Harrowing and heartwarming photographs from the 2019-20 Upper Murray Black Summer fires are being displayed in a bushfire recovery photographic exhibition.
Curator of the exhibition, Lorraine Hillston, lived between two fires on the western side of Tumbarumba, about 480 kilometres south-west of Sydney.
"We had to muster cattle on three occasions because the fire had become reasonably close, just over a ridge," she said.
"When it wasn't threatening us, I went in and helped at the fire shed to help cook the breakfast for the fire brigade boys for nearly three weeks."
More than 120 photographers have contributed to the collection, which will open to the public at Holbrook — where the Green Valley fire started — on Australia Day.
According to the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience, there were more than 11,400 bush and grass fires recorded in New South Wales.
A total of 6.2 per cent of the state was burnt following several years of drought and higher-than-average temperatures.
The memories from the Black Summer bushfires are still fresh, so Ms Hillston said she had to plan the exhibition sensitively.
"We got a heck of a lot of fire photos initially and now we're getting more recovery photos," she said.
"Many people don't want to see a fire photo.
"So we plan on putting fire photos, only a few, where the public don't have to see them if they don't wish to."
Ms Hillston said she believed much of the community was in "deep distress".
"The cloud pattern must've been fairly similar and it evoked memories and it was unpleasant for that person."
The exhibition will be on for three days — January 26, 29 and 30.
