^{[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 16 November 2021].}

Continuing the theme from last week's #TravelTuesday post, this week's photo essay is a series of photographs taken in and on the approach into Tenterfield. Tenterfield was the next town along the New England Highway after we witnessed the bushfire from Bolivia Hill.

untitled #300 [tenterfield, new south wales, australia, 2021]

In some ways, these photographs seem far less devastating to look at than last week's photo essay.

meet some local characters [tenterfield, new south wales, australia, 2021]

However, seeing the blistered paint and fire damage on the mileage sign on the outskirts of town made me catch my breath, and I actually teared up a bit.

untitled #303 [tenterfield, new south wales, australia, 2021]

Even though I'm not connected to Tenterfield in any way, seeing how close the fire had come to the town was overwhelming.

the peter allen motor inn [tenterfield, new south wales, australia, 2021]

There was still a part of me that quietly chuckled about the content of the billboards that remained in the drought-riddled and scorched earth. But my amusement was tempered by the stark reality of what I was seeing.

untitled #301 [tenterfield, new south wales, australia, 2021]

At the time, I was aware of having heard the town had no clean water, but I had thought this was due to the bushfires. I didn't realise until just now, on Googling that fact to confirm it, that Tenterfield residents had been without clean drinking water for a month before I drove through. And they were still boiling their water in mid-December 2019, with no sense of when that would end.

Though the fire seemed only to have licked the edges of town when we drove through, it was a sight that had a profound impact on me.

untitled #309 [tenterfield, new south wales, australia, 2021]

I can only imagine what the residents of Tenterfield were feeling around the time I passed through.