By Clay Lucas
Drive down the streets in Pomonal, a picturesque town set against the backdrop of the Grampians, and you will find some with almost every house gone.
You’ll see the occasional home that has remarkably survived, while a neighbour’s has gone up in flames.
The town church and Barney’s Bar and Bistro made it through Tuesday’s bushfire unscathed, as did the general store, which was open for business on Thursday.
But the blaze that roared through Pomonal took at least 44 of its 187 homes, and one granny flat. On Thursday, fire crews were still dousing smouldering ruins as workers with heavy machinery pulled down dangerous trees.
The first residents began filtering back into the town late on Thursday afternoon to survey the damage to their homes.
Premier Jacinta Allan, who toured the area on Thursday with Emergency Services Minister Jaclyn Symes, said thanks were owed to locals for heeding evacuation warnings so swiftly on Tuesday – when it was still safe to leave.
Premier Jacinta Allan (front left) and Emergency Services Minister Jaclyn Symes (right) survey fire damage with emergency personnel on Thursday.Credit: Justin McManus
“It could have been so much worse,” she said. “I want to thank the local community for that very, very strong response. And also to, again, thank all the emergency services, volunteers and workers who have worked around the clock.”
Grampians Tourism chief executive and Pomonal resident Marc Sleeman was among those forced to flee the town on Tuesday afternoon.
On Thursday, he said that the impact on the town would be immense and long-lasting.
He said his home was still standing thanks to Country Fire Authority volunteer firefighters.
Pomonal residents were allowed back into the town late on Thursday afternoon to survey the damage from the bushfire.Credit: Justin McManus
“It’s bittersweet when I know lots of friends and family have lost homes and lost businesses,” he told AAP. “I know we’ve lost a few sheds and boats and things like that, but small things in comparison to what other people have lost.”
Sleeman urged tourists not to cancel their travel plans to other parts of the region which remain open. Nearby Halls Gap, which on Thursday morning was deserted due to fire warnings, is now considered safe to enter.
Emergency relief payments of $640 per adult and $320 per child with a maximum of $2240 for a family are available for affected residents.
“The personal hardship grants have been made available immediately,” Symes said. “These are designed to cover out-of-pocket expenses for your most urgent needs.”
People will be able to apply for the payments over the phone or in person at emergency relief centres in Ararat and Stawell.
The fires in Victoria’s west on Tuesday were started by lightning strikes as severe storms lashed the entire state, leaving hundreds of thousands without power.
Ten minutes from Halls Gap, Pomonal was once one of the state’s major apple-growing districts, but it is now a commuter town for Stawell, Ararat and Halls Gap. Each September, it hosts a famous wildflower show.
“The people who live in Pomonal live there because they love the connection between the national park and the town,” local Nationals MP Emma Kealy said.
Dadswells Bridge fire captain Peter Jackman on Thursday.Credit: Justin McManus
“They live there because they love bushwalking, or they love the environment. They look up to the mountains every single day and there will now be a big scar there for a long time to come.”
Kealy was confident the community would swiftly rebuild and the wildflower show would proceed, as much of the Grampians remained unburnt.
In nearby Dadswells Bridge, the fires also took out a single house. Much of the tiny township – best known for its giant koala – was saved thanks to the efforts of the local CFA crew who faced ferocious flames late on Tuesday afternoon.
Dadswells Bridge CFA fire captain Peter Jackman said the blaze that hit his town had started with a lightning strike 10 kilometres away, and winds had pushed flames quickly towards homes and businesses.
To halt its progress, “we had graders and bulldozers working in there right when the fire was still running”, Jackman said. “It’s extremely dangerous because you can’t see much.”
Dadswells Bridge resident Jenny Green, who has lived in the town for 20 years, left on Tuesday just before the fire front hit. Her home was saved by her husband, Max, who stayed to fight with Jackman and the local fire brigade.
“We were waiting and preparing for the fire for hours before, and we thought we were OK, but all of a sudden it was just there. Right on top of us,” she said.
Jackman, whose family has lived in Dadswells Bridge for 70 years, said the conditions on Tuesday had been terrible because of the frequent wind changes.
Dadswells Bridge resident Jenny Green.Credit: Justin McManus
“It was just an absolute mongrel of a day – it was bad enough even without a fire. You could hardly stand up in it,” Jackman said.
“Firefighting conditions were horrific, I’ve never seen anything like it before because of the strength of the wind and the way it flipped around several times.”
Asked if he had feared for his life during the firestorm, Jackman chuckled wryly and said he had.
“Right from the start, you always think, ‘This isn’t going to be too good’, but you don’t worry about it,” he said. “It’s just part of the deal.”