FIRES DISRUPT OUR ANNUAL FAMILY GET TOGETHER

We always try to have a family get together at Christmas but Sonya and family couldn't come to Brisbane this year because it was their turn to host the Curry family at their home in Melbourne. They had lots of guests for Christmas dinner.

They are a crazy, funny family

Meanwhile we had a quiet Christmas with Carol and David

So, some months ago we planned a family get together in early January. We hired an Airbnb at Culburra Beach on the South Coast of NSW. Sonya and family would drive up from Melbourne and we would fly to Sydney and be picked up by Carol and David and driven down to the South Coast to meet Sonya and family at Culburra Beach. Little did we know that catastrophic fires would put an end to our plans.

We kept looking at the fire maps and warnings as it got closer to Jan 4 when we were to leave for the holiday house. We discussed whether we should cancel. The host of the house assured us all is good at Culburra Beach. We checked the map:

We could see that both Sonya's family from Melbourne and us from Sydney could still get to the beach. However, each day the fires were getting worse and spreading. The prediction wasn't good.

The news wasn't good. People were having to escape the fires by huddling under wet towels on the beaches to avoid being burnt by embers and ash. The weather conditions were bad, windy and hot.

So we decided to cancel our 7 day booking which had been fully paid for ($6320.00). However, the host would only refund 50% less $774 service fee. She claimed the roads were still open, which was true. So we decided to go direct to Airbnb and dispute the refund as their web page says a full refund in the event of a natural disaster. Lucky for us but sad for others, on 2 Jan everyone was ordered to leave the area and so our claim was honoured and we received a full refund.

In the meantime, Carol suggested we change our flights from going to Sydney to go to Melbourne instead. She booked a house on the Mornington Peninsula, where there were no fires. Carol and David flew from Sydney and we met them at Melbourne airport, where they hired a car and drove us to Rye. Bernie and Sonya met us there. They often spend holidays at Rye and they know the area well.

We were happy with the house. It was plenty big enough for all of us and the new dog.

 We met the grandkids and the grand dog and then settled into holiday mode. The boys had received a Nintendo for Christmas. It kept them quiet while we prepared to have another Christmas dinner and present giving.

"Chief" is a spoilt Border Terrier but very cute.

 Let's get the party started. It is a week after Christmas but who cares when you are with the ones you love.

 Prawns, ham and salads with lots of wine.

We received lovely gifts. The next day Bernie had organised us a trip to a winery for lunch and viewing of a sculpture park. ( next post where the weather surprised us) 

Koala Sam Rescued from the Bushfires.

A Country Fire Association Fire Fighter named David Tree stopped to give a Koala a drink. This is unusual because koalas rarely drink water, they usually get enough liquid from eating gum leaves. However,when they are desperate they will drink water. Besides that, they are uusually very shy of humans and will run away or scratch if you try to handle them. So you can see how desperate this wild animal is, she has burnt feet,and suffering from the heat.

This photo was splashed around the world. No wonder it is so heart wrenching. David said in an interview, that the Koala put her hand into his because he had water in his hand and it was cooling her burnt feet. He got a call to attend to another emergency and he had to leave the koala there but he rang the Animal Rescue people who came and picked her up and took her back to the animal refuge. She is called Sam.

David comes to the refuge to check on Sam. Koalas identify humans by their smell and she soon recognises David as her saviour.