Locals have been told it's too late to leave as a bushfire burns in a rural area near the NSW town of Grafton.

An emergency warning has been issued for the fire in Nymboida State Forest near Glens Creek Road and Martins Road, 30km south west of Grafton.

NSW Rural Fire Service warned; "if you are in the area of Glens Creek Road, you are at risk. Seek shelter to protect yourself from the fire."

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A later warning alerted residents that the fire was moving south, with residents on Frickers road told to seek shelter.

Meanwhile firefighters have managed to bring a fire near the town of Scone in NSW's Upper Hunter Valley under control.

The fire was downgraded to 'Watch and Act' level after crews and aircraft battled the blaze throughout the afternoon, as temperatures hit 31C.

Residents in the area have been told to monitor the changing conditions and stay up-to-date.

The RFS initially issued an emergency warning as the fire began to move to the east towards the area of Segenhoe.

There are around 50 isolated properties.

"If you are in the vicinity of Segenhoe, you are in danger," the RFS warned.

The fire is believed to be 200 hectares in size.

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Fire crews are continuing to work to slow the spread of the fire, with light winds of 25-40 kilometres fanning the fire.

NSW RFS said that a change in the wind is expected to push the fire north-east towards Lake and Gundy Roads in coming hours.

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Another fire further north in the isolated Woko National Park have been upgraded to "prepare now."

Several campers have already been evacuated and road closures could happen.

It's burning near Kauthi Road to the west of Thunderbolts Way is heading in a south-easterly direction.

A total fire ban remains in place across New South Wales as hot dry gusts bring 'extreme' risk levels to the Greater Sydney region and other parts of the state.

NSW Rural Fire Service said they expected "hot, dry and windy conditions" throughout the day as they put much of the state on notice.

In NSW, the total fire ban is in effect for the Hunter region.

It also includes many country towns heading right up to the border with Queensland.

In Queensland, several small fires are burning around the Gladstone and Bundaberg region as temperatures in the sunshine state sit in the low-mid 30s.

Bushfire emergency warnings in Queensland were downgraded overnight.

Residents were forced to leave their homes yesterday as firefighters tackled a blaze in Beerwah on the Sunshine Coast.

People have been allowed to return to their homes with warnings sitting at advice level.

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In NSW the temperature hit 31 C in Penrith, west of the Sydney CBD.

Sydney CBD had a high of 25 C, with winds up to 30km/h, with gusts up to 50km/h

Thousands flocked to beaches all over Australia's coast to escape the heat.

In the Northern Territory, a severe heatwave risk is in place around the Darwin area.

Fresh and gusty southeasterly winds combined with hot and dry conditions will cause elevated fire dangers through central parts of the Northern Territory.

A body has been found after a man jumped into a crocodile-infested river while being chased by police.

The 36-year-old was found dead after he allegedly fled officers following a raid at a property in the central Queensland city of Rockhampton, about 6pm (AEST) on Thursday.

He jumped into the Fitzroy River, a known crocodile habitat.

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Police set up an an exclusion zone in the river while they searched for the man with boats and helicopters.

The body was found by a member of the public on Saturday night.

Police are investigating.

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Erin Morton might be an associate professor who works for a university setting up clinical trials but when she first experienced brain fog and other symptoms a few years ago aged 42, she said she was "horrified" at the lack of help or information.

Her symptoms – which she realised, thanks to her medical knowledge, were related to perimenopause, which hits the years before menopause – were so debilitating she feared she would have to quit her job.

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"Like many others, I thought it would be hot flushes in my 50s when my periods stopped," she said.

"If I didn't have the type of job I had which as long as I get my work done, it doesn't matter where or when, there is no way I could have kept my job."

But the "stigma" of what she was going through means she never mentioned it at work, admitting she turned to friends and Facebook chats to share information.

She eventually opted to take menopausal hormonal therapy (MHT).

With data backing up what Morton felt, she now wants to help other Aussie women.

A total of 85 per cent of Australian women who experience significant symptoms mostly go undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, untreated or mistreated according to a Medical Journal of Australia article published this year.

Morton, who works at Flinders University in Adelaide, has set up a registry to gather information on Australians' experience of perimenopause and menopause called VITAL

She wants other women to share their experiences with the aim of measuring the impact.

"It's not to say everybody has horrible symptoms, but at the same time, they're preventable, and everyone should have an option to go, 'Do I want medical treatment, do I just want to get information?'" she said.

"This is an area of health that is so neglected and is still really stigmatised."

'Lost and frustrated'

Meanwhile, a group of Aussie women have sent a petition with 10,000 signatures to federal parliament over the issue.

The "peripausers", as they have named themselves, want GPs to be given more education on perimenopause and menopause and are demanding Health Minister Mark Butler take action.

The six women say they all felt dismissed by medics over symptoms.

It took Melbourne fashion business owner Kerry Pietrobon, 55, five years to get a diagnosis.

She said she felt "lost" as she started having trouble concentrating and later developed fatigue, dizziness and high blood pressure.

"I was getting frustrated that nothing I was doing was making me feel better," she said.

Her health later worsened and she suffered from irritability, anxiety, panic attacks, and heavy periods.

She did get help from a naturopath but, despite multiple GP visits, feels she was brushed off.

It wasn't until this year she was finally diagnosed as having menopause symptoms.

She believes because she didn't have the most common signs, she wasn't taken seriously.

"Because I did not present with the three most common symptoms of hot flushes, night sweats or irregular periods, I was sent away with little more than try to stress less, get more sleep and lose some weight," she said.

"It shouldn't be shameful, it's what we all go through."

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners told 9news.com.au that while it undertakes activities which work to support GPs' awareness and understanding of menopause, it could be "better supported".

"While members can access RACGP continuing professional development for free, additional government funding to support and encourage participation in education and training would be valuable," a spokesman said.

The federal government said the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is providing funding of $1.1 million for the development of MenoPROMPT – a practitioner tool to improve the care of women at and/or after menopause.

It has also set up the National Women's Health Advisory Council.

"Menopause can wreak havoc on people's lives, careers, relationships, and mental health," Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care Ged Kearney said.

"The Albanese government is committed to making a difference for women of every age and at every stage.

"Menopause is an issue that needs a fresh approach.

"We need to shine a light on menopause and identify gaps that exist in the treatment of women's health.

"No one should suffer in silence."

Do you have a story? Contact journalist Sarah Swain on ss****@******om.au

What are menopause and perimenopause?

Menopause happens when a woman's ovaries no longer have any eggs to release – and it's preceded by perimenopause.

Symptoms are caused by a drop in hormone levels, with hot flushes, night sweats, brain fog, depression, anxiety and weight gain common.

More than three million Aussie women are currently in the 40–59 age bracket – the years most associated with menopause.

More than two million women over 60 years are affected by biological changes post-menopause that increase risks of cardiovascular disease, dementia, diabetes, osteoporosis and some cancers.

Medication such as menopausal hormonal therapy (MHT), formerly called hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can help.

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