THE recovery effort in the wake of the severe bushfire that ripped through the northern Grampians last month continues to be led by authorities.
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The work of Parks Victoria, municipal councils, the Country Fire Authority and the Department of Environment and Primary Industries in responding to the 55,100-hectare fire must be noted.
They have achieved remarkable results given the severity of the blaze, and will continue to work on restoring and repairing the damage.
But the effects of this fire will be felt by business owners long after the final flames in the Grampians are extinguished.
The road to recovery for the tourism sector has been correctly described by Grampians Tourism chief executive Will Flamsteed as a marathon.
Financial stresses and continuing uncertainty saw emotional tourism operators searching for answers during a community meeting at Laharum on Monday.
Wartook Rise owner Sue Taylor made one of the most incisive contributions to the meeting.
She stressed the need for the maximum level of co-operation between authorities and the business community to ensure the quickest recovery possible, while not losing sight of the long-term issues that remain to be addressed.
Continual dialogue between stakeholders is the key to working out how this marathon should be run and it is essential tourism operators continue to make their voices heard in order to reach the finish line on the road to recovery.