Firefighters say it will be a tough day ahead on Queensland's Fraser Island (K'Gari) after a bushfire jumped containment lines overnight.
The fire is now on the south side of Moon Point Road and crews are working to stop it travelling towards the populated Happy Valley area.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Service Rural Fire Service North Coast regional manager Peter Hollier said rain was badly needed to help extinguish the fire through thick forest canopies.
"The troops have put in a tremendous effort over the weekend," he said.
"The fire is marching to the south and potentially heading down towards the areas of Happy Valley and eventually, to Kingfisher."
Water bombers no match for fire, thick bush
The bushfire was believed to have been sparked by an illegal campfire in October that burnt out tens of thousands of hectares.
It forced the temporary evacuation of several campgrounds earlier this month.
Water-bombing aircraft, including the Bundaberg-based large aerial tanker (LAT), have been employed to slow the fire but Mr Hollier says the efforts are not enough.
"We have been … trying to get ahead of the fire but the terrain, the vegetation and the weather have been against us," he said.
"[In one day] they poured in just under 300,000 litres of water on the containment line only to find out the next morning it had breached.
"The canopy of the vegetation is very thick. It only takes one small ember to go across that containment line that you work on for days."
Mr Hollier said crews were working on strategies to defend the next containment line and protect property in the week ahead.
"The challenge is to try and steer it away from the major infrastructure and the areas of Happy Valley and then start opening up the next line of containment so we can pull it up," he said.
Crews will also meet with the Happy Valley community to ensure preparations are up to scratch.
The Bureau of Meteorology's prediction of a southerly change for Tuesday has brought some hope.
"If we were to get the rain, that would certainly give us the opportunity to start to get on top of the fire," Mr Hollier said.
"But we need at least a good inch of rain; 30, 40, even 50 millimetres of rain to make a difference.
"We need good, steady, heavy rain that will make a difference to penetrate that vegetation and put the fire out."
Resort visitors undeterred
At a popular Kingfisher Bay resort on the island's western side, the resort manager David Hay said the fire had not deterred visitors.
"This morning we've got blue sky; the smoke has blown in another direction," Mr Hay said from the resort.
"We've had a few guests who are due to arrive, ring up and ask questions, but Fraser Island is a pretty big place.
"It's 185,000 hectares, 123 kilometres long, and the fire is still 25 to 30km away from us.
"Some of our tours going along the eastern beach have encountered smoke at times but, other than some people with a respiratory problem, it really hasn't caused any problems."
Mr Hay said the island had been "extremely busy" since reopening in June and said the fire could have an impact on some campsites booked out over Christmas, remained hopeful that this would not be the case.
"It's well north of us still … we're at the whim of the winds at the moment."
The last big fire on the island was in about 2011 which burned from Lake Mackenzie to the boundary of the resort.
'Err on the side of caution'
With other bushfires burning in the Wide Bay–Burnett region, including at Mundubbera, Biggenden and Maidenwell, Mr Hollier is urging residents to "be vigilant".
"Report any fires to Triple Zero (000)," he said.
"If you're doing any work in the open, err on the side of caution.
"If you want to do any hazard reduction burning, put it off until we have some rain and cooler weather."
The Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service is warning people may experience some irritation from bushfire smoke.
Director of public health Niall Conroy said signs of irritation could include itchy eyes, sore throat, runny nose, and coughing.
"Healthy adults usually find these symptoms clear up once they are away from the smoke," Dr Conroy said.
"Children, the elderly, smokers and people with pre-existing conditions … are more sensitive."
