Life on the West Island - Place of many waters

Do you remember Mallacoota, the West Island town almost wiped out on New Year’s Eve 2019 by raging bushfires? This week, Life on the West Island visited this tiny settlement on the eastern fringe of Gippsland, just south of the NSW border, to see whether it had recovered from its fiery ordeal.

To remind you, here are a few extracts from a summary in the Melbourne Age dated19 January 2020:

In the days before Christmas, small fires start to burn in Gippsland. By Christmas Day there are serious warnings about the extreme heat on the horizon. On Boxing Day, authorities urge Victorians to reconsider their holiday plans. As the region is still filled with campers and other tourists, Victoria’s Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp tells them they should turn around and go home. Now. "If you're holidaying in that part of the state, it's time that you left," he says. Within hours of his warning, a small fire at Wingan River starts. It is about 30 kilometres west of Mallacoota, soon out of control and generating its own weather. Those who have stayed don't know it, but they are already out of time.

An emergency warning is issued for the Mallacoota area. People in the area are told that an earlier Watch and Act warning has been upgraded due to concerns about an out-of-control bushfire at Wingan River “bearing down” on Mallacoota. It is predicted to reach the area between 5pm-6pm. The warning tells people they are in danger and should take shelter immediately. “It is too late to leave. Leaving now would be deadly. Genoa-Mallacoota Road is now closed.” People wake on New Year’s Eve in Mallacoota to the news that they are entirely hemmed in by fire. The bushfire is now big enough to generate its own lightning and is bearing down on the town. Around 4000 people are gathered on the foreshore in the hope they’ll escape its wrath. The fire is expected to reach the outskirts of the town at daybreak. Mallacoota is without power.

The bushfire has begun to burn the outskirts of Mallacoota. The majority of those stuck in the town are huddled at the boat ramp where they’re waiting in anticipation. It is pitch black. When the “sky” can be seen it is glowing fiery red. Mary O’Malley is sheltering on a boat and says some of the thick smoke has lifted after hours of what looked like "Armageddon".

What followed was a frightening few days when more than 60 houses were lost and supplies of food and drinkable water ran dangerously short. Most of the CBD had been saved and stores threw open their supplies to help keep people alive. Eventually, joint efforts of Australian Navy ships and helicopters and many civilian rescue services evacuated most people, but there was a popular belief that the town would never recover.

When we visited over four years later, we found many signs of the devastation from the fires, but also a determined and vibrant community which has once again become a tourist mecca. The town centre is small, but boasts three excellent eateries and an assortment of craft and general stores. There are three attractive modern holiday parks and dozens of accommodation options.

But it is the stunning natural beauty which still attracts many visitors to the area, known in the language of traditional owners, the Krauaetunglung Indigenous people, as “the place of many waters,” an apt name for the assortment of ocean beaches, lakes, lagoons and inlets.

Tourism Victoria recommends that visitors discover the coast from the popular and patrolled Betka Beach to the rugged Quarry Beach where snorkellers explore the rocks, or the peaceful Secret Beach. The Top Lake, Bottom Lake, the inlets, cliffs and beaches are all great places to explore – or just sit and watch the beautiful sunsets for which the area is renowned.

The regeneration of the area’s bushlands has to be seen to be believed, especially in the wilderness of the Croajingolong National Park which surrounds the town. Recognised as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, this delightful park supports over 1500 plant species and a diverse range of animal life, including over 300 species of birds and over 50 mammal species including kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas, koalas, platypuses, possums, bats and gliders. Whales, dolphins and seals are often seen along the 100km of beautiful, undeveloped coastline on both sides of the town.

We stayed at a delightfully-restored lodge with stunning views out over Mallacoota Inlet, and were especially taken by the large numbers of dainty fairy wrens, busy in the process of teaching their newly-hatched young to fly and hunt for food.

The residents we spoke to were proud of Mallacoota’s spectacular recovery, but reluctant to talk about the 60 hours of terror in 2019/20 as the very life of the town was threatened. Some have left never to return, but most have stayed and attempted to rebuild their lives and businesses. Residents were universally grateful for the heroic efforts during and after the fires by CFA and emergency services volunteers, who did their very best to protect lives, to obtain and distribute food and water supplies, to tend to the sick and injured, and above all to maintain morale when all seemed lost.

Once the fires had passed, the people of Mallacoota resolved not to sit and wait for help to come. They gathered to establish “The People’s Republic of Mallacoota” to rebuild a town which was bigger, better and above all, with improved fire breaks and increased firefighting resources.

Have they succeeded? Life on the West Island is happy to report that Mallacoota is going strong and is a beautiful and friendly place to visit. If you don’t believe us, come and see this place of many waters for yourselves!