SIX months after the Black Saturday bushfires, the worst-hit communities are grappling with their recovery, DAVID McKENZIE reports

As you drive into Marysville, you still get a sense of the inferno that engulfed the small tourist town.

The main street was all but wiped out. Only the bakery, the Tower Motel and a couple of other buildings still stand.

Few houses remain. The rubble is gone, but the vacant blocks offer solemn homage to lives lost.

Locals say the flames on Black Saturday were half a kilometre high, the radiant heat so intense that even ceramics melted.

Water was sucked out of creeks, trees ripped from the ground by the fire's ferocity, houses vaporised.

Thirty-nine people in the area perished, hundreds lost homes and businesses.

Six months later, there are signs the community is re-generating, but progress is slow and fragile.

In the main drag, the old lolly shop has started up again in temporary digs, a real estate business is opening today. Two ski-hire shops are operating in makeshift premises.

A large marquee houses a couple of food and coffee stalls and offers a focal point for an otherwise rudderless community.

On the edge of town, the caravan park is about to reopen. But permanent resettlement is another matter. Some locals want to stay and rebuild or resettle. They are living in nearby towns or in the temporary village just out of town.

But others have decided to leave. And still others are waiting to see if the town and community recover.

Graeme Brown, who lost his home, says the main problem is the emotional legacy of the tragedy and the personal trauma suffered by so many.

"People haven't just lost their houses, they've lost their whole lives - where they went to school, where they grew up, where they shopped," said Mr Brown, who leads the Marysville Triangle group set up toensure a community voice in the recovery process.

"It's all gone, and people are really struggling with that."

But bureaucracy has also reared its head. The Victorian Government's bushfire authority, federal and state support agencies as well as local government are all involved, creating a maze of red tape.

"The politicians were really supportive at the start, but then the departments sort of pushed back," said Doug Walter, another group member. "It was an unconventional disaster, but they've used conventional methods - slow and unresponsive."

There have been long delays in getting new building leases and permits. There's a wrangle over redeveloping the main street. A plan to house retail outlets in the fire-damaged car museum is about to get the go-ahead, but it's taken some time.

"I know the council wants to get things right, but their policies have slowed down the recovery," said Lions Club president Ken Adams.

"But we've got none of the basic community facilities left - no pub, petrol station, medical facilities, post office, general store - and we really need to get things moving again."

While Marysville suffered terribly, other areas - Kilmore East, Bendigo, Beechworth, West Gippsland, Wilsons Promontory and Horsham, Coleraine and Weerite - were also affected by the fires. In the Kinglake region 120 people died in fires that swept through the area. Signs of recovery are emerging. A temporary village is operating in Kinglake, new houses are being built.

"It's really positive to drive along and see slabs being poured for new houses," said Kinglake Ranges bushfire recovery group's Rennie Schafer.

"Some people are passionate about rebuilding, for others it's too hard. The psychological legacy is the hardest thing. We will rebuild, it's just going to take time."