Communities Set to Make Safe Homes Among the Gumtrees

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 19: Fire and Rescue personnel run to move their truck as a bushfire burns next to a major road and homes on the outskirts of the town of Bilpin on December 19, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has declared a state of emergency for the next seven days with ongoing dangerous fire conditions and almost 100 bushfires burning across the state. It's the second state of emergency declared in NSW since the start of the bushfire season. Photo by David Gray/Getty Images

Under a towering canopy of eucalyptus trees, families splash in the Yarra River. Others meditate in the shade, and some plunge into the cool, calm water to be baptised.

The bushland around Millgrove is a sanctuary for many in the rural Victorian community, but a sense of dread lingers in the air.