The Fogartys Gap Road fire that impacted Ravenswood South, Walmer, Harcourt, Sutton Grange, Faraday and surrounds on January 9 was officially declared contained on Friday morning.
CFA and Forest Fire Management crews have been working around the clock to build containment lines, back burn and black out the fire with the support of three aircraft.
Incident controller Chris Eagle said the fire had burnt 4500 hectares and had a perimeter of 68 kilometres. Mr Eagle said crews would continue to work to patrol the fire over the next week to 10 days.
“If you see smoking embers and trees within the fireground don’t be alarmed, they will burn out naturally. However, if they are close to the edge and you are concerned call 000,” he said.
Access to the township is restricted to residents only as council works to assess damage to roads. Mount Alexander Regional Park also remains closed.
More than 50 homes and several businesses have been lost in the fire and dozens of others have been impacted by the loss of the Harcourt Coolstore.
The majority of the town’s community infrastructure remains intact, however, including the Harcourt Primary School and PreSchool, the Harcourt Leisure Centre, Victorian Miniature Railway and the businesses in the CBD.
Amid the shock and heartbreak, Harcourt community members showed their spirit and resilience with those remaining in the township quickly rallying to set up a relief centre at the Victorian Miniature Railway to offer direct relief to those needing food, water and emotional support.
This has now moved to the Harcourt Leisure Centre where local residents can access a meal, food and water, clothing and showers. Council staff and Lifeline counsellors were also on the ground late last week offering support to the fire-affected.
After the closure of the Kyneton and Bendigo Relief Centres, Mount Alexander Shire Council established a Bushfire Recovery Hub at the Castlemaine Town Hall last Monday, which has been offering fire-affected community members support to access emergency accommodation, food relief, assistance accessing state and federal relief payments, and a wide array of other services to begin the road to recovery. The hub is open daily from 11am-5pm.
CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan and CEO Greg Leach AFSM visited Harcourt last week to meet with the local brigade and those working on the ground.
“I was able to spend some time talking to our crews and community members to hear their stories, and see the ongoing work needed to protect vital assets,” Jason said.
Harcourt Captain Andrew Wilson and his crews were at the forefront of the firefight and have spent the days protecting the community.
During Heffernan’s visit Wilson said they went hard on the fires for four days.
“Everyone’s been pretty busy,” Andrew said.
Despite the number of losses, including some homes belonging to Harcourt brigade members, the brigade remains in good spirits.
“The crew’s doing well. They’re all supporting each other. All their training’s kicked in and they’re all in a good place…
“The support we’re getting from far and wide has been amazing,” Andrew said.
A raft of community groups and organisations have kept the hundreds of firefighters fed during the campaign both at the staging area alongside the Ravenswood Caltex and in Harcourt, including the Rapid Recovery Relief Team, Castlemaine Lions Club and Harcourt General Store.
Powercor was quick to hit the ground when permitted, working to replace power poles and get power back to the community with the majority of homes restored by Wednesday morning.
V/Line was also quick to restore a damaged railway bridge to enable services to resume early Wednesday morning.
NBN technicians successfully restored transmission to and from the Mount Alexander Fixed Wireless tower late Friday. Some people may have already noticed their service returning. Further restoration work was scheduled to continue through to Monday.
Powercor continues working with Broadcast Australia to have a temporary solution for free-to-air TV available.
Coliban Water restoration works in Harcourt were completed on Saturday afternoon and the water is now safe to drink in Harcourt. However, residents were urged to call 1300 363 200 or visit www.connect.coliban.com.au/harcourt for advice on how to manage first use of the water to clear potentially contaminated lines.
The Harcourt Progress Association is leading the way towards recovery establishing a GoFundMe to support those affected at www.gofundme.com/f/harcourt-progress-relief-fund
The association also established a Harcourt Bushfire Donation Centre at the former Mitsubishi warehouse in Johnstone Street, Castlemaine, which was filled within hours of opening its doors. Community members are urged to hold onto further donations at this stage.
Several other GoFundMe pages have also been established for individuals impacted.
It is understood some community members did not have insurance cover due to the expense of premiums as the township is deemed to be in bushfire zone.
The Bendigo Bank has also established a Victorian Bushfire Appeal at www.bendigobank.com.au/community/foundation/disaster-appeals/victorian-bushfire-appeal
Surrounding communities have also rallied to offer their support with Castlemaine Community House inundated with fresh and non-perishable food donations and gift vouchers. Stay tuned to their Facebook page for updates on what is needed.
The Castlemaine Community House, Harcourt Valley Community House and Harcourt Progress Association, Castlemaine Community Investment Co-operative, Castlemaine Lions Club, local Landcare groups, Connecting Country and others are also coordinating a volunteer and equipment register to help longer-term bushfire recovery. To register visit cch.org.au/volunteer-resource-centre
Numerous Harcourt Bushfire benefits have also been held, and many more are planned, to help community members to get back on their feet.
