On the weekend before Christmas, Tod Sutherland would usually expect his caravan park to be bustling with hundreds of families.
But this is no ordinary weekend.
A bushfire has been burning out of control north of the NSW South Coast town of Batemans Bay for weeks, disrupting both the Kings Highway and the Princes Highway, which connect the town to Canberra and Sydney respectively.
Recommendations from authorities that people consider putting off non-essential travel in fire danger areas have also made the prospect of visiting the coastal town more difficult.
"Every day there's just been more cancellations," Mr Sutherland said.
Mr Sutherland's caravan park at Nelligen, just north of Batemans Bay, is experiencing a massive drop in visitors due to the fires.
"We should have hundreds — 200 to 300 people in here at the moment," he said.
"It is an effort to get there … the whole community needs people here.
"We don't know when it's going to end."
Kelly Hadlow, who runs a nearby day spa, said she had given up due to a lack of business coming through the Kings Highway.
"The Canberra traffic is usually bumper-to-bumper on that highway. We rely on this time of year as our major source of income," she said.
"I have three girls that work for me and I've had to totally cut their shifts. We're closed."
The fire is not posing an immediate threat to Batemans Bay, however in recent weeks it has housed evacuees from northern townships.
Like many parts of NSW the town has also been blanketed in thick smoke.
Alison Miers, from the Batemans Bay Chamber of Commerce, said the situation in the town was "forever changing".
"It is unusually quiet," she said.
"People are still going about their business and trying to support local businesses which is good."
Ms Miers said the town was desperate for tourists to visit, once the bushfire threat had eased.
"It is difficult, I think everyone's hoping there will be at least some visitors coming after Christmas," she said.
"We'd like them to come, it's our lifeblood really."
