A bushfire that burned through more than 70 hectares of land and edged dangerously close to homes north of Perth has now left many without water and power.

The Wundowie blaze came within metres of houses and left a truck driver trapped in the middle of it, unable to turn around.

He filmed the fire coming closer to him before firefighters eventually got the blaze under control enough for the truckie to make it through.

Resident Ashlee Martinelli said she saw smoke coming towards her house, and 10 minutes later flames were in the backyard.

She and her parents chose to stay and defend the home, grabbing passports, family photos and animals.

"(It was) so warm and it was just black, you could hardly see and because of the sun it was like a weird orange colour," Ms Martinelli told 9News.

"Mum's horse float the back end caught on fire and the shed nearly caught on."

The fire has since been downgraded to a watch and act, but firefighters are still on alert.

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The town's water pipeline exploded in the fire, and homes could be without power for days.

Fire officials say the blaze was started accidentally and is not the work of an arsonist.

Hundreds of Queenslanders have spent the weekend in long lines outside testing clinics after a warning from health authorities of a potential coronavirus threat.

Anyone who has been in Victoria on or since December 21 has been told they should get tested and quarantine at home until they receive a negative result.

This advice caused queues that stretched for hundreds of metres in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast, with waits of up to four hours.

READ MORE: Victorians facing long testing queues as state works to contain coronavirus outbreak

READ MORE: NSW records 11 new COVID-19 cases, eight locally acquired

People came armed with camp chairs and umbrellas for the long wait ahead.

"We only brought the chairs, but we're now wishing we had brought hats, umbrellas, everything," one woman told 9News.

"A cup of coffee would have been nice."

Some people were turned away from the Royal Brisbane Women's Hospital clinic when it closed at 9pm on Saturday.

"The last thing we want to see is somebody walking away from getting tested who should get tested," Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates said.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Jeanette Young said health authorities are working to open more clinics in the coming days to meet demand.

"We are opening more fever clinics and we're extending hours because of that rapid response from people coming forward to get tested," Dr Young said.

The state has had 110 days without any community transmission of the virus.

There were three local cases in Victoria today, and seven in NSW.

An off-duty police officer is believed to have died while trying to save the life of another woman dragged into a whirlpool while canyoning in the NSW Blue Mountains yesterday.

The bodies of two women sucked into the water were recovered by police divers about midday today after a gruelling search in tough conditions deep in the bush.

One of the women has been identified as serving NSW Police officer, Senior Constable Kelly Foster, who has most recently been stationed at Lithgow Police Station.

"Her colleagues are fairly traumatised by this loss, she was a well-respected and well-liked member of the police force," Chief Inspector Peter Scheinflug said today.

Senior Constable Foster's partner was canyoning with the group at the Wollangambe River in Mount Wilson and hiked 45 minutes to get mobile reception and call Triple-0.

"While that was occurring other members of the party were frantically looking for the two girls," Chief Inspector Scheinflug said.

The second woman was an international student from China, aged 24. She had been living in Chiswick in Sydney's inner west.

Close family friends in Australia have been notified, as has the Chinese Embassy who will notify her family back home of the tragedy.

Early investigations suggest the student may have gotten into trouble in the water and the police officer tried to help her and was also dragged into danger.

Officers were initially called about 2.30pm yesterday, and police rescue, assisted by police diving unit and ambulance special operations team located both women's bodies, about midday today, Chief Inspector Scheinflug said.

NSW Police Acting Commissioner Mal Lanyon has extended his condolences to the Foster family on behalf of the NSW Police Force.

"It's a very sad time for the NSW Police Force and Kelly's death is a loss to the whole community," Acting Commissioner Lanyon said.

"To hear reports that Kelly was trying to help another woman when she died demonstrates her commitment to the community she served and the ability to put the needs of others before her own.

"Kelly was a highly regarded and dedicated officer who will be sorely missed by colleagues across the force.

"Her policing career was put on hold when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, however, her strength to survive this and return to work is another testament to her strength and resilience.

"Above all, Kelly was a kind and loving daughter, sister and partner."

Police Minister David Elliott praised Senior Constable Foster's "truly heroic act".

"The tragic death of Senior Constable Kelly Foster is a sincere loss for her family, community and the NSW Police Force.

"Senior Constable Foster sadly lost her life coming to the aid of another, a truly heroic act that will never be forgotten.

"She had served her community as part of the NSW Police Force since 2010 and will be dearly missed by her colleagues."

A report will be prepared for the Coroner.

The family and friends of both women have requested privacy at this time.

A Human Nature concert in Sydney has sparked concern after hundreds of audience members were seen singing without masks as health authorities fight to contain multiple coronavirus clusters.

The gig on Saturday night was held at the Sydney Coliseum at West HQ, an entertainment venue inside the Rooty Hill RSL.

Footage and photos show the large crowd singing along to the band's hits. Very few of them were wearing masks.

Trish Charan, the general manager of the Sydney Coliseum Theatre, told Nine.com.au the audience were urged before the event to wear masks and offered them for free throughout the venue.

