As the immediate bushfire threat recedes in the Australian state of Victoria, residents of the town of Harcourt have begun the heartbreaking process of returning to survey the damage. The community faces a starkly uneven landscape of loss and narrow escape following the devastating Ravenswood and Harcourt fires.
A Tale of Two Fortunes: Homes Saved and Businesses Lost
For some, like local residents and Country Fire Authority (CFA) volunteers Jess and John Bell, the return brought immense relief. Their home was spared from the flames, a fact they attribute to the quick thinking of fire crews. The couple explained that the Castlemaine fire captain used a bobcat to create a crucial containment line behind their property, an action they believe saved their home and others nearby.
However, this fortune was not shared by all. The official toll stands at 51 houses destroyed across the firegrounds, leaving many families with nothing to return to. The disparity between saved and lost was painfully evident within the town itself.
'It Doesn't Feel Real': A Community Hub in Ashes
While some homes were protected, the town's commercial heart suffered a severe blow. Remy and Bonnie Sowman, owners of the popular Coolstore cafe, returned from the nearby town of Woodend to find their business completely destroyed. The emotional impact was immediate and profound.
"It doesn't feel real," Bonnie Sowman said, capturing the numbness that follows such a loss. In a poignant moment that underscored the sudden void, she recounted a simple, now-impossible task: "Remy said yesterday, just go get the Starlink from the cafe and we'll hook it up at home. Then we looked at each other, and like, it's gone." This small detail highlights how the fire erased not just a building, but the daily fabric of life and work.
Mourning the Heart of an Industry
The impact extends beyond individual properties to the region's social and economic core. Harcourt is known for its wine and beer producers, and the destruction of community spaces like the Coolstore cafe represents a deep wound. As one local producer noted, the loss is about more than bricks and mortar; it's about the irreplaceable time invested and the community spirit that flourished there. "You can't replace time," became a sombre refrain, mourning the loss of the industry's informal heart where connections were made and local produce was celebrated.
The road to recovery for Harcourt will be long. The initial phase of assessing damage reveals a community grappling with a patchwork of devastation, where one street may be intact and the next levelled. The efforts of CFA volunteers, many of whom are locals like the Bells fighting to protect their own, will now shift from firefighting to supporting the long process of rebuilding both structures and lives.
