A year ago, firefighters and locals battled three destructive blazes that tore through communities in the NSW Blue Mountains.
Two hundred and four homes were destroyed and many more damaged, as fires burned 65,000 hectares of land in Springwood, Mount York and Lithgow.
The devastation caused pain for residents long after the flames were extinguished.
Tour companies and holiday-makers cancelled their impending visits just as the region was preparing for its busy summer season.
It was a knock-on effect that crippled one of the country's premier holiday destinations.
"The tourists stopped coming and our local community was just devastated," said Cherin Johns, owner of Lindsay's Cafe at Faulconbridge.
Ms Johns said it was a struggle, with a fire raging nearby and the cafe closing down.
"Two hundred households full of people were no longer, with no fault of their own, able to input into the community, come to our cafes and eat in our restaurants," she added.
"It was a tough time for all of us but something that I learnt about the Blue Mountains community is that it's got a heart bigger than Phar Lap."
And Ms Johns is no exception. With no business, she used the cafe's produce to feed Rural Fire Service volunteer firefighters and people who'd lost homes.
Now things are looking up, with locals rebuilding their homes, revitalising their businesses, and making it loud and clear that visitors are welcome back.
"Tourists are starting to come back, the locals are starting to heal, so things are looking a lot brighter this October," said Ms Johns.
Visitors are also returning to the Norman Lindsay Gallery and Museum, with numbers particularly strong this spring.
As flames licked the boundary of the property last October, staff and residents evacuated the gallery, packing precious artwork into trucks.
The gallery was saved but its month-long closure hurt its budget.
"There's no doubt that the fires have had a huge impact upon our community," said Dylan Jones, Secretary of Blue Mountains Lithgow and Oberon Tourism.
Restaurants were empty, hotels vacant and attractions deserted, which put a strain on businesses, households and individuals, he said.
October 17 is considered the one-year anniversary of the bushfires because of the intensity faced that day, however the Lithgow blaze began the day before, when an army explosives exercise went wrong.
That fire, which became known as the State Mine Fire, tore through the historic Zig Zag Railway. The Railway is yet to reopen, however repair work has started.
The two other fires, at Springwood and Mount York, were the result of trees falling on powerlines in high winds.
The Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area attracts four million visitors and $550 million in revenue per year.
As a result of lost tourism over the 15-week period following the bushfires, the total Blue Mountains economic output was estimated to have declined by $100 million, according to Blue Mountains Economic Enterprise. That equates to around 500 jobs affected.
In April, however, the situation started to improve when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge put the spotlight back on the region during their royal tour.
Regular visitors have also been supportive, said Director of Escarpment Group Huong Nguyen, with many deferring, as opposed to cancelling, their stays.
Escarpment Group is the luxury accommodation company behind the region's most prestigious properties, including Lilianfels and the revamped and soon-to-be reopened Hydro Majestic.
Ms Nguyen said the group is confident about visitor numbers, with the tourism industry the life blood of the region.
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