By Laura Chung and Nick Moir
What was lush bushland a few weeks ago is today a panorama of blackened trees, as Bilpin business owners play catch up and try to recoup their lost summer income.
On December 19, the Gospers Mountain fire that had been raging for weeks turned towards the town and residents prepared for the worst.
Owner of Hillbilly Cider Shane McLaughlin says people are returning to Bilpin to support local businesses. Credit: Nick Moir
Hillbilly Cider owner Shane McLaughlin had been building a new cellar for people to visit, have a drink and take in the surroundings.
“Now it’s nice and calm - it’s a black calm,” he said.
“I didn’t think we had enough fuel for Armageddon, but we did - it was vicious."
The fire on December 21 tore through Bilpin and destroyed properties. Credit: Nick Moir
But now the town's residents are determined to rebuild.
Many of them rely on the summer influx of tourists as their main source of income but the bushfires scared the visitors away.
For Mr McLaughlin, it meant an income drop of 70-80 per cent overall but “100 per cent of income through the cellar door”.
He’s surprised by how people have already responded to the community's plea for tourists to visit.
“[The amount of people] has been abnormal - it’s four times what it should be,” he said. “Everyone is coming up, and they’re coming up some distance, from Newcastle, the Sutherland shire and Melbourne.
“January is normally a write-off and everyone normally buggers off, but they’re coming up here.”
Mr McLaughlin said the support had been invaluable, particularly as he’s planning to open the doors to his new cellar in about two weeks.
The building has a rich history. In an earlier life, it was a packing shed and then a community dance hall.
Owner of the Bilpin Fruit Bowl Margaret Tadrosse, who lost about 5500 apple trees and 500 fig trees, said the damage to netting, fruit and equipment exceeded $1 million.
"I can't begin to thank people enough for the support we've been getting since the fires," she said.
"On Sunday, the oven could not keep up [with the people]. People were waiting 20 minutes for their apple pies. The oven was pumping them out all day."
Cherry and apple farmer Sean Lonergan, who is also the Bilpin fire captain, said it would take years for the community to recover.
Mr Lonergan has had three fires go through his property, but he said the December blaze was the worst. It destroyed power poles, water and heat pumps, and orchards.
"There's been lots of damage this time, it's all pretty much gone," he said.
Mr Lonergan's challenge will be what he does next. With no apples or cherries, he's looking into other options: including strawberries, tomatoes or even trying his hand at a "bush tucker" line.
"I am not sure what I am going to do," he said. "But I'm going to give it a go."