MARYSVILLE residents and traders are working hard to rebuild the devastated fire-stricken area, writes CIMARA PEARCE
There is a sense of optimism in the air at Marysville.
Driving through the windy roads of the Black Spur, the blackness of the burnt trees in the once lush green rainforest is still visible.
But not to the locals.
"People's first impression is they come in and they see the burnt trees and the stark outlines on the ridges," business owner and real estate agent Bob McNamara says.
"We don't. We see the green."
The positivity and confidence is exciting for a town that three years ago, lost almost everything.
While the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires devastated many communities across Victoria, Marysville was undoubtedly among the worst hit.
"We're different to the other communities that were affected by fires, where people lived there but they worked off the mount on the fringes of Melbourne," Bob says.
"People lived and worked in this area and people lost their employment as well as their home so there was a double whammy."
Although the tragedy of the fires will never be forgotten, it's not something the locals are keen to talk about.
They have their eyes firmly set on the future.
"We really don't want to look back," Marysville Triangle Real Estate agent Dianne Lisle says.
"We want to look forward and I think that is the feeling around here now. It will never be the old Marysville," Dianne says.
"It's a new Marysville and maybe a better Marysville.
"I don't think you can ever go back so you just have to move forward."
This innate optimism and the strong determination of many in the district - which takes in Narbethong, Taggerty, Granton and Buxton - has helped spur on redevelopment.
There's no denying it's a slow process though.
"I think you can't underestimate how long it takes in a recovery after a disaster," Marysville and Triangle Community Recovery Committee chairman Tony Thompson says.
"It's not something you just rush into.
"A lot of people in the area needed to one, get over the shock of what's happened, and then try and work out what they were going to do after that.
"I think we're up around 180 houses that have been rebuilt (400 were lost in the fires) so it's well on its way.
Dianne says she is selling a property in Marysville about once a fortnight.
Her most recent and significant is the sale of three properties, including the former Cumberland Resort site in the main street of town, to the Victorian Government.
The land is set to be transformed into a $30 million-plus resort-style conference centre with between 80 and 120 hotel rooms and conference facilities for up to 300 people.
The tender winner is expected to be announced early next year and the project will inject a much-needed tourism boost.
Lake Mountain Alpine Resort, known for its cross-country skiing and tobogganing, was almost entirely destroyed in the fires.
While the ski slopes opened the winter after the fires, the resort last month launched a range of adventure activities to bring tourism to Marysville in summer.
"The positive that came out of the bushfires for us is it has given us the opportunity to explore different green season options that we have and through recovery funding get a new building up there," Lake Mountain marketing manager Trudi Ackerman says.
But the development doesn't end there. A new $9 million community centre opened last month, while the Marysville Golf Course is being redeveloped with the help of golfing legend Greg Norman's designs.
A new state-of-the-art children's playground in the main street was completed recently.
And it seems almost everywhere you turn in Marysville there is development.
Construction sites litter the main street, indicating promising signs for this tiny town's future.
Among the shops being rebuilt is the renowned lolly shop, which has been operating from a shipping container since the fires.
Dalrymples Bed and Breakfast is nearing completion, the caravan park has been redeveloped and a guest house being built opposite the golf course will have 25 bedrooms.
"All of our infrastructure should be wrapped up and finished by about March next year so then it's really down to the residents' rebuilding," Tony says.
"You need that core percentage of businesses up and running again to make sure business flows, residents flow and the whole economy is doing well in the area."
The decision to rebuild, particularly for the first wave of residents and businesses, can not have been an easy one.
A number of businesses and residents had to sign on to make rebuilding worthwhile.
Walking away was an easier option for those who had lost everything, but it was never an option for many dedicated Marysville lovers.
Among them artist and sculptor Bruno Torfs.
Bruno owned the town's art gallery and sculpture gardens, which were a popular tourist attraction.
On the night of the fires he watched as his home and business burnt in front of him.
With no insurance and only a small number of paintings and sculptures remaining, rebuilding was a huge task.
"I realised that some people would have to start building up again and I hoped some people would stay," Bruno said.
"So many people from outside (kept saying) 'Bruno you're going to start again. You're going to redo it right?'
"The help that came from outside was quite amazing."
Marysville Chamber of Commerce president and Tower Motel owner David Stirling believes the opening of such businesses - as well as the development of more housing and accommodation - will eventually spark a strong return of tourists.
