But the long-time former Corryong coach says a football analogy probably best sums up his feelings.

"It's probably a bit like coming off the ground after a hiding and sitting the boys down for a talk about the game," Nicholas said.

"We tried bloody hard but it was way too good.

"We tried harder than hard.

"We were back-pedaling and just doing what we could."

While the Nicholas' property at Tintaldra took a hit with a house and hay sheds burnt and 85 heifers killed, the family's Biggara dairy farm came through the blaze reasonably unscathed.

At one stage Evan remembers seeing Jurassic Park-like scenes with dozens of deer, kangaroos and wallabies coming out of the hills to cross roads and jump fences as they fled for safety.

"We were pretty confident we could save the dairy," Gordon said.

"The sprinklers were going and the Chicory was green enough to help.

"Although we had some losses at Tintaldra, we were pretty chuffed with our efforts here as we were going backwards and forwards as the wind changed with all the spotting."

Thomas, who like hundreds of people came within metres of losing his house in Corryong, said the heat would be his lasting memory of the January 4 fires.

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"We melted the mud guards on the fire truck," Thomas said.

"I'm not sure where it happened but it did.

"It was bloody hot.

"The heat coming through the air was incredible.

"It was a bit surreal at the time."

Evan remembers glancing at the temperature gauge in Thomas' Hilux during the blaze at Biggara and seeing 54 degrees, and returning again after several hours with it soaring to 68.

The family said the outpouring of support throughout the Upper Murray over the past three weeks had been incredible.

"The Corryong community has been really tight as you would expect because it's like that," Evan said.

"The outside community has been amazing.

"I've had messages from people I've only seen once or twice in my life and that's been the same for everyone."

As for the future of the Upper Murray league, Gordon, who has been president since 1989, says the competition has been down before and fought back - and will do so again.

"It's another setback as everyone has been affected in some way but the community needs sport particularly in tough times like these," he said.