Sunday Outing to Flowerdale

A little while ago my friend Leslie and I were talking about the Victorian bushfires and what we could possibly do to help in any small way. We decided that visiting the affected areas and spending some cash might be a good start. We worried that it might be seen as rubber-necking but after seeing pleas on the news for just this help we determined to do it.

So today we packed the kids in the car and headed up to the Flowerdale pub for lunch.

Travelling through Wittlesea, the King Lake area and on to Flowerdale was a revelation. The devastation is appalling but the spirit of hope is palpable.

We had a wonderful time, on a glorious sunny day, lunching in the beer garden, then popping in to the Hazeldene general store for some goodies,

continuing on to a nursery where we all chose a plant to buy to commemorate the day.

As you can probably see, all the businesses we visited were ringed by fire and we were continuously astounded that they had survived. This last photo shows us outside the nursery and the countryside looked like this on all four sides of this property. It was an oasis of green amongst the burn and it was overwhelming.

Hopefully our outing will help these businesses in their bid to stay afloat and I highly recommend you head up there to support these amazing people who have suffered so much. Not only will it help bring business back to the area but it was one of the loveliest days I have spent in ages.

http://helpflowerdalenow.blogspot.com/

http://www.standrewspub.com/

http://kinglake.vic.au/