The devestating effect.

A couple of months ago, fire ripped through Victoria, laying waste to many small towns that we all know from riding to or riding with our bikes.

Recently I've ridden back up through Kinglake, the landscape seems alien, it's hard to grasp just what has happened. The melted road signs and metal embedded in the road were so far outside the realms of experience that they seemed un-real.


Taken 12th April, a nice sunny day.


Taken 25th April, from the saddle up it was cold and wet.

Thankfully the Australian landscape is starting anew, grass has sprouted after recent rains. Trees are shooting out, reaching for the sky, aiming to fill the void around themselves. In the absence of competition for sunlight, regrowth is fast paced, the land is on the road to recovery.

I'm happy to say that there are signs that the people of these places are rebuilding as well. Maybe it was just that it was wintery on Saturday, but the hot chocolate at the Kinglake bakery is some of the best I've tasted, especially after the enormous coffee scroll it followed.