"Additionally, the artists made a pre-show announcement, as well as throughout the show, asking all patrons not to sing or dance (other than in their seats) during the performance," Ms Charan said.

Masks became mandatory in Greater Sydney from today. People were given a one-day grace period and from Monday there will be a $200 fine for anyone failing to comply.

NSW opposition leader Jodie McKay shared a photo of the concert on Twitter today.

"No social distancing, very few masks and a predominantly older audience," Ms McKay wrote.

Ms Charan said there were 1110 people at the event, which is under the cap of 1490.

Under NSW Health coronavirus restrictions, venues such as concert halls are allowed to operate at 75 per cent capacity if events are seated.

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"Masks were also available at all bars and via staff and we were offering these free of charge to those requesting one," Ms Charan said.

"We included a direct link to NSW Health in the email for up to date information on hot spots and COVID information."

She said Human Nature "were placed at a minimum 5m from the audience, dictated by a marked line on stage.

"Additionally, there were COVID-safety lobby announcements, digital signage, social distancing stickers and queue markers."

NSW recorded 11 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, eight of which are locally acquired and three are from overseas.

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NSW has recorded 11 new COVID-19 cases, eight of which are locally acquired and three are from overseas.

Five of the new local cases recorded yesterday are connected to the Berala cluster.

Two are household contacts of the Avalon cluster, and one is a household contact of a known source in Wollongong.

Nearly 19,000 people were tested in the last testing period.

"We do need to increase that number of testing. The success of this state has come off the back of the large number of testing that's been happening right across the state," Deputy Premier John Barilaro said.

The figures were released this morning as millions of people in Greater Sydney have been ordered to wear masks or risk a $200 fine.

Residents have until midnight tonight before the fines kick in, and must cover-up in all public indoor settings.

Source of Berala cluster identified

The Berala cluster is centred around a BWS liquor store, where two workers tested positive and worked over the busy Christmas period.

Genomic sequencing has revealed the Berala cluster is not linked to the Avalon outbreak in Sydney's Northern Beaches.

Dr Chant said a member of a family group who had returned from overseas and transported to a health facility passed the virus onto a patient transport worker.

The worker then passed the virus onto a colleague who had visited the Berala BWS for a "fleeting amount of time".

Health authorities have issued alerts for a number of times between Tuesday, 22 December and Thursday 31 December where transmission may have occurred.

Anyone who attended the BWS at those times has been asked to get tested immediately and isolate for 14 days regardless of the test result.

"We know these transmission events have happened through very minimal exposure, we are asking members of the community who did purchase alcohol or enter that premises for that period to be very vigilant and take the public health action of isolating for 14 days if you were there at those times," Dr Chant said.

"Anyone living in the Berala area has also been asked to come forward for testing if they develop any symptoms associated with COVID-19.

"We are still concerned about a case that occurred yesterday where we still haven't managed to find links in terms of the Avalon cluster."

Investigations continue into the links between the Wollongong, Croydon and Avalon clusters.

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Dr Chant said the BWS store on Woodburn Road in Berala is now a transmission site of particular concern to authorities.

"We know that there have been transmission events at this venue. And it is important that we know that also those transmission events occurred through what appear to be very brief exposures at that venue," she said.

More than 2000 people have been contacted and told to get tested and isolate in relation to the BWS store.

"I know it was a busy period, but we are very concerned that transmission has occurred at this site and it is important because the duration of time means that someone who has previously been there could have actually transmitted it to another group of people."

Top doctor's assessment of response

Former president of the Australian Medical Association Doctor Tony Bartone told Weekend Today that we were "ahead of the curve compared to previous events".

But he warned the time of year also greatly increases the risk of fast spreading of COVID-19.

"Because of where we are, because it is the holiday season, because we've had the potential of super spreading events like New Year's Eve, we've really got to be on our guard," he said.

Speaking on the importance of the mask mandate for Greater Sydney, Dr Bartone pointed to the cluster that began at a Thai restaurant in Melbourne mere days ago.

Saying one person entered the restaurant and infected multiple people, he said "it shows you what the potential for wearing a mask in a close situation can prevent".

The Berala cluster is now considered the most concerning, sparking a push for testing in Western Sydney as NSW Health warns of new alert locations.

This comes as the southern zone of Northern Beaches have had restrictions loosened after a lockdown over the holidays.

The area is now treated as part of Greater Sydney.

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Mask rules for Greater Sydney

But as Premier Gladys Berejiklian used one hand to ease restrictions in the Northern Beaches, she took with the other as she announced new measures to slow the virus.

Masks are now compulsory in the Greater Sydney area in some indoor settings including public transport, shopping centres, hair and beauty salons and hospitality areas after the new rules began at midnight.

The state's Health Minister Brad Hazzard reminded the community of the upcoming mask mandate to be enforced from tomorrow.

Mr Hazzard said the mandate also applies to bank branches, post offices, hairdressing salons, beauty salons, tanning salons, waxes salons, spas, betting agencies, gaming lounges and tattoo parlours.

