'It came in hot and fast': lucky locals count blessings

The father of two stayed to defend his property while his young family evacuated, with their flock of 500 sheep, crops and machinery mainly spared. 

He's turning his mind to the big clean-up and fixing his fences, but says the cost of recovery is anyone's guess.

"It could take a couple years, just to sort of get everything back to where it was," he said.

"Just to get the paddocks back in shape it's going to take two good years to get cover back on crops." 

The small country town near the South Australian border is largely breathing a sigh of relief after an intense bushfire sparked by dry lightning flared to almost 70,000 hectares in just 24 hours. 

There are two other out-of-control bushfires at either end of the blaze-ravaged Grampians National Park, with fears they could merge and burn for weeks as crews grapple with the rugged terrain. 

Residents and holidaymakers in parts of the park's southwest and northwest have been told to leave.

A bushfire near Dimboola in country Victoria burnt 70,000 hectares in just 24 hours. (Diego Fedele/AAP PHOTOS)

The fire has grown to 4500 hectares, with isolated properties and camp grounds under threat.

Further north, a collection of smaller fires, ranging from 150ha to 300ha, are burning in the Wallaby Rocks area near Zumsteins. 

Firefighters are working to protect private farmland next to the park before forecasts of warmer, windier weather this week. 

There is still plenty of work left for firefighters on the Dimboola fire, with the blaze so intense Country Fire Authority first lieutenant Wayne "Berger" Hartwich says it's the worst he has encountered. 

He and many other volunteers can count the number of hours sleep they have had in the past three days on one hand. 

"In my 35 years it's probably the most difficult I ever had and that includes Black Saturday," he said.

Firefighters are exhausted after protecting properties and trying to bring the blaze under control. (Diego Fedele/AAP PHOTOS)

A home close to the town was destroyed, as well as another home and conference centre used for weddings. 

The fire is not yet controlled but has been downgraded to watch and act with locals allowed to go home. 

The outskirts of the farming community is still hazy with smoke and littered with smouldering trees. 

Mr Hartwich says the town was very lucky, attributing the successful defence to chance and good fire management. 

"It was all dangerous, still dangerous now with tree hazards, issues like that, it's been huge," he said. 

A farm house was destroyed on the outskirts of Dimboola. (Diego Fedele/AAP PHOTOS)

About 10,000 lightning strikes hit the ground in Victoria on Monday, with crews on alert for other blazes that could flare. 

The local unit expects to be busy for several weeks and is bracing for hotter temperatures, hoping the wind doesn't pick up. 

"As soon as we got winds, we've got issues," Mr Hartwich said. 

Cattle owner Quentin Barrett lost three animals when flames jumped across a river at the back of his brother's property and tore through his uninsured fences.  

"We thought it might miss us, but then the wind just changed and everything just ran," he said.  

"One fence line could cost upwards of $10,000 to $20,000 for a stretch and there's three of those." 

Mother Manique Cox also says she can't believe how close she came to losing everything as she watched the flames from CCTV after evacuating. 

Manique Cox feared she would lose her home on the outskirts of Dimboola. (Diego Fedele/AAP PHOTOS)

Fire destroyed all land either side of her family's home - but the house was left standing.

As firefighters continue their exhausting work, they are greeted as they pass one residence by a giant sign reading "thank you fireys". 

Dimboola resident Bree Myers and seven-year-old daughter Indie Francis hung it outside the moment they returned. 

"We were just really worried, seriously worried, that we'd come back to nothing," Ms Myers said. 

"It's the least we could do."