Bushfires: Timely wind change saved family’s NSW south coast home

When Amanda Smith saw towering flames at the end of her street, the mental health social worker and mum-of-two feared the worst.

Amanda Smith, left, says the southerly change that saved her home was ‘like a miracle’. Picture: John Feder

When Amanda Smith saw towering flames at the end of her street in the seaside town of Broulee on the NSW south coast, the mental health social worker and mother of two feared the worst.

As the angry blaze began to charge towards the home she shares with her husband, Glenn, and two teenage children, a southerly wind suddenly rolled in with gusto, changing the course of the fire’s path.

“It was like a miracle,” Ms Smith told The Australian on Thursday, her voice wavering as she spoke of just how close the fire got.

“While the southerly saved us, I feel awful for the towns that were destroyed as a result of it.”

As residents along the south coast brace themselves for another horror day on Friday, when soaring temperatures and vigorous winds are forecast to fan another “significant spike” in bushfire conditions across the state, Ms Smith said she felt relieved to be leaving the area for the day. “We’re going to collect our daughter from Sydney airport, who has been in Germany on exchange,” she said.

“We’ve prepped for tomorrow (Friday) as best as we can and we’re going to come home to whatever we can.

“We are trying to be positive.”

Ms Smith said she had been overwhelmed by the generosity of those who had made donations to the evacuation centres dotted along the south coast but urged tourists to holiday in the area once the horror fire season ended.

“If you can, let people in the major cities like Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne know we are really going to need their help in the next few months,” she said.

“The residents of Broulee would love it if they could come and visit and have a beer with us.”