number of live eucalypt stems per individual decreased while mean individual basal area increased, (ii) cover of T.scariosa peaked at similar to 30years post-fire and gradually decreased thereafter, and (iii) the hummock’ form of T.scariosa occurred throughout the chronosequence, whereas the ring’ form tended not to occur until similar to 30years post-fire. Time-since-fire was the key determinant of the structural recovery of eucalypt-dominated mallee shrublands, but there is geographical variation in recovery related to rainfall and its variability. Fire regimes are likely to have different effects across the geographic range of mallee shrublands.