A $200 fine will apply for anyone who fails to comply with the health order from midnight tonight.

"That will be a last resort. We will use a very common-sense approach to our policing and discretion where it's appropriate," Acting Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said.

Along with mask-wearing, harsher restrictions will be placed on indoor gatherings:

• Gym classes will be reduced from a maximum of 50 participants to 30.
• Nightclubs, along with singing and dancing, will remain off the table.
• Places of worship will now only be able to have 100 people at a time, with smaller venues subject to tighter restrictions.
• This means weddings and funerals will now be capped at 100 people.
• Outdoor performances will be reduced to 500 from 1000 and controlled outdoor events from 5000 to 2000 to reduce the risk of super spreading events.

Children under the age of 12 are exempt from wearing masks along with those with certain medical conditions.

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Woolworths has already issued a statement saying it expects all customers entering stores – Woolworths supermarkets, Metro, BWS, BIG W and Dan Murphy's – in the Greater Sydney area (including Wollongong, Blue Mountains and Central Coast) to wear a face covering.

Couple issue statement after $19,000 fine

A NSW couple accused of fleeing from Victorian health officials at Melbourne Airport have released a statement explaining why they left without quarantining.

Terry and Debbie Elford this afternoon released a statement saying officials at the airport were unable to definitively tell them whether or not they would have to quarantine.Earlier today Victorian Health Officials said the pair absconded from officers and were facing fines of up to $19,000 each.

"We really are very sorry for the mess this has caused," the Elfords said in the statement."

Like hundreds of others on 1 January 2021, we got caught up with the confusion when the rules about entering Victoria changed.

"We had a permit, live in a green zone in NSW, were flying from Canberra airport which is allowed, and after we arrived in Tullamarine, we were stopped by DHHS officers who were not able to tell us whether or not we needed to quarantine, so after about an hour or so we walked away."

A Rotorua tour company is working hard to protect the area it operates in by taking action against pests like possums, rats and stoats.”We’re in the Dansey Road Scenic Reserve. It’s ancient and original and after our first six months…

Dozens of security guards working at South Australia's medi-hotels have been stood down or sacked over alleged breaches such as sleeping on the job.

Ninety-four private guards were stood down for various offences including not wearing PPE and falling asleep while on duty, according to South Australia Police figures.

Five others were terminated, including one who falsely claimed to be a member of the defence force and another who smelt of alcohol on the job.

READ MORE: Victorians facing long testing queues as state works to contain coronavirus outbreak

READ MORE: NSW records 11 new COVID-19 cases, eight locally acquired

"When you're looking at 99 breaches and you're looking at people falling asleep on the job, that doesn't look like a gold-class system to me," SA Shadow Minister for Health Chris Picton said today.

MP Rob Lucas defended the system.

"Five serious instances where I think there were terminations that have been instanced is an example of the system working and working relatively effectively."

While there were no new cases of coronavirus in South Australia, residents have been warned not to travel to Victoria, and the border remains closed to NSW.

The Chief Public Health Officer urged anyone who has arrived home to stay across the growing list of exposure sites on the Victorian website — and quarantine or get tested if advised to by authorities.

An international arrival has become the second person in the state found to have the highly transmissible UK-strain of the virus.

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They were hospitalised after testing positive but have now returned to a medi-hotel.

The SA government also warned anyone entering the state to apply for a permit a week in advance and not once they arrive.

Victorians are waiting hours just to be turned away from testing clinics as the state works to contain another coronavirus outbreak.

People rushed back from interstate last week as borders were being closed once again, but it has put pressure on the healthcare system.

"We've come back because they closed the border, so we rushed back and left our families behind on New Year's," one couple told 9News.

READ MORE: Victoria records three new locally acquired cases

"We're supposed to get tested as their regulation, and for two days now we've been turned away."

The state's COVID-19 response commander pleaded for patience as testing staff are brought back from leave.

"I am going to ask people to continue to persevere with us. That's why we've got probably an extra 30 per cent capacity in today compared to yesterday at our biggest centres," Jeroen Weimar said.

Opposition leader Michael O'Brien described the long queues and testing clinics over capacity as "an absolute shamble".

"We're seeing the wrong information being provided to people who have returned to Victoria. The government needs to fix this and fix this quickly," he said.

Today Victoria reported three new locally acquired cases from 22,477 tests. All three are linked to the Black Rock cluster which now stands at 21.

Thirteen cases attended the Smile Buffalo Thai restaurant on December 21, and the other eight are close contacts.

But Victorian health officials are still working to track down the source of the latest cluster.

"We're looking at several lines of investigation, including one person who had been in Sydney, but outside the northern beaches area," Professor Allen Cheng said today.

Of the cases, 220 close contacts are in quarantine with another 359 secondary close contacts also told to isolate.

"With this number of close contacts, we're expecting at least some of them will become cases over the next week or so," Professor Cheng said.

There are now 51 potential exposure sites, for the full list of exposure sites in Victoria, click here for the DHHS list.