More homes have been lost in a deadly blaze west of Brisbane as firefighters brace for "very dangerous" conditions.
The Western Downs fire has already claimed one life and forced hundreds to evacuate, burning 20,000 hectares over 10 days.
However, fatigued crews face one of their toughest days yet with an extreme fire danger warning issued on Tuesday for the Darling Downs and Granite Belt region where the Tara blaze continues to threaten homes.
Wind gusts of up to 40km/h are expected, along with 37C heat.
"It's going to be a very dangerous day for fighting fires," Western Downs Mayor Paul McVeigh told AAP.
More destroyed homes have been discovered in the Tara region, with the total now sitting at 53.
"Some areas are still too hot to get into. Unfortunately we are expecting that number to go up," Mr McVeigh said.
The Tara blaze is one of 80 burning in Queensland and there have been 900 fires across the state in the past 10 days.
Almost 300 people on the Western Downs were forced to flee their homes and attend evacuation centres at Dalby and Chinchilla.
About 40 remain after some people received the green light to return to their homes "with caution" away from the fire front.
However, many have lost everything.
Mr McVeigh said some Tara evacuees had been relocated to motels or houses across the region from Miles, Dalby, Chinchilla and as far as Toowoomba, more than a two hour drive away.
"We've managed to get them accommodation just to get them out of that evacuation centre environment," he said.
"Some have been able to return to their properties but unfortunately there is so much damage."
Relief crews from Victoria have bolstered the local firefighting effort, with more expected from New Zealand.
"The biggest issue we are dealing with is fatigue. The fires have been going for 10 days now," Mr McVeigh said.
"I just want to send a big thank you to everyone who has supported us in our hour of need."
A regional recovery hub has been set up in Tara with support services such as Lifeline, a chaplaincy, Red Cross and mental health services, Mr McVeigh said.
A "prepare to leave" warning was issued on Tuesday for Colosseum and Miriam Vale south of Gladstone in central Queensland.
An evacuation centre has been set up at the Gladstone Entertainment Centre after the fire burned through almost 10,000ha.
People at Carnarvon Gorge, Buckland, Consuelo and Rewan have also been asked to get ready to evacuate.
A large blaze is burning through the Carnarvon National Park and Bandana State Forest.
High fire dangers are predicted for throughout the state's west on Tuesday.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) acting deputy commissioner Joanne Greenfield said crews had worked through the night on containment lines with heavy machinery to prepare for what was to come.
"We hope it's put us in a good place. As we know, once the conditions come in it can be unpredictable and fires can break over the lines," she told ABC TV.
QFES acting assistant commissioner Peter Hollier said it was hoped there would be some reprieve in conditions on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
"However, there will still be high fire dangers particularly in the western parts of the state," he said.
Total fire bans are in place for 64 of Queensland's 77 local government areas.
New South Wales
A string of blazes burning around one northern New South Wales town are threatening homes as a swathe of the state faces extreme fire risks in hot and windy conditions.
Multiple bushfires have encircled Tenterfield, in the Northern Tablelands, with residents told to keep a close eye on a 250 hectare blaze at Woodside to the west and a 65 hectare fire burning out of control at Tabulam to the east.
The Glen Innes RSL and Tenterfield Showground was opened to accommodate locals leaving early ahead of the forecast extreme fire danger.
Seven areas have total fire bans in place on Tuesday, including greater Sydney and the Hunter and Illawarra/Shoalhaven regions.
Extreme fire danger ratings have also been put in place in three districts along the Queensland border from New England to the west.
NSW Rural Fire Service deputy commissioner Peter McKechnie said the Northern Tablelands was the area of most concern, including the cluster of fires around Tenterfield.
"We've seen a number of properties threatened most days now and today particularly and up around (the) Northern Tablelands ... we will see properties threatened," he told Sky News.
On Tuesday morning, there were 87 fires burning across the state, 36 of which were yet to be contained.
Firefighters also battled a number of small grass and bush fires that broke out on Sydney's outskirts in the morning as powerful winds whipped through the city's west and south.
Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Adam Dewberry said the wind brought down a number of power lines, which could cause sparks and lead to bushfires.
He said fire trucks were being moved to the city fringes in preparation for the high-risk conditions to provide a quick response to any initial flare-ups.
"The idea is to do what we call 'weight of attack', that means lots of fire trucks, lots of firefighters and lots of water to get on these fires early and get them contained before they break out and cause significant destruction in the community," Supt Dewberry told ABC Radio.
Warm and dry weather with fresh westerly winds are forecast for much of the state until the afternoon before potentially severe afternoon and early evening thunderstorms form along the northern half of the coast and ranges.
A milder south to southwesterly change is expected to spread across the state during the day.
