Traffic jam as Australia evacuation gathers pace

Motorists joined long queues as huge numbers of people evacuated from New South Walves and Victoria amid the threat of Australia's ongoing bushfire crisis.

There were reports in the town of Batemans Bay some customers waited up to five hours at supermarkets, which had been operating with a limited supply of stock, as well as petrol stations, which saw an increased demand for fuel as motorists left the area.

Tourists in a 250km (155 miles) stretch from the New South Wales South Coast to Victoria's East Gippsland have also been advised to leave the region within a 24-hour period before unfavourable weather conditions return.

At a news conference in Sydney, Australian Natural Disaster and Emergency Management Minister David Littleproud urged those in the area "to be prepared and to act now".

At least 18 people have died, 1,200 homes have been destroyed and about five million hectares (12.35 million acres) of land have burned nationwide from the wildfires since September.