Ground cover began to emerge from the ash covered ground and burnt trees produced numerous new shoots.
The region is slowly turning from a desert of tall burnt sticks into a patchwork of green and black although in parts, where the fires were particularly intense, there is so far little change.
Stirls and I continued our fence repairs and got the critical highway boundary section done with new strainers and posts plus an extra fourth (barbed) wire. It was good to finally remove the protective electric fence that we had put in place as a backup to our initial temporary fix.
Our insurance claim has been paid in full and we await demolition and removal of our fire damaged structures. The government has agreed to foot the bill for this process and appointed a contractor. Destroyed businesses and houses are getting priority so we don’t except any action until the middle of the year.
We have a builder who had agreed to replace our farm shed when the site is clear. With so much damage in the area, securing a builder is not such an easy task. Luckily ours is a neighbour.
Recovery from this disaster will be slow. Community rebuilding will take time as government red tape is already raising its ugly head. Businesses are still under pressure from the lack of tourism. Personal trauma is turning out to be a large problem with counselling services stretched to the limit.
Unfortunately reports from the weather scientists seem to indicate a hotter and bushfire prone Australia in the future seems to be the new normal.
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