Bunyip bushfire: Tonimbuk lose beloved winery, homes, animals

MY PARENTS were lucky, but our friends not so, writes MEGAN GOMEZ

Tough times: Jinks Creek Winery at Tonimbuk was destroyed after a bushfire engulfed the Bunyip state forest. Picture: Stuart McEvoy

ON SATURDAY my parents were meant to be celebrating their 70th birthday with their family and friends at Jinks Creek Winery in the heart of Tonimbuk.

Instead they spent the morning preparing to defend their home, before being told by the CFA that conditions had changed and it was time to leave — now.

Within hours the historic shearing shed turned restaurant at Jinks Creek, which happened to be where I got married, was burnt, along with Andrew and Abi Clarke’s house, bed and breakfast and wine making equipment.

It would be an agonising 36 hour wait before we had any answers about my parents 130-year-old house.

All we had to go on, on Sunday was an aerial photograph taken as the fire front went through our property at 8.30am on Sunday, showing fire all around the property and some embers on the roof.

Without doubt the house was minutes from burning and was saved by the amazing water bombers, who dumped a load, or loads, of water over it at the crucial moment.

Megan Gomez’s parents found their house still standing, surrounded by charred bush, grass and buildings.

When my parents were finally able to get in on Monday afternoon they found the house still standing, surrounded by charred bush, grass and buildings.

It is one of many houses in the area that are now an oasis in a sea of black.

We are so relieved and forever grateful to the firefighters who saved our house.

Burnt-down cottage on Megan Gomez’s parents’ property.

But our heart is also breaking for those who were not so lucky.

Like Rex Newton who lost his home and many of his beloved animals.

For as long as I can remember every time anyone found an injured animal (and when you live next to a State Park, it happens a lot) they took them to Rex knowing he would take them in.

And Jinks Creek Winery, which had become the heart and soul of Tonimbuk.

Andrew and Abi and kids Charlie and Lucy had lovingly built the successful winery and restaurant over many years.

Their passion for it was evident in every little detail and the way the whole family worked there together.

The winery had given us a chance to share our beautiful region with visitors from outside the area.

It gave us a meeting place and a base to wage the war against a quarry proposed for the area.

We always knew we would know at least half of the people when we called in for a glass of one of their amazing wines.

I hope we will be doing so again.

Tonimbuk is not a big community but it is a strong one. I know that everyone from the area will support each other during whatever tough times lie ahead.

• Megan Gomez is a former The Weekly Times reporter