Couple find out home they sold one week ago destroyed in bushfire
Returning home to the fire-devastated town of Tathra brought relief for some and heartbreak for others, as many locals were taken by bus into the bushfire zone to find out whose homes survived.
Dozens of burnt-out properties remain too dangerous to visit, and for some residents, emotions were still too raw to keep in.
Some are contaminated with toxic asbestos or under threat of structural collapse, but that didn't stop Deb Nave and Ingrid Mitchell wanting to see if anything was left of their home.
They only exchanged contracts on the house last week, but there is nothing left.
"Just seeing all of our kids' stuff, like the little bike for our four year old. He didn't even get a chance to ride it," Deb Nave said.
"We've got a seven and a four-year-old, so we thought a bit more space would be good for them," Ingrid Mitchell said.
"But now we have a lot of space."
Aboard two buses, residents drove through the streets of Tathra, but there were no stops, as the area is still deemed too unsafe.
Many didn't know what was left of their homes, making the trip something of a horrible mystery tour with an uncertain ending.
"It's just heartwrenching," local resident Ray Coates said.
"Floods, and you've still got a house. With fires, you've got nothing."
"You hear people crying and you know they've had a bad experience," Norman Johansen said. "It's terrible."
But the policy on who can come into town and who can't has been confusing and frustrating for residents.
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One man was taken off the bus - the reason why unclear.
The wait has been upsetting, but necessary, according to authorities.
For Mitch Creary, seeing the burnt-out remains of his 1967 Mustang convertible made him feel "sick in the stomach."
Some properties and even entire streets have been fenced off, deemed too dangerous to return to.
One local summed up the mood of the town.
"We've been through a lot," John Plumb said. "We all stick together."
