Ulladulla boaties are "true heroes" to a family who were collected from Green Island after they were stranded due to road closures in the fire-affected Bendalong and Manyana.
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Manyana newcomers Laura McCloy, daughter Grace, and partner Shaun Duncan have moved from Victoria to the area over the past seven weeks.
Laura arrived on November 11 with her daughter arriving in late December, also dealing with road closures during the day of severe fire activity on December 21.
On New Year's Eve the family were celebrating Grace's birthday and she was surprised with surfing lessons with local watersports business operator and surf coach Simon Twitchen.
READ MORE: Coast prepares for Saturday fires
Shaun and Grace were about to get into the water when a large smoke started rising west of Conjola.
Laura immediately drove home to get their valuables after a neighbour told her to prepare. She missed seeing her daughter stand on a surfboard for the first-time.
Simon brought the pair back to the house and it was the last they saw of him. The family then went to real estate agent Sharon Deadman's property in Bendalong.
"She looked after so many people."
After staying for a few hours the couple tried to get into Manyana, but Inyadda Drive was closed. Eventually they went in and gathered some food, bailing back to Bendalong Holiday Haven. Upon arriving they found Simon, who wasn't able to evacuate.
They ate a dinner by a single candle together, before deciding to head home to get furniture with the help of Simon's trailer. Shaun said they could see thick smoke travelling across Bendalong Road from the corner of Inyadda Drive and the red glow was "intense".
Upon arriving at home on Companion Way they could see flames to the west of Cunjurong Point.
They packed the trailer then went back to Bendalong for a sleepless night. The next day they went back to Manyana and it was the last they saw of Bendalong.
Before turning off to home they could see the fire had passed through Bendalong Road. Over the evening of the first day of 2020, Shaun recalled seeing a red could and could see embers from the treetops.
"I just watched one engine go back to the station, back and forth, and he went all night."
On Thursday, all Laura could think about was getting her asthmatic daughter out of the area. Smoke was wearing Grace down and Laura could hear her daughter's breathing become heavier at night.
Cars had also began to bank up through the morning, with fire activity and fallen trees closing the road.
"I got a phone call from a friend who put me through to Derryn [Forster]. He said 'I'm hoping to get a boat up, but leave it with me'.
"Twenty minutes later I got a called and he said 'I'm going to get you out of there'."
About 5am on Friday, the family were set to go with bags packed, in the dark, from the night before. Cars had been sitting in the same spots overnight with estimates of about 280 lined up.
They also found a family with a pregnant mother wanting to leave. They couldn't meet at Bendalong, so Derryn suggested Green Island off Cunjurong Point.
The families waded in water up to about 1.3 metres deep to the boat, all the while carrying bags above their heads.
"Derryn and his daughter came out and helped us," Laura said.
The families were then moved to a second boat which returned them to Ulladulla Harbour.
"They had drinks, food, made sure we were warm," Laura said.
"They didn't have to do that," she said.
"Fuel is scarce, things are tight.
"For them to go above and beyond. They were so generous."
Laura, Shaun and Grace will now spend the next few days and nights at Bannisters by the Sea. Shaun is a chef there and the business has offered them a roof over their heads until some normality is restored to Manyana.
It wasn't the first Christmas and New Year's they expected in their new home, but they feel welcomed by the community.
"Everybody has come together and helped one another. It shows community spirit. It's why I wanted to move here, people do care."
