Bushfire Relief - Firewood Trip
Bushfire Relief Firewood Trip.
(Not An Official Toyota 4WD Club Trip)
By Dave Roberts.
Sunday morning dawned damp, cold and foggy. Not a good portent for the rest of the day to follow. Keith Lancaster picked me up around 9:00 am and we headed off towards Healesville and Buxton via the Black Spur.
Under the auspices of the Country Emergency Response Group (CERG) Disaster Relief Group, a trip was being held to collect, cut, split and transport firewood for bushfire victims who, ironically, had none for the winter. We were to meet at the Buxton Recreation Reserve and from there go to a property where the wood was to be collected.
As we travelled east along the Maroondah Highway glimpses of the sun began to show through the overcast, and hinted that the day would indeed improve. By the time we were above Maroondah Reservoir the sun was shining brightly, and looking back towards Healesville you could see the fog sitting in the valley and down towards Melbourne. The first evidence of the fires came as we neared the Watts River where there were blackened trees and ground although there was already significant recovery. However most of “the Spur” appeared to have been spared the worst at least as far as the roadside view went, although across the valleys to the southeast burnt areas could occasionally be seen. It wasn’t until we dropped off the spur into Narbethong that the extent of the fires became apparent with the general store razed. In its place stood a tent with a sign beside it:: “Pancakes On The Mountain. Now Airconditioned.” A number of people were enjoying pancakes and the glorious morning that the day had now become. 
As we travelled north along the Maroondah Highway, the capricious nature of the fires became apparent. Houses randomly stood in isolation where in other places lay piles of rubble where lives, material and literal had been lost. It was very sobering to say the least.
We arrived in Buxton around 10:00 and met the co-ordinator and around 20 other willing workers including Ron Hubeek. We then headed off as a convoy to a property a few kilometres north of Buxton that had been spared the worst but had still come under the fires’ fury. One thing that was noticed on the trip up was the extent of the recovery of the bush. The trees sprouted new shoots from their trunks and a verdant carpet covered the paddocks. The land was rapidly healing itself. Scars of burnt swathes of bush still showed the extent of the fires, with the Cathedral Range showing a barren face to the world.
By now the day had become sunny and warm. The cloud had broken up and only wisps of high cirrus and jet contrails marked a beautiful cobalt blue sky. We set to work in two different groups, with one going off to cut fresh wood which Ron joined, whilst Keith and I set to work collecting, splitting and loading wood into trailers. The use of chainsaws and an hydraulic splitter makes light work of what could not have been done in a week with axes and hand saws. Pick up the log, onto the splitter, crank the handle and “hey presto”, you have a fire box sized piece of wood. Then the wood is stacked in the trailer. We loaded eight trailers with wood for the day. Six of these were to go to Yarra Glen whilst Keith, Ron and I took our loads to Kinglake. From Healesville, we took the Yarra Glen road rather than the more winding and narrower Toolangi road. There was little evidence along the road that the fires had even visited this area, although it was there. Burnt understory of the few patches of bush, the odd burnt fence post and a couple of piles of rubble, but again, the regrowth masked the ferocity of the fires. As we drew into Yarra Glen, two trestle bridges on the railway could be seen. They had been destroyed by the fire and just the rails remained, hanging between the abutments.
North of Yarra Glen the ridges of the range could be seen where the fires had burnt and the bright green new growth showed through the brown and blackened landscape. It wasn’t until we began the climb up Mount Slide along the Melba Highway that the intensity and ferocity of the fires became truly evident. Normally the luxuriant groundcover and tree ferns prevent the gully on the side from being seen and knowing what is down there. This time there was only scorched earth, dead trees and a blackened gully that contained a few puddles of ash and soot filled water. Here was the true horror of how those fires had burned on that terrifying day. Here was no regrowth. No self-healing. Only devastation and desolation. A charred landscape devoid of life. Turning onto Kinglake road, again the randomness of the fire showed itself. Again houses left or destroyed without rhyme or reason. We found the point of contact for our deliveries and informed them of why we were there. The look of gratefulness on their faces alone was worth any amount of hard work. We went round to the wood yard and unloaded. Ron travelled back via St. Andrews and Keith and I returned via Yarra Glen and Lilydale. It was a day of hard work but so very rewarding in simply knowing that we had done something for people we may never meet and helped make their life that little bit better.
I was not in Victoria during that horrific time, doing some volunteer work in far north Queensland, yet the imprint this leaves on ones heart is deep and abiding. I am glad that I was able to take this opportunity to help those who suffered through this terror. It becomes us all that where and when we can, as individuals and corporately, we do our best for others, without thought of reward or gain. Simply knowing is, in itself, its own reward.
