Last week, I visited Apollo Bay with our family. I had read about, and seen images of, the bushfires but it was still incredibly confronting seeing it up close.
Fire impacts our family differently after what happened at their bush block. It’s easier for me to detach, but it still really hit me. I knew it was bad but was a shock to see hills after hills of brown. We could see death on both sides of the road, which was something I didn’t expect.
The way back:
On our return trip, it was less of a shock. We knew what to expect and the rough area where the fire had hit. We were on the side of the road away from the ocean so could get a close look at how the fires were different.
In many of these photos you can still see some sign of plant life – something we didn’t really have at the bush block. There are dead plants and grass on the ground, where at the property it was all burned. It speaks of the how this fire moved a lot quicker and was fought more aggressively.
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It was difficult to see this but it is an unfortunate reality in this current climate. I think bushfires will become more and more regular, as scary as it is. It makes me wonder about whether bushfire impacts on coastal or rainforest forests different from straggly bush. I’m also curious as to whether anyone is documenting any signs of life.
These were photographed from my phone. I would love for the environmental recovery to be somehow documented via photos, I really hope someone is doing it.
