After six months of mourning the death of a 20-year-old venture, the Original Mogo Gold Rush Colony staff have turned a page.
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Of 47 buildings, only seven survived the New Year's Eve fire.
The Chinese joss house and chimneys still stand. There's a rusted train, warped tin roofs and stairs leading to fragments of shattered walls.
On Wednesday, May 13, machinery operators began clearing debris.
The bare acreage reminded owner, Maureen Nathan, of the moments before she sowed the seeds of the business decades ago.
Her passion for history raged then, and continues now, even at the age of 73.
Ms Nathan said her age and health precluded her from rebuilding on her own, but she would love someone to take charge.
Outdoors manager and tour guide, Corey Peterson, has been digging through the ash to collect relics.
A juke box and post box were intact, however rusted and deformed.
If all goes well, relics would be used to pay tribute to the bushfires, in an on-site walkway.
Mr Peterson said it was tough to watch the chapter close. He was there at the start.
A Mogo RFS volunteer, he was on the main street, following RFS directions, when the facility faced its final hours on New Year's Eve.
He said there were 15-metre flames above the powerlines. At one point, there were five shops on fire, and two houses.
His crew tried to save the Mogo Painting & Pottery "church", but had to leave to save 20 people trapped in a house.
"We took them back to the fire shed," he said. "Within two hours, the church was a pile of bricks."
Mr Peterson said he was "definitely struggling".
Out of the nightmare, however, he saw light in a potential development.
Before the facility burned, students would travel from Sydney, Canberra and Victoria, to learn about Indigenous history and Dreamtime stories.
He also loved to tell the stories of first settlement, pioneer and goldrush history.
If there was a redevelopment, he said it should be owned by the community, but also recognise Ms Nathan's efforts.
He said Ms Nathan kept 20 locals in jobs, and used local suppliers to cater for thousands of students, for weddings and for industrial replacements.
"Maureen insisted we shop local," he said.
"She kept the colony afloat. People thought she was just making profit.
"It was her baby. She put in all the accommodation, and she watched it get crushed."
Ms Nathan said the business was like a family, and there was a "huge amount of intellectual capital invested".
She also remembered staff who joined as "broken" people, but found solace working at the site.
Community groups who regularly made their home at the facility were also missed.
Mr Peterson said it was a bitter-sweet feeling as he stood beside her.
After five months of looking at the debris, they would now have a clean slate.
Contact the facility at 0432 579 953.
