If you don't need to be in the Shoalhaven or South Coast, then the message is clear - leave the area if you're able, reconsider your travel and wait until the bushfire threat has passed before you re-book a holiday.
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The official fire service advice is now that anywhere south of Nowra stretching down to the souther Victorian coast line is a "tourist leave zone".
The Shoalhaven Emergency Operations Centre also requested tourists to return home, and residents and property owners who are not prepared for the forecast "extreme fire danger" on Saturday were also being advised to leave the area if safe.
"We love our beautiful area and we love you visiting however we have a number of infrastructure issues that are being resolved and there remain ongoing significant fire impacts," a media release sent out from the Shoalhaven City Council said.
TRAFFIC UPDATE: 3.45pm
- The Princes Highway is now closed between Milton and Tomerong due to a bushfire.
- Motorists heading north from areas between Batemans Bay and Milton are advised to delay their trip, as the road is expected to remain closed for several hours due to fire activity.
- Motorists already on the highway are advised to stop in Milton or Ulladulla.
- There is very heavy northbound traffic on the Princes Highway heading towards Milton.
- The Princes Highway is also closed in the following locations: between Batemans Bay and Moruya, between Narrabarba (south of Eden) and Cann River (Victoria), from Narrabarba, you can travel west on Imlay Road to the Monaro Highway to head north.
- The Princes Highway remains open in the following locations: between Tomerong and Nowra, between Moruya and Narrabarba (south of Eden)
- The Snowy Mountains Highway is open at Bega so anyone on the Far South Coast can travel to Canberra or Sydney via the Snowy Mountains Highway to Cooma, the Monaro Highway to Canberra and the Hume Highway.
- Motorists are advised to follow the latest information at livetraffic.com and keep an eye on the live blog from the Illawarra Mercury and South Coast papers.
"There are a number of caravan parks that are closed and many small coastal villages have been isolated. Visitors in impacted areas are being asked to return home, when it is safe to do so."
"Please if you do not need to be here, reconsider your travel plans and come back at a time when we are not impacted by fire."
Although clear in their meaning, how to follow the blanket messages has been confusing for many, with people stuck in towns like Moruya, on the Far South Coast facing a 10-hour drive inland if they want to return to the Illawarra. With no fuel available until Cooma, many were forced to stay and wait for coastal roads to reopen.
Throughout Thursday, when the conditions allowed, people wishing to leave the villages of Sussex Inlet, Bendalong and Lake Conjola were escorted by NSW Police and NSW RFS in small convoys.
But the convoy and thousands of people's evacuation plans were halted for hours as the Princes Highway was closed between Milton and Tomerong due to a bushfire. The highway became a car park, with people then advised to stay put, and many were forced to park and stay overnight in Miltona nd Ulladulla.
Into the night and throughout Friday, official advice about which roads are open and closed will be available on Live Traffic.
Additionally in the confusion in recent days, some accommodation businesses in relatively unscathed areas had been posting to social media that they have vacancies and are safe on Wednesday.
However, the official advice remains: "Additional tourists put significant strain on emergency services." And with high temperatures and changing wind directions forecast on Saturday, the safety of these areas could change.
State Emergency Operations Controller Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys said conditions were continuously changing, with sections of roads closing and opening periodically as the fire emergency continues.
"The NSW Police Force and the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) are working to maintain safe travel passages for people in Southern NSW, but fires are impacting some of these routes," he said.
"With the assistance of Transport for NSW, we have been running controlled access to various arterial roads to allow people to leave impacted areas, but sections of the Princes Highway are being closed periodically for safety reasons.
"The road networks are currently fully loaded in many areas, so please be patient and remain calm. Importantly, obey all directions from police or other emergency services.
"We also recommend you have plenty of fuel and a fully-charged mobile phone, as well as water and snacks for the trip, as lengthy delays are expected."
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Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
