New South Wales, Australia - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Smoke rising from forest
2. Trees on burnt ground
3. Local farmer watering tree, tractor passing
4. Burnt houses
5. Various of burnt ground, branches
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Douglas Rand, organic farmer of Batlow (starting with shots 3-5):
"The properties are blasted by fire intensely. The leaves have gone off the trees. The grass has gone. There's just dirt covered with soot where there used to be pasture."
7. Various of fence, burnt ground, trees
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Douglas Rand, organic farmer of Batlow:
"That's the most distressing thing I think for most farmers is the loss of livestock. We had just a small group of 140 sheep. We lost half of them. We had to shoot a few ourselves. The veterinary services euthanized another thirty. They were very kind and got us to stay up at the house and we counted the gunshots as they finished them off. Our neighbor had fifty odd cows. He's got three left."
9. Douglas Rand talking with other people
10. Photo on phone depicting burnt ground, fire
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Berlinde Rand, organic farmer (starting with shot 10/ending with shot 12):
"As we were coming down the road, there were branches and trees falling behind us. They were just behind us, and trees and branches falling in front of us. There was no wildlife, it's normally a bird paradise. There were carcasses strewn around and really it looked like an atomic bomb had gone off."
12. Burnt ground, trees
13. Various of Douglas Rand entering house
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Douglas Rand, organic farmer of Batlow (starting with shot 13/ending with shot 15):
"There must be hundreds of millions of trees in forestry areas that are gone. You can't grow them in a year or two. So, the forest industry which is a major employer in this area will be set back incredibly. So, it will be years for some industries, decades for others."
15. Various of Douglas Rand looking out window
16. Burnt ground

Evacuated residents returning to areas hit by the colossal Australian bushfires have been shocked by the scale of devastation, with many finding their homes almost unrecognizable.

In New South Wales, the Rand family have been building up their organic farm in Batlow for the past thirty years. Upon return, their home, once embraced by thick woods, was sealed off by fallen branches blocking the road.

"The properties are blasted by fire intensely. The leaves have gone off the trees. The grass has gone. There's just dirt covered with soot where there used to be pasture," said organic farmer Douglas Rand.

The family's entire garlic crop, almost ready for sale, was also wiped out. But as many fled for their lives, the greatest losses came in being forced to leave their animals behind.

"That's the most distressing thing I think for most farmers is the loss of livestock. We had just a small group of 140 sheep. We lost half of them. We had to shoot a few ourselves. The veterinary services euthanized another thirty. They were very kind and got us to stay up at the house and we counted the gunshots as they finished them off. Our neighbor had fifty odd cows. He's got three left," said Rand.

Berlinde, another member of the Rand family who is also an organic farmer, recalled the sobering moment of their return, when they had to wade through the roads blocked by trees and dead animals.

"As we were coming down the road, there were branches and trees falling behind us. They were just behind us, and trees and branches falling in front of us. There was no wildlife, it's normally a bird paradise. There were carcasses strewn around, and really it looked like an atomic bomb had gone off," she said.

Despite all odds, the Rand's house was spared. While the family says it will rebound, the task of rebuilding is likely to be harder for the wider community.

"There must be hundreds of millions of trees in forestry areas that are gone. You can't grow them in a year or two. So, the forest industry which is a major employer in this area will be set back incredibly. So, it will be years for some industries, decades for others," said Douglas Rand.