On February 7th, it will be 12 years since the Black Saturday Fires ravaged the Victorian landscape, killing 174 people, changing our lives in so many ways forever.

Visiting Marysville, a small country town virtually obliterated during the fires is always a stark reminder of the loss but also of the resilience and the regeneration that is possible. The town has re- built and geared up for tourists. It was packed with families enjoying the great outdoors. The wildflowers bloomed and the birds sang. The forest is regenerating but the scars are obvious reminders. The intensity of the fire was so fierce that many of the Eucalyptus, especially Mountain Ash were killed so that no regeneration from the old is possible.

These dead stags stand out, pale and tall, part of the old guard watching over the new growth that springs up around them. It will be decades before they won’t be so obvious.

The lessons we learnt from this fire saved many lives in the recent 2020 fires

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Model:	NIKON D500
Exposure:	0.001 sec (1/800)
Aperture:	f/5.6
ISO Speed:	720
Focal Length:	200 mm
Lens:	200.0-500.0 mm f/5.6