A large tree is effectively stopping a landslip from tumbling down on side-by-side homes belonging to the same family.
The slip accrued under a home above, creating an extreme risk to three homes directly below.
Jack Bell, 24, said he lived in one red-stickered home with his father and extended family lived next door in another red-stickered home.
Being red-stickered does not mean the houses need to be demolished — it is just considered too dangerous to be in them until the slip above is stabilised.
Mr Bell said he and his father had been cleaning up clay that had already come off the hill into their backyard and garage on Friday morning when they heard a sound "like thunder".
"I came back down after I cleared out the garage, made a coffee, had a yarn with Dad, and then we heard this noise and the whole lot just slipped down."
That was about 7am on Friday.
They were not too worried at the time, mainly concerned to get their vehicles out of the garage and to safety, he said.
It was not until he went to look at the house above later in the day, that he realised how serious the situation was.
Civil Defence staff visited later that evening and both homes were evacuated about 5.30pm..
Both households were staying at a motel until an engineer had assessed it was safe for them.
They had not been given any indication of when that might be.
"Makes me feel better about my situation.
"Keeps me busy. I don’t wanna sit around and sulk."
