Bedford bus in Marysville, Victoria, Australia, early 1950s

The picturesque small town of Marysville, not far from the Lake Mountain ski resort, was the worst affected by the Black Saturday bush fires of 7 February 2009 which devastated large areas of the state.  About 90% of the buildings were destroyed and although most of the population was evacuated in time, there were still 34 deaths.  The trees quickly regenerated - such is the nature of the Australian bush - but rebuilding shattered lives took longer.  This year the town marks its 150th anniversary.