Victoria Bushfires LIVE: wind change spares Mallacoota and Corryong

More than 130 fires remain burning across New South Wales, with five at an emergency level. 

NSW Police have confirmed a father and son have died while defending their home at Cobargo, in the state's south-east, and at least one other person is missing on the NSW South Coast. 

The crew from Fire and Rescue NSW Station 509 Wyoming recorded this video showing the moment their truck was overrun by the bushfire burning South of Nowra.

The crew was forced to shelter in their truck as the fire front passed through.

Bushfires in Victoria and New South Wales are spewing a massive current of smoke across the Tasman towards New Zealand. 

Imagery from the Japanese weather satellite Himawari-8 shows a blanket of smoke wide enough to cover the entire South Island.

Metservice meteorologist Aidan Pyselman told Stuff NZ they had been tracking the smoke for several weeks since the fires began.

"It's been happening for quite some time since the Aussie bushfires have been going. At the moment it's definitely more noticeable, especially over the South Island," he said.

People in Mallacoota are being urged to boil tap water before drinking it. 

Forest Fire Management Victoria has issued an alert because the fire has put heavy demands on tap water that is affecting the supply of water. 

The alert notes that bottled water is available from the local IGA supermarket free of charge, and additional supplies are on their way.

It urges all residents and visitors to restrict their water use immediately to essential use, and that the water supply should return to normal within three days .

Premier Daniel Andrews has tweeted out a sombre New Year's Eve message paying tribute to those fighting the state's bushfires: 

The Princes Highway has just been reopened to allow access to Lakes Entrance, according to VicTraffic.

It has been re-opened to traffic between Bairnsdale and Lake Tyers Beach Road.

Many holidaymakers and residents who had fled from East Gippsland were stuck in Lakes Entrance last night after the highway was closed due to fire concerns.

However, the road remains closed east of Lakes Entrance to the New South Wales border, a distance of more than 150 kilometres.

A total of 33 fires are still burning across Victoria as of 7pm Tuesday, with the majority of those blazes in East Gippsland.

Emergency warnings for the Corryong fire in the far north east have now expanded to connect with emergency warnings for the East Gippsland fires:

‘That’s a massive area under an emergency warning right now," said a media spokesman at the State Control Centre. "It’s quite unusual.”

The emergency warning has been issued for Beetoomba, Benambra, Berringama, Biggara, Bringenbrong, Brumby, Bungil, Burrowye, Cobberas, Colac Colac, Corryong, Crawford Crossing, Cudgewa, Cudgewa North, Dartmouth, Greg Greg, Guys Forest, Hodgson Crossing, Khancoban, Koetong, Lucyvale, McNamara Crossing, Mount Alfred, Mount Alfred Gap, Nariel Creek, Nariel Gap, Nariel Valley, Pine Mountain, Shelley, Staceys Bridge, Suggan Buggan, The Lightwood, Thologolong, Thowgla, Thowgla Upper, Thowgla Valley, Tintaldra, Tom Groggin, Towong, Towong Upper, Walwa, Willow Crossing.

Anyone in these areas is urged to take shelters indoors immediately as it is too late to leave the area. 

More than 470,0000 hectares of land have been affected by the fires in Victoria.