Flowerdale Pub ~ Bushfire Hub

On the news lately and on different news videos you can find on the net and youtube, there have been scenes from the Flowerdale Pub. It is a very well known pub. My husband took this picture in November. We lived in Flowerdale over 5 years ago, so my husband took photos of where we lived, and the pub was the last photo he took.

I wish he had taken more on his way down to Melbourne so I could remember what Flowerdale looks like, as from what I understand there is not much of it left. My Mum had a list of the buildings that are gone, from the papers, but hasn't found it yet, she had meant to show it to me.

We lived there as my husband had to work 20 minutes away. I had found a picture on the net of King Parrot creek and had wanted to live there. I grew up with creeks and after living in an urban area for years I wanted to experience that again. Though I was very reluctant when we actually did live the life, I remember resisting the feelings or the experience when we took the kids to swim in it. It is like I have shut the door on my country life that I grew up with on the farm.

I had rung the agent about a house to buy, and he suggested we rent until we knew if we wanted to live there. The house to buy may have been burnt in the fires. He suggested a house that was large for our family. Since in had built in beds and that meant I didn't have to shift any there, I couldn't believe my luck. We were keeping our own house and visited on the weekends, and at the end of the year moved back to it, while we reestablished ourselves here. The job contract ran out, and we got a permanent job here at the last minute.

Mum has been worried about what if we were still there and had lost our life. Before the boss kindly gave us plenty of notice about our situation, we had been looking at a house to buy in Broadford, although at the time it was expensive.


We were very happy there, the farmhouse and the garden really suited us. The people accepted us. I also feel an affinity for Kinglake as the girls went to the Spotlight on Christmas program, I bought gas/LPG there and sometimes did grocery shopping. We went to school interviews there as well. I do remember being amazed at the weather in Kinglake. I was so thankful that I wasn't driving home from in during the windy days. In winter I hurried into the shop, so cold just getting from the car to the shop. I wonder now if it would seem so cold now that I have lived in the mountains for awhile. It did get me used to wearing a jacket in winter, which I also have to do here.

My fondest memories were of the view from the powerline driving into Kinglake of the city skyscrapers, the fact that it snowed in Kinglake West in winter (I didn't see it though), and the Santa sitting on farm machinery? at that vantage point, I only wish all my family had seen him.

There is also a magnificent view somewhere in Kinglake West of mountains and trees, forest, that goes on forever.

I also shopped in Healesville sometimes, and made the trek from Kinglake to Healesville. After awhile I decided the driving was easier on me to shop in Mill Park. There I had memories of international flights getting ready to land at Tullamarine. I was very excited.

Here is a post I wrote awhile ago about that year at Flowerdale.