Driving down Valley View Road in Dargan is a haunting feeling.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The street full of new homes could be mistaken for a booming estate to those who were unaware of the events of two and a half years ago.
The regenerating trees are almost all that's left of the evidence of the devastation the Gosper's Mountain Bushfire brought to its residents in December 2019.
Just days before Christmas, All but eight homes were destroyed on Valley View Road by what has been described as a 'giant fire ball' by One of the residents, Susan Alexander.
Nick and Susan Alexander purchased their perfect home in 2001 at their current location in Dargan.
Also making news
"I never wanted to build a house, so when we saw the house it was just the vibe," Susan said.
The young family spent just shy of two decades making the house their home. In the months leading up to fire, the family had been completing renovations.
"Six months before the fire, we had finished our new kitchen. Three months before the fire we had finished most of the laundry."
Susan talks about the fire as if it had only happened yesterday.
"Two and a half years on. We've rebuilt. It's still a very raw feeling it feels like yesterday. It hasn't really stopped being raw. It never has," she said.
"People think 'oh, well, you know, you've moved on COVID came through, now you've got a beautiful house, you're fine.' You're not. Because your memories, and the things that you can't get back are always there."
The family lost many irreplaceable sentimental items in the fire; including the blanket Susan brought her daughter home in. It was the same blanket that Susan was brought home in by her mother.
"All the frustration and the anger and the grief and just overwhelming sadness, not for material things," she said.
The mental toll of such a traumatic experience is still impacting the family.
"PTSD is a real thing, and we all have it differently, She said.
It is a vivid recurring nightmare that has haunted Susan over a course of the last two and a half years.
"I still have dreams of my lounge burning around me in my lounge room," she said.
Read more
"I can see it like it's clear as day. I see everything that was burning that I loved. I wasn't even here.
"But those nightmares hit me for a long time, and they still come back."
Susan said she and her family are better prepared for another bushfire if it ever comes to pass.
"When the next fire comes through, and it will. I don't have a doubt, I think we are far more planned," she said.
"We're so clear. I always joke and say that NASA can see us now."
Susan and her family are beginning to settle into their new home, but know it will never be the same.
The communities of Clarence and Dargan suffered the most property loss in the Lithgow LGA during the 2019 Gospers Mountain bushfire.
Since then, the community have formed the Association Of Bell, Clarence and Dargan Inc. which aims to promote resilience within the united communities.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
Reidun Berntsen
Reidun is a Journalist and writer who lives in a country town 3 hours from Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Reidun has been in love with words and the infinite possibilities they bring. Stories, features and poems have been a major part of her writing career.
Reidun is a Journalist and writer who lives in a country town 3 hours from Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Reidun has been in love with words and the infinite possibilities they bring. Stories, features and poems have been a major part of her writing career.
