The Victorian town of Mallacoota in East Gippsland has been ravaged by a bushfire that tore through just before New Year’s Eve.
Residents fled their homes early in the morning on December 31 and ran to the beach under a black and red morning sky. Some have been evacuated from the area since, however, thousands remain stranded in the town.
While a big proportion of them won’t be leaving the area any time soon, they’ve been given one of the best gifts imaginable: beer.
The Navy has helped deliver an emergency supply of 3,000 litres of beer to the Mallacoota Hotel.
Mallacoota hotel owner Lou Battel told AAP: “We were running low of supplies and a pub can’t run without beer, can it? Every Australian needs a beer and definitely the emergency services working non-stop.
“Our good old friends from Carlton managed to send us some stock on Thursday and I hope it gets here after the 20 hours or so it takes the boat to make the trip.”
