A late southerly change created flare-ups of bushfires burning at the South Coast and near Braidwood but there are signs that the worst has passed.
As of Wednesday morning, both fires were at "advice" level.
But with the southerly came the smoke, which filled the air over Canberra on Tuesday night.
For the first time in two days, the section of the Princes Highway south of Burrill Lake to north Batemans Bay was re-opened to through traffic although a strict 40km/h speed limit was imposed because of damage to roadside infrastructure.
The Currowan fire has crossed Western Distributor Road in the Budawang National Park.
Many of those eager to head south were owners returning to beachside properties evacuated several days ago at the height of the Currowan fire.
No more homes have been reported lost to the fire, although residents have warned that flare-ups of unburnt bush fuel may still occur around Lake Tabourie, Bawley Point, and nearby beach suburbs.
So far 11 homes have been lost to the South Coast fire, which has now consumed 80,000 hectares.
Crews are preparing for more favourable conditions on Wednesday.
As predicted, the Currowan fire is heading into more open grassland country to the east of Mongarlowe, where fire crews are hoping for a better chance of containment.
Backburning had been done ahead of the fire's northerly march.
A control line is being set up by crews north of Woodburn Road to prevent further spread. Firefighters have been assisted by bulldozers and large equipment.
There is no threat to properties to the north and east of the Princes Highway.
The Kings Highway remains closed because of the threat posed by falling trees which had been recently fire-damaged and are unstable. Residents between Nelligen and Braidwood will have limited access at the discretion of emergency services.
The Araluen Road between Braidwood and Moruya also remains closed but residents have also been granted limited access.
Tuesday's wind change led to a spike in activity at the North Black Range fire, burning through the Tallanganda National Park west of Braidwood.
The change caused spot fires to break out ahead of it, and heavy aerial bombardment was used to slow the fire's northerly progress toward Fox's Elbow and Watson Road, where residents have been warned to closely monitor conditions.
The fire had been active near Jones Road, Watsons Road and Mulloon Creek, and had been also pushing up into areas along Manar Road.
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Hayley Smith, a resident on Fox's Elbow Rd, used social media to post a photo of how close the fires had come to her equine property on Tuesday afternoon.
Her accompanying text read: "Feeling a bit alone at the moment, thank God for the helicopter pilots".
Lake George Rural Fire Service district officer Darren Marks said that fixed wing and helicopter crews had worked almost non-stop throughout a "difficult" day at the fireground, with a heavy air tanker laying down a line of retardant outside Butmaroo Station.
Although the North Black Range fire was upgraded to "watch and act" for several hours on Tuesday, later in the afternoon it was relaxed to "advice" level.
"There was a lot going on today here [at the fireground] but at the same time, on a difficult day, we feel we have made good progress," Mr Marks said.
"Our containment lines are holding well and we have a period of relatively stable weather ahead, which means we are one step closer to putting this fire in a box."
