When the Sky Finally Broke Open Over Cobargo

In January 2020, the small town of Cobargo, New South Wales, was surrounded by fire. For weeks, smoke had replaced the sky. Eucalyptus leaves curled brown and dropped like ash. Farmers watched their fences melt, their pastures turn to cinder. The land itself seemed to shrivel. Then one afternoon, the clouds gathered — dark, heavy, impossibly welcome. And when the rain came, people walked out of their homes and stood in it.…