A Christmas Day bushfire that destroyed more than 100 homes in Victorian holiday towns could flare up again on New Year's Eve.
Cooler weather has calmed the blaze that burned 98 homes in Wye River and 18 in Separation Creek, on the Great Ocean Road.
But temperatures will rise again to 37C on Thursday, potentially causing fire flare-ups.
"Our fear of this fire though - it's here all summer," emergency management commissioner Craig Lapsley told reporters on Sunday.
"We will have to monitor this every day, all the way through.
"Because one hot spot, on the wrong day, could be the fire that runs into the next problem."
Mr Lapsley praised local firefighters for preventing an even bigger disaster.
"I would have thought they would have lost at least 200 homes in this town," Mr Lapsley said.
"This brigade, this community, actually had a community plan that had planned for many years about a fire coming into Wye River."
The 2200-hectare Jamieson Track fire started with a lightning strike on December 19.
The Insurance Council of Australia estimated initial insurance losses at $25 million.
No one died in the fires, although three firefighters suffered minor injuries.
Bushfire-hit towns face sharp drop in tourism revenue
Holiday towns along Victoria's Great Ocean Road devastated by bushfires face losing a third of their annual income.
Wye River lost 98 homes on Christmas Day, with Separation Creek losing 18.
Most of the 334 houses in the area are holiday homes, with the local population increasing 10-fold over summer.
Nearby Apollo Bay hasn't been touched by the fires but is already seeing a drop in the usual crowd.
"People are delaying their arrival, there's a lot of confusion, people want to be safe," Apollo Bay Chamber of Commerce and Tourism's Jo Birley told AAP on Sunday.
"There's also a lot of people demanding refunds and things like that."
Ms Birley said Apollo Bay's population swells from 1200 to more than 10,000 over the holidays.
"The average business would take probably up to a third of their annual income in this month," she said.
While stressing the importance of being safe, Ms Birley urged holiday-makers to keep their plans and take a different route for their getaways.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews asked tourists to continue enjoying their holidays in the area, but to stay aware of conditions at all times.
"The message to tourists, to visitors, is this is a beautiful part of our state. This is pristine coastline," he told Network Seven.
"If you are aware of your circumstances ... then you can still visit those areas that are open."
Emergency management commissioner Craig Lapsley said firefighters were working to reopen Wye River, Separation Creek and the Great Ocean Road as soon as possible.
He said a priority for them was getting the towns going economically again.
