The year began with smoke and fire in the region, and it's hard to believe how quickly the infernos on the South Coast and in Namadgi were overshadowed by coronavirus. As the fires were put out, there was excitement to visit the region and inject money into the local economy. It was short-lived.
It was also a time when there was still hope to represent Australia at the Tokyo Olympics, long before they were cancelled.
One of the most haunting images of the year was taken by Canberra Times photographer Dion Georgopoulos during a trip to the South Coast after the fires. On the scarred fields near Cobargo, Aaron Salway clutches his nephew Harley, where just days earlier Aaron's father Robert, and brother Patrick died.
