Margaret River: A Bushfire Welcome

As we emerged from the Karri Forest and headed north towards Margaret River the sky seemed to turn a shade of orange and ash fluttered down from the sky in a way that we had only seen once before, during the 1994 Sydney Bushfires. And our fears were confirmed as we approached town to find major roads closed and police and firemen everywhere. We were able to get into town but once there struggled to find somewhere to stay. As it turned out most of the coastal towns had been evacuated and so all holiday accommodation, including the caravan parks had been over run. We found a corner to set up our camper in and went to the most reliable source of information to get an update, the local coffee shop. We were informed that some of the government back burning had got out of control the day before and had so far destroyed 30 houses. The fire was still raging and the wind was picking up so it didn't look like they would be under control anytime soon.

By that night Margaret River had been put on evacuation alert. However, the threat was mostly on the western side of town and thankfully we were on the eastern side. But stress levels were high in town and the constant flow of fire trucks coming in for backup from neighbouring towns and the roar of firefighting helicopters overhead didn't do much to ease the tension.

Overnight the wind died down a bit and the fires moved south of Margaret River but not before destroying another 10 homes and damaging countless others. The coastal towns were still closed and remained so for several days. Eventually residents were being let back into survey the damage in where possible move back in. A few days later we also ventured into the fire struck areas to see the extent of the damage and assess whether we still wanted to stay down near the beach or if we should just stay in town. The scene that awaited us was eery and in some places depressing but in others remarkable. The vegetation has been completely stripped of all greenery along the entire coast. The dunes resembled a moon scene. There were houses in crumpled heaps, while others had been saved or missed by only a few feet. But it was inspiring seeing everyone just simply getting back into it. The sound of chainsaws rang through the area for weeks, huge skip bins were loaded up and taken away and working bees ensued. 

We did end up moving down to the coast, to Prevelly Caravan Park. The locals have been insistent that people don't avoid the area as the last thing they need are the local businesses to suffer more than they already have. The caravan park remarkably escaped relatively unscathed and resembles a lush green valley amidst the blackened landscape around it. We have been using Prevelly as our base whilst we've looked for work (successfully) and more permanent lodgings (unsuccessfully),  explored the area and frequented the beach just across the dunes from the caravan park. It's actually been a great place to be, despite the recent tragedies. The sense of community has been fabulous; BBQ's and fundraiser band nights and simply the sense of camaraderie in the whole region.

It has now been 3 weeks since the bush fires and the clean up process is almost complete and rebuilding has begun. But what we have found the most amazing is the regrowth that has already occurred in the bush and parks. The native plants are reshooting and new grass has created a thin blanket over the parklands. It won't be long until the fires are just a dim memory for most.

Please Note: As it has generally been considered inappropriate to snap photos of the fires and the aftermath, we have obtained most of the photos in this blog from the newspapers etc. The photos opportunities have been amazing but unfortunately we'll just have to store the images we've seen as memories.