Key points:
• 83 fires are burning in NSW, 50 of which are not contained;
• One blaze west of Coffs Harbour covers 150,000 hectares, with a perimeter of more than 1000km;
• At least a dozen homes were damaged or destroyed yesterday;
• Wind change that caused havoc in NSW yesterday is now moving into QLD;
• More than 60 fires are burning across the state.
• Oz smoke plume to hit NZ tomorrow: What you need to know

10.15am:

While the danger is easing in NSW this morning, it's ramping up in Queensland.

Residents and guests have left a luxury resort in the state's southeast because a fire is approaching.

There is one burning near Spicers Gap and travelling southwest towards Spicers Peak Lodge. Firefighters door knocked the resort in the early hours of the morning to evacuate it, but the guests were already gone.

Four firefighting crews and one caretaker remain on the scene.

9.40am: The Liberation Trail fire west of Coffs Harbour has been downgraded to 'watch and act' status.

It is still covering a massive area – 150,000 hectares, with a perimeter greater than 1000km. But the advice for residents in the area of Yarracooma, Paddys Plain, Cradle Creek, Lowanna, Nana Glen and Coramba is now to "monitor conditions".

That means there are no fires at emergency level in New South Wales for the first time in almost 24 hours.

NSW Premier 'hugely relieved'

9.35am:

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons just held their first briefing of the day.

"I have to confess to being hugely relieved this morning," Berejiklian said.

"Whilst we're not over the threat yet, we are certainly through what was yesterday catastrophic weather conditions, coupled with a number of very high level emergency fires.

The Premier praised firefighters, along with Fitzsimmons' management of the crisis.

"Some might call it luck. I call it good planning and exceptional leadership," she said.

Fitzsimmons said 16 fires remained at watch and act level, and specifically highlighted that one remaining emergency warning, for the Liberation Trail blaze west of Coffs Harbour.

"Overnight it burned down and spotted down very close to, in and around areas like Nana Glen. That fire remains at emergency warning. It's a significant-sized fire," he said.

"It's in the order of 150,000 hectares, which means you're talking about a fire reach, a fire perimeter, of more than 1000km."

Perhaps counter intuitively, the layer of smoke that "effectively blanketed" northeastern NSW yesterday served as an "insulation layer" which largely prevented the strong winds from influencing fire behaviour.

"That was one of the key drivers why the fires didn't spread quite as far as all the behaviour specialists thought they would, and thank goodness," said the Commissioner.

Thirteen firefighters were injured, along with eight members of the public. None of those injuries were life-threatening, and no one is unaccounted for.

9.25am:

New South Wales still has "a long way to go" before the bushfire threat is over, with an emergency warning remaining active in the state and another wave of bad weather incoming.

Today the focus also shifts to Queensland, where increasingly windy conditions and temperatures in the mid to high thirties will make firefighters' job harder.

• 83 fires are burning in NSW, 50 of which are not contained;
• There is one emergency warning, for the Liberation Trail blaze;
• That fire covers 150,000 hectares, with a perimeter of more than 1000km;
• At least a dozen homes were damaged or destroyed yesterday;
• The wind change that caused havoc in NSW yesterday is now moving into QLD;
• More than 60 fires are burning across the state.

Fire bosses blast drone stupidity

8.30am:

Authorities have blasted the "sheer stupidity" of some people amid "catastrophic" bushfires after people were caught flying drones, lighting fires and ignoring advice.

Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman Peter Gibson slammed the use of a personal drone on Monday night after it was spotted hovering near smoke in Sydney's North Shore.

"There are no circumstances where an unauthorised drone should be flown near a fire," Gibson said.

"It is sheer stupidity as it puts lives at risk, both on the ground and in the air."

Although no fire was found, the drone could have seriously hampered firefighting efforts, the Killara rural fire brigade said in a post on Facebook.

"If a fire was confirmed at the location we would not be able to request any aerial assistance due to the sighting of a drone near the fire," the brigade posted in a statement on Facebook.

"Please do not fly drones near fires, you are risking lives, if you fly then we can't."

