What a difference a year makes: Mallacoota enjoys beers in sun as holidaymakers flood the coastal tan - exactly a year after terrified families were forced to flee their homes and sleep on the beach to escape Black Summer bushfires
For Mallacoota residents, New Year's Eve last year was an unforgettable day, the sky turned an apocalyptic red
Thousands were forced to flee to the water as flames began to surround the town in Victoria's East Gippsland
Some families had already started fleeing in aluminium powered boats by midday as crews battled the blaze