A Fleurieu family Discovers True Community Spirit After Losing Their Home in the Tooperang Fire
A fire that destroyed their home in the Tooperang fire on the Fleurieu Peninsula a week ago has given Natasha Price and her family something they never expected — a profound sense of belonging.
For years, Natasha has travelled and moved from place to place, never quite sure where “home” really was. Even after more than a decade living on the Fleurieu Peninsula, she was still searching for her “forever” place.
Now, in the aftermath of loss, she knows exactly where she belongs.
“You don’t find better than this,” Natasha said. “The way the community has shown up has made me realise what was right here in front of us all along.”
A house on wheels, built for finding their “forever” home
Natasha, her partner Jay and their three children aged 12, 14 and 16 had spent the past two and a half years building a different kind of life. Their home was a bus — stripped back, rebuilt and transformed into a tiny, portable house with lined walls and individual rooms. It was where the family lived, learned and planned to travel — escaping the rental trap while searching for a place they truly belonged.
The renovations weren’t a side project. They were the life project. Jay stepped away from work for 18 months to focus on the build, while Natasha homeschooled the children and ran her online wellness business, helping women navigate the challenges of peri-menopause.
On Sunday Afternoon, January 18, Their Lives Changed
Natasha had a sudden impulse to pack the family up and go to the beach. It felt other like an internal warning.
They left their home on Waterfall Drive at Nangkita and drove to Victor Harbor, just 20 minutes away.
They’d only been there about half an hour when an alert came through for a fire in their area.
“We often get small fires that are put out pretty quickly, so we didn’t feel the need to panic,” Natasha said.
A phone call soon followed from neighbours who were away, asking them to keep an eye on the situation. Natasha and Jay decided to head home to grab clothes and a few belongings — but both ends of the road were blocked.
For four hours, they waited.
During that time, word filtered through that the Tooperang fire — believed to have been ignited by a vintage vehicle travelling in the area — had moved through their street. They knew it had come close to homes, burning surrounding land, but believed all homes had been spared from the blaze.
Then, just as they were nearing their gate, the phone rang again.
“Tash, it’s too late,” their neighbour said. “There’s nothing left.”
Years of blood, sweat and tears — gone.
The bus that had carried their hopes, plans and daily life was destroyed. Almost everything they owned was lost. And although the feelings of shock and disbelief are still raw, amid their loss, something unexpected has emerged.
“I’ve always travelled around — floating here and there — never really knowing where I belonged,” Natasha said.
It wasn’t until she witnessed the power of the Fleurieu community, that she truly felt a sense of belonging.
“The community has shown us exactly where we belong,” she said. “The outpouring of support has been unbelievable. You just can’t find better than what we’ve witnessed. What are you looking for, if this isn’t it?”
The Fleurieu Community Steps In
The day after the fire, local councillor and fellow Alexandrina Theatre Club mum, Lou Nicholson, reached out to offer support.
“Through my role on council, I’m always keen to understand what I can do to support people,” she said.
“I walked away deeply moved by the impact the fire had on them. With tears in my eyes, I realised their immediate emergency accommodation was in Adelaide. If the girls were going to start the school year with any sense of stability, they needed to stay close to their community.”
A simple call-out on a local Facebook page generated more than 100 responses in the first few days.
The family now has emergency accommodation at Mount Compass Caravan Park, and at the end of February will move into a temporary home at Port Elliot.
“Throughout the week, the right offer came through,” Nicholson said. “An incredibly generous person dug deep and offered five months of accommodation at Port Elliot.”
The Goolwa Community Association has also stepped in to manage the generous donations flowing in, allowing the family to focus on putting one foot in front of the other.
“It’s amazing how, in the most challenging of circumstances, the community shows up,” Lou said. “People feel it collectively.”
As Natasha and Jay begin working out what comes next, their children will transition from homeschooling to starting the year at Goolwa High School, which has also been incredibly supportive leading into the school year.
The road ahead is uncertain — but for the first time in a long time, Natasha knows one thing for sure.
What they lost was a home.
What they found was something just as powerful.
