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Paintings back home after NSW fire threat

Priceless artworks by Australian artist Norman Lindsay have been returned to his namesake Blue Mountains gallery after being rushed from the fire threat.

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The Norman Lindsay Gallery was protected by fire fighters as the Linksview Rd fire came dangerously close near Faulconbridge. (AAP)

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Source: AAP


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Precious artworks whisked from the Blue Mountains firefront have been returned to their rightful home.

The priceless haul was rushed to safety from the Norman Lindsay Gallery at Faulconbridge at the height of the bushfire threat last week.

Priority works were ferried to a storage facility in Sydney and the remaining pieces stashed in a purpose-built rock bunker, complete with fire-proof window screens and a concrete roof.

Staff at the gallery are now carefully restoring most of its 100 artworks.

Manager Amanda Trevillion said on Thursday the emergency had been an "intense" experience.

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"You couldn't see, we didn't have any power," she told AAP.

"There were helicopters bombing fire actually in the bush within the property boundary."

But Ms Trevillion said she was heartened by the local community's dedication to pitching in to protect the work of the Magic Pudding creator.

"I think it became a symbol, and it was very important to save it," she said.

"Lindsay's work is so significant."

Ms Trevillion said her tight-knit team, removalists and specialist painting hangers were all working hard to get the gallery running by the weekend.

The site's resident ducks have also returned after a two-week hiatus.

And if there's a silver lining, it's that the evacuation provided the opportunity to do some spring cleaning ahead of the gallery's 40th anniversary.

"It's next weekend," Ms Trevillion said.

"We were thinking we might not have anything on the wall, but now we will."


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