Key points:
• A state of emergency has been declared in New South Wales;
• Fires have arrived on Sydney's north shore;
• Greater Sydney, Greater Hunter and Illawarra/Shoalhaven face "catastrophic fire danger";
• There are 77 fires burning in NSW, 36 of those are uncontained;
• A cool change is expected in the early evening, which could see fires change direction;
• 65 fires are burning in Queensland;
• Hundreds of schools across both states were closed today;
• Oz smoke plume to hit NZ tomorrow: What you need to know
A bushfire has erupted in one of Sydney's most prestigious suburbs, confirming firefighters' worst fears as flames close in on homes.
The Canoon Road fire at South Turramurra in Ku-ring-gai was spreading quickly but firefighters have doused houses in red fire-retardant to protect them. Firefighters now have that fire under control and say the immediate threat to properties has eased.

But still the highest level of "catastrophic fire danger" is forecast for the Greater Hunter, Greater Sydney and Illawarra/Shoalhaven regions, while "extreme fire danger" is the warning for the North Coast, Southern Ranges, Central Ranges, New England, Northern Slopes and North Western areas.