Two men have drowned in separate incidents in Victoria, as authorities appeal for people to stay safe in the water ahead of the Australia Day public holiday.
A man was on the water with another man at Anglesea, southwest of Melbourne, on Saturday afternoon when the boat tipped and sent them both overboard.
One made it back to shore but the other, a 58-year-old, died at the scene.
The other drowning involved a man pulled from Thirteenth Beach at Barwon Heads, near Geelong, on Saturday afternoon after he encountered difficulty while swimming.
He had been swimming with a boy and a girl who were helped back to shore, but the man died despite the efforts of paramedics to save him.
Victoria's Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville offered her condolences to the families and issued a reminder that drownings are preventable.
"Please take care this week," she tweeted.
"Be vigilant around water, especially over the next couple of hot days.
"Follow the warnings, swim between the flags at patrolled times, know the conditions and your abilities, supervise children, never swim alone and don't drink and swim."
It comes after three people drowned in NSW on Friday night after being swept into the surf at Port Kembla, south of Wollongong.
NSW Police said a group of people were standing on rocks near Hill 60 when a large wave knocked them into the water just after 10pm on Friday. Two people swam to safety but three were found dead.
Ahead of the Australia Day festive period, Surf Life Saving Australia implored beachgoers to swim between the flags and prioritise safe swimming.
They said drownings are 2.4 times more likely to occur on public holidays, and young men are almost twice as likely to drown on a public holiday.
Life jackets should also be worn at all times while out on boats.
