A first hand account of the devastating Gippsland bushfires.

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TRANSCRIPT

[WIND WHIPPING]

DAVID GUY: Because if you look out here, things are sort of happening. Bloody hell. Just everywhere is burning. I think the shed's stuffed. It's scary. I'm amazed the power's still on. Shit.

DAVID GUY (VOICEOVER): Earlier this day, a fire had been lit not too far away. The hot wind and weather forecast signaled nothing but trouble. Activating the fire plan in short notice resulted in unanswered questions. What are the priorities? What about the girls? How are we going to get through this?

DAVID GUY: You ever seen wind like that?

MAN:  No.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

DAVID GUY (VOICEOVER): Unhappy living in the suburbs, I moved to the country, pursuing an independent life. I had found a dream. Somewhere special, unique-- a symbol of sustainability. A place I could breathe, smell, touch, feel. A place of identity.

[LAUGHTER]

A place where friends and family could visit, have fun, relax. A home. The girls. This was my destiny.

But there were challenges. A decade on, soulmates fade away. Life changes. I tell myself there will be better days.

MAN:  Oh, beautiful!

DAVID GUY (VOICEOVER): But this is not one of them.

[WIND WHIPPING]

DAVID GUY: It's dark. We have fire in every direction, and I don't know where Keith is.

DAVID GUY (VOICEOVER): This day is a defining moment, a moment where my material past is swept away. Keith, my mate, has run to the local police block to lend a hand. The fire is in hot pursuit.

The girls take their chances and bolt towards the flames. I'm touched by a moment of despair. But that's short-lived, as we are in survival mode.

DAVID GUY: Look at this. The house is here. Oh, shit, this bloody thing keeps burning. Get the [INAUDIBLE].

DAVID GUY (VOICEOVER): After, the house is still standing. Just as well, as we were in it. But what happened to the girls? Neighbors? I needed to know.

I hedged my bets by putting the motorbike in the kitchen, so I was able to take a ride, a ride through an alien landscape, to check. No girls, but the neighbors were OK.

-They are too. Let's have a look at that.

DAVID GUY (VOICEOVER): Luckily, the girls had no respect for fences and returned home the next day. This place, my space, has been transformed. But nature has evolved with fire and bounces back, unlike the sheds, yards, and fences.

Rebuilding takes vision and effort. But these changes have influenced my attitude. The question for me now is where to from here?