The Hansfords unknowingly organised a very well-timed trip - at home a tornado tore through their house, destroying a garage, two caravans, a mobile home and leaving the cat Molly hiding under a pile of debris.
The tornado touched down at Ryan and Jo Hansford’s Leaning Rock Rd home, near Alexandra, on Saturday night, destroying a two-bay garage, a caravan Mr Hansford’s mother, Karen, had been staying in and a chicken house, and damaged two vehicles and a trampoline before moving to the adjacent paddock where it demolished Jo Hansford’s parents’ mobile home and a second caravan.
Mr Hansford’s mother had been watching her grandchildren, Benjamin and Natalie, to allow their parents a night away and was dining with them in Alexandra when the twister hit.
The Lillicrapps’ cat, Molly, was located in debris under the remaining deck the following morning, while Karen Hansford’s dog Bella and the Hansford family dogs Oscar and Ruby were uninjured inside their home.
Jo Hansford said they were grateful nobody was injured. There were no chickens yet in the chicken house and the guinea pig home in the front yard was untouched.
Both homes were insured and the families were quickly offered accommodation and other assistance from community members.
"The debris was scattered right to the boundaries of our 8ha property, and people came out in the rain yesterday and gathered it into piles."
Jo Hansford said their children were taking the disruption to their lives in stride yesterday, although they had initially been worried about Christmas.
"They didn’t know how Santa was going to find us."