Flying drones near bushfires is illegal and could attract a fine of more than $10,000 and lead to prosecution.

The Killara brigade also saw a number of vehicles coming to "sightsee" the fire which the RFS crew said caused traffic chaos and hampered their ability to respond.

"Don't drive to where the fire trucks are going," NSW RFS spokesman Matt Sun said, adding that drones should never be used near fire crews.

"A mid-air collision with a firefighting aircraft could be catastrophic," Sun said.

"People shouldn't be going out of their way to try and get photos of these situations, they shouldn't be anywhere near the bush at all, it is that dangerous," he said.

'Long way to go'

An emergency warning has been issued for the Hillville fire after a southeasterly change fanned the flames from the Australian fires in a new direction, while the NSW Fire Commissioner warns there is a "long way to go."

In the early hours of Wednesday morning the NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) said the Hillville Road fire, southwest of Taree, was spreading quickly towards Nabiac and Failford.

"If you are in the area of Hillville, Nabiac and Failford and surrounding areas, seek shelter as the fire approaches. Protect yourself from the heat of the fire," it said.

It comes after a southerly change sweeping up the NSW coast led to a dramatic drop in temperatures. NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said the cooler temperatures would "certainly bring some welcome relief" however firefighters were not out of the woods yet.

"We're expecting to see increased fire dangers stay around for a little while yet," he said on Tuesday evening.

"There's certainly some welcome relief and a dramatic drop in temperatures behind the change, which is correlating with a significant reduction in the overall fire danger rating. Having said that, the winds are still strong and they're still gusty."

After a dangerous day on Tuesday that saw "catastrophic conditions realised" in the Greater Sydney, Greater Hunter and Illawarra/Shoalhaven areas, he said "the work is far from over" and fire crews had a "long way to go" in terms of getting the fires under control.

Commissioner Fitzsimmons praised the work of fire crews, the Bureau of Meteorology and those in the community who have helped with the firefighting effort.

Ironically, smoke from fires served as an "insulation blanket" that prevented winds from fanning fires as quickly as they might have done otherwise, he said.

Up to a dozen homes were damaged or destroyed, and the bill for the fires is estimated to reach more than $40 million, according to the Insurance Council of Australia.

Wednesday's weather forecast is for "severe fire danger" in New England and "very high fire danger" in Northern Slopes according to the NSW Bureau of Meteorology reports.

Large parts of the NSW coast, including Sydney, have been issued warnings for dust and smoke haze. For Sydney, a poor air quality forecast has been issued by the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE).

A state of emergency remains in place across NSW with total fire bans in effect.

Shifting winds are also expected to create "tough" fire conditions in Queensland over coming days, according to the weather bureau.

Meanwhile, authorities have blasted the "sheer stupidity" of people flying drones, lighting fires and ignoring advice.

Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman Peter Gibson slammed the use of a personal drone on Monday night after it was spotted hovering near smoke in Sydney's North Shore.

"There are no circumstances where an unauthorised drone should be flown near a fire," Mr Gibson said. "It is sheer stupidity as it puts lives at risk, both on the ground and in the air."

Although no fire was found, the drone could have seriously hampered firefighting efforts, the Killara rural fire brigade said in a post on Facebook.

"If a fire was confirmed at the location we would not be able to request any aerial assistance due to the sighting of a drone near the fire," the brigade posted in a statement on Facebook.

"Please do not fly drones near fires, you are risking lives, if you fly then we can't."

Flying drones near bushfires is illegal and could attract a fine of more than $10,000 and lead to prosecution.

The Killara brigade also saw a number of vehicles coming to "sightsee" the fire which the RFS crew said caused traffic chaos and hampered their ability to respond.

"Don't drive to where the fire trucks are going." NSW RFS spokesman Matt Sun said, adding that drones should never be used near fire crews.

"A mid-air collision with a firefighting aircraft could be catastrophic," Mr Sun said.

"People shouldn't be going out of their way to try and get photos of these situations, they shouldn't be anywhere near the bush at all, it is that dangerous," he said.