At day break, around 5:30 h we get help.
We are talking to the firies when our 10 cattle come up through the vineyard, unharmed.
We feed some hay to keep them off the road while we find a paddock where the fences can be temporarily mended with little effort, then move them there.
Then we start looking at the damage and try to assemble a priority list for the day.
The house, the winery and the main sheds have been saved.
The stockyards are still burning.
The hay is smoldering and the hay shed is destroyed. We still have about 3 days worth of feed left.
The main chicken houses have burnt down. There is no safe place for the surviving chickens.
The damwater-system which feeds the fire-defence, cattle troughs, irrigation and our toilet is severely damaged in several places. The header tanks have survived (!) but the gravity-fed system is leaking everywhere.
The main watertanks which supply the drinking water to our house and the water to the winery are empty. There is one tank with a bit of water left.
Most fences and gates are down. What was left of the pasture is burnt.
The worst damage has been done to the plants and wildlife.
And then there are the grapevines….