Residents displaced by Victorian bushfires concerned with tight housing market

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The number of buildings confirmed destroyed by Victoria’s bushfires has jumped dramatically today as assessment teams begin to access the worst hit areas of the state. More than 700 structures have been razed, with almost 250 of those being people's homes and authorities are warning that number will rise further. It's raised concerns about how people will find somewhere to live in a tight housing market.

Transcript

00:00Nothing will take your mind off the bushfires like a shed full of sheep that need shearing.

00:07And Aode and Darcy Doyle could do with the destruction.

00:13We've lost probably 95% of the land and we've lost our house.

00:20Favourite mug?

00:22Despite the devastation and blackened ruins of their home near Alexandra,

00:27the Doyles consider themselves lucky they've saved their sheep and dogs.

00:33I never realised I love sheep so much when I've seen them all there.

00:39The charred remains of Dog Yard Championship trophies and kids' bicycles

00:44sit among the rubble of the home they were renting.

00:47So we're living in a caravan at Darcy's mum and dad's.

00:51We've got four kids so it would be good to find a house.

00:59When it comes to finding a house, they're not alone.

01:01239 of the buildings destroyed across the state were people's homes,

01:06with 142 now confirmed lost in the Longwood fire and 54 in the Harcourt blaze.

01:13We do expect that number to go up as road access is restored

01:17and it's safe to go in and do those assessments.

01:19One of those Harcourt homes was where the Junie family were living.

01:24Their rental property destroyed just weeks after they moved in.

01:28They're determined to stay in the community.

01:30Finding a rental is hard at the best of times.

01:34We're trying to find a place.

01:37We're resilient.

01:38The availability of rentals around Harcourt is low,

01:41with a high number of Airbnb listings.

01:45But some owners are working to convert holiday properties to long-term rentals.

01:50If they've got to rebuild their house, it would be 12 months,

01:54which we're in a position to be able to do.

01:56As residents come to terms with property and stock loss,

01:59it's clear that for many people affected by this fire,

02:03the future is uncertain.

02:04The only constant, the support of a tight-knit community.

02:08We've had people donate hay, soil itch, like, yeah.

02:13We're really lucky with the people around us.

02:15It's a silver lining to the darkest of clouds.

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