OMG! What a couple of days it has been in Margaret River!
It's all a bit surreal at the moment. Ash is starting to fall out of the sky following a south west breeze. The fire is deemed to be better controlled now, and contained for the most part. If you've been following the news, then you would know that Margaret River, in particular the areas of Prevelly and Gnarabup have just been hit by the worst fire devastation ever. What makes the situation worse, is that the fire appears to have been caused by DEC controlled burning, that got out of control.
Mid afternoon yesterday, Hoges was evacuated from his place of work at Cape Mentelle, a couple of kilometers down the road from our house. As the winds picked up speed and the day grew hotter, we looked at each other and decided that YES, we should probably load up the car with our essential possessions. So we put on ABC kids for the boys and walked around the house getting together important documents, change of clothes, toiletries, sleeping bags, a few books and toys for the boys and laptops, iphones and chargers for us. We filled an esky with food and drinks and paid close attention to the radio which was broadcasting rolling coverage on ABC of updates.
At 2.30pm we noticed a lot more action in the sky. Water bomber planes were flying more frequently and closer to home. I decided to call the Winebar to tell them I wouldn't be coming into work that night, the boys were getting anxious, especially Mini Hoges. And I was getting a gnawing feeling in my gut that said we would need to leave our home soon. On the radio we learnt that up to 20 houses had been destroyed by fire in the Gnarabup, Prevelly township. We have friends that live down there, a mere 7 minute drive away, and we felt sad and anxious for them.
I felt grateful at this time for our iphones and facebook. This seemed to be the best way, along with the ABC radio to get current updates. Our local newspaper, the Augusta Margaret River Times kept everyone up to date with regular posts from FESA and DEC as to what was happening and where. Having this local information really helped. A couple of friends from nearby town Cowaramup (about 15km North of Margs) called and told us they'd heard the local hospital had been evacuated and that we should probably get out of town and spend the night with them. Right after that call, Hoges and I each received this text message:
State Alert Message
Bushfire EMERGENCY WARNING
You will be impacted by fire
go to www.fesa.wa.gov.au or call 1300657209
This was then followed 5 minutes later with a visit from a neighbour up the road who said the road blocks were only 1 km from our house. That's when we decided to leave our house. Hoges and Junior ran around the house turning off all the power points, shutting all the doors and ensuring that our house was left in the best possible way, considering we are surrounded by trees. We'd put the sprinklers on for a good hour, and Junior had enjoyed watering the decking out the back, all the while questioning us about why we were letting him waste water. Our immediate neighbour stopped by just as we were getting in the car to say he'd just received a phone call on the land line with the notice to evacuate, and he knew we only had mobiles no land line. As we left our driveway, we saw every other family (about 5) in our culdersac packing their car.
We decided that the safest place for us was at the Margaret River Lawn Bowls club, where Hoges is a member. The club is situated in prime position, right in the centre of the Glouster Park Sportsgrounds. Which, happened to be directly behind the major evacuation centre where all the families from Prevelly and Gnarabup had been sheltering since Wednesday. The Lawn Bowls Club also happens to be adjacent to the Command Center that has been set up for all the Firefighters, Police and Emergency workers. We felt safe. The wind was still howling, and we could see a thick plume of smoke beginnning to billow up into the sky from the direction of the Light Industrial Area, and some of Margaret Rivers Iconic Wineries - Xanandu, Redgate, Voyager and Leeuwin Estate. The water bomber planes started to circle the North East region of Wallcliffe Road. We listen on the radio and kept on watching facebook as news and photos began to flow in. We were nervous.
However, just as soon as the sky darkened it changed again. Our boys decided to get out their water guns to cool off, just as the wind changed direction. And the fire proceeded to move further south and miss town altogether. A huge sigh of relief. We didn't go back to our home unitl after 9pm. And by that stage, all of our neighbours had come home too. As the sun went down, firetrucks and rescue workers returned to the command center to mark the end of their 12 hour shift. We were there to watch over the fence and offer our thanks and congratulations to their Hero efforts. Upon seeing this, we knew it was safe to go home.
So Friday brings a new day. The weather has cooled off significantly and the breeze has died down. There are clouds in the sky and there had even been some rain in the most northern parts of the region. The news that has come through has been sad. Whilst there have been no lives lost, at least 20 people have lost their homes. 9 chalets have been destroyed and the historic Wallcliffe House has also been ravaged by fire, this is a building of great significance to the Margaret River history. The community of Prevelly and Gnarabup have been allowed to go back and see the devastation. The EMERGENCY WARNING has been lifted to a Watch and Alert level. It is smokey and ashy. Saturday will bring another new day...
It's a strange feeling to be living on the doorstep of a natural disaster. We know the worst is over, but there is still a hesitance. All it takes is the wind to pick up strongly again and embers to fly about. For now we will leave our car packed with the essential items.
There are a few things I'd like to make mention of and be grateful for:
- Today, is Junior Hoges' 4th birthday. We've tried to make it as special for him as we could amongst the kaos and drama that has unfolded over the past 2 days
- the volunteer firefighters of this community have worked a MAMOUTH effort and all deserve medals of bravery
- the firefighters and rescue workers who came down to help also need to be thanked (all 400 of them)
- our hearts go out to those who have lost their homes (we are yet to find out if it is anyone we directly know) however we have started gathering items from our home to donate
- technology is amazing, if we did not have our iphones and radio, we would not have been as kept up to date and informed as we have
- the Augusta Margaret River Times needs to be applauded for their 24 hour coverage and posting on Facebook of the Fire.
- And lastly, I am TRULY GRATEFUL that no lives were lost in such a devastating and fast moving fire.
If you are interested in seeing more, please click on the links to the Augusta Margaret River Times Facebook and also Margaret River local tour operator and volunteer fire fighter and photographer Sean Blocksidge has taken some AMAZING in action photos and posted them on facebook.
Nic xo
PS, don't forget the giveaway I am running...
