Southerly change predicted Tuesday will push the Currowan fire into more accessible open country

Firefighters on the South Coast are bracing for tough conditions early ahead of an expected southerly change mid-morning which is likely to send the large Currowan fire, in the Shoalhaven area, further north and east.

A total fire ban has been put in place for the ACT and surrounding regions on Tuesday, including the Southern Ranges and Shoalhaven.

The fire danger rating in those areas have been classified as severe.

After being closed for a week, the Princes Highway between Batemans Bay and Burrill Lake has reopened to traffic with a reduced speed limit in place.

Road access from Canberra to the NSW South Coast remains cut with the Kings Highway between Nelligen and Braidwood remaining closed until further notice because of the danger of fire-damaged and falling trees.

The same risk applies to the Araluen Road from Braidwood to Moruya.

The Currowan fire, which has now consumed 78,000 hectares of the Shoalhaven between Batemans Bay and Ulladulla, has hotspots of activity around Benandarah, Windywoppa, Currowan and other areas on the northern side of the Kings Highway.

Fortunately it appears the worst has passed for residents of Bawley Point, Kioloa, Pebbly Beach and Depot Beach although trees damaged by fire present an ongoing issue for anyone travelling in the area and this issue could worsen as wind speeds pick up.

Ken Hall, the Shoalhaven RFS incident controller, asked people driving in the area to be aware that roads could be closed down for hazard clearing from time to time and "there could be restrictions on where you can go".

"The roads will be patrolled by police and the RFS. This area has been heavily impacted by fire and there will be trees coming down for quite a while longer," he said.

West of Woodburn Rd and Lake Tabourie, and west of the Pigeon House mountain, the fire remained active but the support of large aerial tankers has proved a significant aid.

"We're feeling quietly confident about the days to come with the assets we have in place and where the fire is tracking now," Mr Hall said.

"The fire is now tracking into the type of open country where we believe it will be easier to fight and we have the aerial assets on hand to smash it once it reaches that open grassland."

A small blaze started at Maloneys Beach, near Batemans Bay, on Monday but was quickly extinguished by aerial tankers using seawater sucked up from offshore.

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Crews are still working on assessing the damage after 11 dwellings and more than 50 sheds were destroyed at the height of the Currowan blaze.

Home owners had close-run, protective struggles as the fire crept close to the popular beachside suburbs north of Batemans Bay, now scarred and burnt after the onslaught.

Temperatures in the ACT are expected to reach 38 degrees and the smoke haze that has covered the city since Saturday night has been forecast to continue until Friday.

The areas closed due to the total fire ban in the ACT include Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, parts of Namadgi National Park, Googong foreshores, Kowen Forest, the lower Molonglo River corridor, Molonglo Gorge, Mulligans Flat Sanctuary, and the centenary trail between Goorooyarroo Nature Reserve and Hallarea.

Swimming areas at the Cotter and along the Murrumbidgee River such as Kambah Pool, Pine Island, Point Hut and Uriarra Crossing will also remain open, although flow levels are very low.

Popular areas such as Canberra Nature Park will be closed to visitors from around 10am.

A spokesperson for the NSW RFS said that more than 2 million hectares had now been fire-affected and predicted Tuesday would be "a difficult day".

"The change coming up through the state won't bring much moisture so while it will help lower temperatures, there's added risk of lightning strikes," he said.