Summary

Digital photograph of Happy Valley Road taken by Robin McDonald at her beef property at Rosewhite, in Happy Valley, north east Victoria in February-July 2009.

Robin and her husband David, have been farming on this property since 1963, and were directly affected by the 2009 February bushfires which started in the early hours of Sunday 8th February 2009.

This photograph is part of the Victorian Bushfires Collection and is supported by an oral and video interview undertaken with Robin and David McDonald.

Description of Content

Happy Valley Road looking north clearly showing where the wind change took the fire to the south. 'Near the top of the rise is a neighbour's gate where David and Nigel Mc Donald struggled early in the fire to get in to the property to fight the blaze. The gate was locked and they were not able to get it off its hinges quickly enough. They returned to the shed to get more tools, but before they could get back, there were newer and closer blazes to deal with.' - Robin McDonald [Happy Valley resident, 19th August 2010].

Physical Description

Colour digital photograph

Significance

This collection of photographs contributes to understanding the experience of primary producers during the 2009 February bushfires. They particularly document the fires in north east Victoria, which were known as the Beechworth fires. These fires were responsible for the destruction of the greatest amount of public and private land in Victoria during the 2009 bushfires, and raise many issues and themes specific to the geographic nature of this area.

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