Smoke and dust obscure the Tom Uglys Bridge in southern Sydney while firefighters battle a fire at Clarence, Lithgow. Photo: Chris Lane

Music for Schools launch. L-R Rick Miller (the principal timpanist with Sydney Symphony Orchestra) with Plunkett Street Public School students Rose, Kia, Shannon and Kareem. Photo: Tamara Dean

Tomi Juric celebrates after scoring for Western Sydney during the Central Coast Mariners vs Western Sydney Wanderers A-League game. Photo: Anthony Johnson

Retired accountant Michael Barnett, 80, a Rotary volunteer for the Graffiti removal day pictured with his equipment in Pymble, Sydney. Photo: Tamara Dean

Bangarra Dance Theatre members (l to r) Tara Gower, Jasmin Sheppard, Deborah Brown, and Yolande Brown, who are in Dance Clan 3. Photo: Steven Siewert

Bangarra Dance Theatre member Yolande Brown, who is in Dance Clan 3. Photo: Steven Siewert

Bangarra Dance Theatre member Jasmin Sheppard, who is in Dance Clan 3. Photo: Steven Siewert

A cloud of bush fire smoke blows over Sydney. Photo: Ben Rushton

People watch from Tamarama headland as a wave of smoke haze caused by bushfires accross NSW smothers the Eastern suburbs of Sydney. Photo: Brianne Makin

Firefighters protect properties in Clarence, near Lithgow. Photo: Dean Sewell

The "9Lives" performers doing acrobatic work whilst the cast of The Violence Project rehearse at the Powerhouse Youth Theatre. Photo: Edwina Pickles

Lyndon Dunlop, 5 at the gate of his grandparents home that was destroyed from the fires on Buena Vista Rd, Winmalee in the Blue Mountains. Photo: Dallas Kilponen

The International Federation Body Builders competition finals at Fox Studios. Photo: Brianne Makin

A large back burning operation being carried out to protect Bilpin and Mountain Lagoon as fire conditions deteriorate. Photo: Nick Moir

NSW RFS Crews continue to fight the State Mine fire on the Darling Causeway near Bell as they back burn onto the fire front. Photo: Wolter Peeters

People exercising through Sydney's smog from the intense bushfires. Photo: Steven Siewert

NSW RFS Crews in Bilpin commence a back burning operation in an effort to strengthen containment lines as they fight the Lithgow State Mine fire. Photo: Wolter Peeters

Artist Sydney Ball in front of his art work 'Oceania', on display as part of his exhibition 'The Stain Paintings' 1971-1980 at Sullivan & Strumpf Gallery in Zetland, Sydney. Photo: Tamara Dean

Otto French, age 6, from Melbourne with Qian Sihua's artwork no.5 Bubble, as part of the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition. Photo: Danielle Smith

The Remote Area Fire Team work in a remote section of the Bargo River Gorge where they are scraping out a containment line in a critical part of the National Park to stop the fire from spreading. Photo: Brendan Esposito

Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons at NSW Rural Fire Service Headquarters. Photo: Edwina Pickles

Andrew and Renata Kaldor are funding Australia's first refugee law centre at UNSW with the aim of defending refugees' legal rights. They were both refugees, these days they are multi millionaires and well known philanthropists. Photo: Jacky Ghossein

Awa Diagne looking at Lucy Humphrey's sculpture at the Sculptures by the Sea 2013 exhibition. Photo: Danielle Smith

NSW RFS crew from Kurrajong Brigade work to extinguish a fire which has flared up around the State Mine fire near Berambing. Photo: Wolter Peeters

A water bombing helicopter at work in the Awabakal Reserve, Dudley / Redhead area. Photo: Max Mason Hubers

Two rings of fire burn near Hartley Vale in bushland off the Darling Causeway at dusk in the Blue Mountains. Photo: Dallas Kilponen

Embers blow from a burning tree as high winds still impact the Bilpin and Blue Mountains Lagoon area. Photo: Nick Moir