Don't cancel - blue skies will return Down Under

As Australia suffers its worst fire disaster on record, rescheduling your holiday there is one way to help the country bounce back from the devastation

Merimbula on the south coast of New South Wales is a town of 8,000 people that relies mostly on domestic tourism for a living. The town usually comes alive over the summer holidays, when visitors have barbecues by the beach, surf and eat oysters from the
Merimbula on the south coast of New South Wales is a town of 8,000 people that relies mostly on domestic tourism for a living. The town usually comes alive over the summer holidays, when visitors have barbecues by the beach, surf and eat oysters from the lake. PHOTOS: CAROLYN BEASLEY, DESTINATION NSW, SARAH CHENHALL
The view of the jetty from the writer’s family house in Merimbula on a clear day (above) and the house being engulfed by smoke and ash from the bushfires.
The view of the jetty from the writer’s family house in Merimbula on a clear day (above) and the house being engulfed by smoke and ash from the bushfires. PHOTOS: CAROLYN BEASLEY, DESTINATION NSW, SARAH CHENHALL
The view of the jetty from the writer’s family house in Merimbula on a clear day and the house (above) being engulfed by smoke and ash from the bushfires.
The view of the jetty from the writer’s family house in Merimbula on a clear day and the house (above) being engulfed by smoke and ash from the bushfires. PHOTOS: CAROLYN BEASLEY, DESTINATION NSW, SARAH CHENHALL
Australians usually go oyster punting (above) in the clear waters of Merimbula Lake in the summer, but this year, the lake was covered in ash.
Australians usually go oyster punting (above) in the clear waters of Merimbula Lake in the summer, but this year, the lake was covered in ash. PHOTOS: CAROLYN BEASLEY, DESTINATION NSW, SARAH CHENHALL
Australians usually go oyster punting in the clear waters of Merimbula Lake in the summer, but this year, the lake was covered in ash (above).
Australians usually go oyster punting in the clear waters of Merimbula Lake in the summer, but this year, the lake was covered in ash (above). PHOTOS: CAROLYN BEASLEY, DESTINATION NSW, SARAH CHENHALL
Carolyn Beasley
Updated
Feb 10, 2020, 10:35 AM
Published
Jan 19, 2020, 05:00 AM
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The afternoon smoke is stifling and 16 of us shelter inside, with all windows and doors firmly shut. The visibility plummets to 10m and the blanketing smoke turns the air an ominous blood-red.

I wonder if this is what hell looks like, when suddenly things get worse. It takes 10 minutes for smoke to completely obliterate the sun and the world outside is gone. We are wrapped in oppressive and comprehensive darkness.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on January 19, 2020, with the headline Don't cancel - blue skies will return Down Under. Subscribe

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MCI (P) 066/10/2023. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. Copyright © 2024 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.

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