High temperatures and strong winds firefighters fear will fan fires and start new ones across the country.
Large areas of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia are bracing for extreme heat as a heatwave moves across the south-east.
A drop in temperature over Christmas gave firefighters battling blazes in all three states an opportunity to try and bring fires under control ahead of the heat returning.
Firefighters and volunteers in New South Wales have spent the festive period building containment lines to protect properties and try and control the blazes.
