Through cities ravaged by missiles, trains crowded with panic, and finally into the arms of her daughter a world away, Liudmyla Prymakova feels safe for the first time since fleeing her home seven days ago.
Stepping off a plane in regional Queensland, Ms Prymakova said, with her daughter translating to English: "All the time I've been still hearing the sound of non-stop bombing."
There were tears as the 73-year-old's incredible journey from Kharkiv to Mackay came to an end on Monday afternoon.
Ms Prymakova's daughter, Alla Long, moved to Australia in 2014.
Seeing her mother for the first time in five years, Ms Long was overcome with relief in the arrivals area of the Mackay Airport.
"It's like a nightmare for me; I cannot believe what's happening in my motherland," Ms Long said.
She said she had been fuelled by worry since Russia invaded Ukraine last month.
"I couldn't sleep … I didn't even feel that I was tired, and I didn't eat much because all of my thoughts have been there," she said.
After an emotional reunion, Ms Prymakova described the harrowing trip.
"The train station [in Kharkiv] was absolutely crowded so you had to be lucky and very strong physically just to get into the carriage," she said.
Stuck in a dense crowd of people, she did not know where she would end up.
She boarded a train that took her to Lviv, where she could then travel to Poland's border.
"When [the train] passed Kyiv, all lights were turned off in the train, closed every curtain and moved very slow … [you could] see through the windows the bombing of the capital," Ms Prymakova said.
Her life packed into a small blue suitcase, her beloved cats left in a neighbour's care, Ms Prymakova left her home with no idea if or when she would see it again.
"There's nothing much left of Ukraine. It will take years to rebuild," she said.
The tropical heat and relative quiet of Mackay is a different world from the one she left behind, but the pain and suffering were still close.
"I asked [my mum], 'Did you feel safe at my friend's place last night [after arriving in Brisbane] or just today?"
"She said 'No, just now'."
The UN's refugee agency estimates up to 4 million people could try to flee the Russian invasion and more than 1 million have already left.
Ms Prymakova is in Australia on a visitor visa.
Last week, the Australian government confirmed it had approved more than 1,000 visas for Ukrainians displaced by the Russian invasion, while the Department of Home Affairs said more than 2,000 visas had been approved so far.
A spokesperson said the department was progressing visa applications from Ukrainian nationals as a priority, across all visa categories.
Editor's note 15/06/2022: This story has been amended to correct Ms Prymakova's age.
