Bill drove down to Mallacoota on Saturday 28th December to spend some time with his two sisters who have been visiting Mallacoota for about 10 years staying for a around a month over Chrismas and New Year. On the Sunday they started talking about the need to evacuate East Gippsland but we thought Mallocoota was going to be clear of the fires. Fortunatley Bill's sister Mary attended the town meeting on the Monday morning and after talking to the family about the upcoming threat Bill decided it was probably a good idea to return to Canberra. The road out of Mallacoota was open so he headed back to Canberra via Eden, had a fairly uneventful trip back to Canberra but within an hour of getting home the Snowy Mountain Highway was closed due to another fire.
Bill's sisters Mary and Hilary and their partners were well prepared but went through a frightening ordeal. Mary posted this to give us a first hand accout of what they went through:
My family have been coming to this beautiful remote wilderness town in NE Victoria for many years, attracted by abundant nature, pristine coast and beautiful bushwalking. As of this week, so much of that has gone.
We survived New Year’s Eve, sitting in a small boat, 4 of us and my sister’s beautiful Dalmatian puppy, scared for our lives. Over a 24 hour period we watched and waited, as the sky went from white to yellow to orange and then red to redder and subsequently the most sinister blackness I have ever seen. And that was after the sun had risen. The air was thick with smoke and ash making breathing a struggle, irritating eyes and noses. Anticipating heat, we could not imagine the cold as the fire generated its own weather, bringing whipping chaotic winds, bursts of thunder, frequent lightening strikes and, very briefly, rain. The noise ranged from a malicious and eerie quiet, punctuated only by the anxiety provoking but reassuring sound of fire sirens to deafening apocalyptic roars from the fire, shattered by blasts from gas explosions, houses toppling and trees crashing or exploding. The intensity and malevolence of that roar will stay with me for ever. It was like a war zone or the imminent arrival of Armageddon. Our hearts were racing, breathing was difficult and as oxygen levels dropped there was a palpable fear that we were all going to be asphyxiated. Protecting our noses with scarves and our eyes with swimming goggles gave little respite to the onslaught. So for a few hours we had to sit with great apprehension, aware there was nothing we could do.
We busied ourselves with trying to wet down the boat, reassure and comfort ourselves, neighbours and the puppy, put out ember attacks which we had been warned were the real danger, checking the Vic emergency app with its frequent updates confirming the risk to the town and occasionally responding to messages from other family members. But phone signal was erratic and not all carriers were functioning. In the blackness the lights of emergency vehicles on shore about 200m away, were our intense focus, a beacon of hope in the midst of our fears.
Obviously we and the Mallacoota population survived, aided by a wind change and the efforts of the firefighters but the aftermath has been equally distressing. Houses lost, roads cut, birds dying, koalas confused and disoriented, the beautiful waters black with ash and debris. Power cut, as it is still, water off and then briefly not drinkable and no exit from the town we so love has been trying. The smoke and ash linger, continuing to reduce visibility, compromising breathing and to remind us of the risks of further fires.
In the days that have followed, as our rental houses are safe, we have put out the many spot fires near to us, assisted at the Medical Centre helping to evacuate the sick and frail, and attempting to comfort those residents, many elderly, who have lost houses, pets and memories. And at this stage we will stay and help as best we can, hoping to give back something to this community we love. And without the volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Service personnel I would not be here to tell this story and share these photos. And that is a really sobering thought.
I normally go down with Bill but was feeling tired and run down so decided I would stay at home, was glad I made this decison, Amy would have been anxioius with all the smoke being around and knowing i was close to some of the fires. We have been in contact with Mary and Hilary and they seem to be coping with the situation but are as you can imagine very tired, but are helping out with the local community- they may be there for quite a while until road reopen.
