A tale of resilience and luck unfolds amidst the devastating Harcourt bushfire. Lynne and Peter, returning to their home, find themselves amidst a scene of destruction, yet their house miraculously remains standing. A testament to the power of nature and the fragility of life, this story highlights the human spirit's ability to endure and rebuild.
Peter Suelzle holds onto a small piece of his home's history—the brass house numbers once proudly displayed. The gate post, now incinerated, serves as a stark reminder of the fire's fury. While their house stands, the surrounding landscape tells a different story. Bushes and trees, once lush, now smoke, and sheds lie buckled, their contents reduced to toxic remnants.
The Suelzle family considers themselves fortunate. Their next-door neighbor's house lies in ruins, a stark contrast to their own home. This road, leading into the small town, is a testament to the capricious nature of disasters, with miracles and devastation bookending each other.
Victoria's emergency management commissioner, Tim Wiebusch, reported a grim toll—approximately 50 homes lost in the Ravenswood and Harcourt fire. This number, he believes, is a conservative estimate. Despite police blocking access to Harcourt, a steady stream of onlookers, including entire families, managed to evade roadblocks, only to be turned away by frustrated members of the CFA.
Peter Suelzle recounts their evacuation, a decision made just as the fire leaped across the highway. "I saw all the ash coming, and it went black. I loaded the dogs and the cat and took off. We were lucky; the other end of town was hit even worse." The fire's path was relentless, jumping the Calder Freeway and burning through Harcourt and over Mount Alexander, taking out critical infrastructure, including telecommunications, water, sewage, and rail systems, even disabling the broadcasting capacity of ABC local radio, a vital source of emergency alerts.
Homes in Harcourt, Castlemaine, and surrounding areas lost power, internet, and water pressure. The Suelzles, however, were able to access commercial radio for updates, a small glimmer of hope amidst the chaos.
Further up the road, Chris and Augustine Sheppard sit outside their burned-out investment property. Their own home, on a different block, remains safe. Augustine shares their experience, "I couldn't find the cat, so I got the dogs, let the chooks out, and left for Castlemaine. We obviously didn't sleep last night, and as soon as we got up, we came back to see if we could get in." They remain concerned about their immediate neighbors, whose homes have been destroyed.
Local man Brian "Buzz" Nunn stayed in town to protect the kindergarten. Recounting his five-hour battle against the fires, he describes the relentless calls from his family, worried about his safety. Nunn witnessed the fire's approach over a hill and attempted to contain it with his bobcat tracks. Unable to control it, he joined his neighbor Pam, using water from her tank to protect the houses. "When the Pine Centre burned down, it knocked over a fire hydrant, so we used watering cans and bins that Pam handed over her fence."
The fire's intensity increased, licking up the stormwater downpipe of the kindergarten and igniting the walkway. Nunn's efforts were valiant but ultimately insufficient. "I ran out of water, and I was getting buggered. Then, the Redesdale Fire Brigade arrived and got it under control."
Prue Walduck and Ada Milley, residents of Harcourt North, took turns keeping watch overnight as the bushfire ravaged Mount Alexander. While others evacuated, they chose to stay, determined to defend their home and their alpacas. Walduck explains, "I've got females due to birth. The first one's due in three days." Being in the dark made it challenging to gauge the fire's proximity. "Sitting on the lawn at two o'clock in the morning, it was calm, but there was no frame of reference to know where the fire actually was."
They took turns keeping watch, knowing a predicted wind change could turn the fire back towards them. Their straw bale house, concrete-rendered, provided a relatively safe haven. They planned to herd the alpacas into a shearing shed with a concrete floor, ready to move them if necessary. Now, Walduck's concern shifts to running out of fodder.
At Blackwood Orchard in Harcourt North, Colin Pickering describes the "scorched earth" aftermath, leaving him without power. "There are still sources of reignition, so we're watching that. But compared to someone who's lost everything, I've got no hassles."
As Walduck and Milley prepare for another night-time vigil, they are acutely aware of the ongoing danger. "Another wind change could bring it towards us." The fire's intensity is highlighted by Masters, the CFA incident controller for Ravenswood, who describes the fire's rapid spread under 100km/h plus winds, making it challenging for firefighters to control.
At a community meeting in Castlemaine Town Hall, authorities could not provide a definitive count of lost homes in Harcourt but confirmed that most public buildings, including the primary school, were saved. The beloved miniature railway sustained damage but remained intact, while the Coolstore Cafe was destroyed. The Mount Alexander mayor, Toby Heydon, acknowledged the local leadership's efforts, even as some staff and councillors lost their homes.
Masters apologized to the Harcourt community, acknowledging their failure to keep people safe. The fire's behavior was significant, with spot fires jumping 7km east as it crested Mount Alexander. The loss of ABC local radio was particularly concerning, impacting the community's ability to receive emergency alerts.
Local radio Phoenix FM 106.7 stepped in to rebroadcast ABC local radio. Additionally, a transmission line providing backup power to Castlemaine was destroyed, leaving the town without redundancy. Heydon described the shire as a "red zone" the previous day.
A recovery center is set to open in Castlemaine on Monday morning, offering support and resources to those affected by the devastating bushfire.
