It was a couple of days after Christmas when Melbourne teenagers Emily Wellington and Tahnee Meehan arrived in Mallacoota with Tahnee's parents for what they expected would be a relaxing summer break.

Key points: The three girls have asthma and left Mallacoota to escape the polluted air

The three girls have asthma and left Mallacoota to escape the polluted air Darcy's family moved to Mallacoota a month ago but have lost their home in the fires

Darcy's family moved to Mallacoota a month ago but have lost their home in the fires Tahnee's parents stayed in Mallacoota to help their friends defend the caravan park

A week later, they were boarding the Navy training ship MV Sycamore, having endured a terrifying ordeal sheltering from a bushfire that destroyed several homes on the outskirts of the Victorian coastal town.

Emily, Tahnee and their friend, Mallacoota local Darcy Brown, were among 58 people — along with two dogs, a cat and a rabbit — who this morning arrived aboard the Sycamore at Hastings, on the Mornington Peninsula, south-east of Melbourne.

It was an unlikely end to what was supposed a two-week beach holiday.

"One night we were just out hanging with people and the next day we had to evacuate to the foreshore so we were actually safe, and had to cover our mouths with masks," Tahnee told reporters outside a relief centre at Somerville.

"The sky was red at one minute, then completely black the next minute and then just so smoky," Darcy said.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 1 minute 4 seconds 1 m 4 s Thousands of people gathered at Mallacoota beach as the fire front approached town.

Emily told of the trio's "terrifying" walk on New Year's Eve from the foreshore to the community hall to take shelter with other holidaymakers and residents.

"It felt like it was a ghost town," Emily said.

"It was about 100 metres but it felt so long," Tahnee said.

A long time at sea, but a comfortable ride

As all three of the 16-year-olds have asthma, they decided to leave the area at the first opportunity, despite Tahnee's and Darcy's families staying behind.

Darcy Brown, Emily Wellington and Tahnee Meehan (L-R) said the atmosphere on the boat was "relaxed". ( ABC News: Iskhandar Razak )

Tahnee's parents plan to help the owners of the caravan park where they usually stay defend the property.

Darcy's family have lost their house, which they moved into just a month before the fires hit.

"It's devastating, so devastating to see all the tin is flat to the ground," Darcy said.

"There's no way we could have stayed."

As the fire closed in on Mallacoota, some took to the water. ( Supplied: Allison Marion )

The journey from Mallacoota to Hastings took about 20 hours, but the girls said the time flew by, helped by a four-hour nap yesterday afternoon.

"It honestly didn't feel that long at all," Emily said.

"It was so comfortable on the ship. The crew was amazing, food amazing, the beds — perfect. I'm very thankful for it."

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 58 seconds 58 s The MV Sycamore arrived at Hastings about 8:00am.

She said she was looking forward to having a shower and hugging her parents.

"I'm so happy to be home."

Another evacuee, John, described the trip aboard the Sycamore as "absolutely wonderful".

Larger ship brings 1,000 to safety hours later



The Mayor of the Mornington Peninsula Shire, Sam Hearn, said the council had been working hard to prepare for the evacuees, including organising food, water and medical and emotional support.

"This is the least we can do, we're really in the middle of a national crisis and we're just honoured to play our small part here at the shire in supporting these people," he said.

"These people aren't just our neighbours, they're really family."

A second vessel, the HMAS Choules, arrived at Hastings at about 4:00pm with another 1,025 other evacuees.

Over 1025 people were loaded onto HMAS Choules to evacuate from Mallacoota. ( News Corp/AAP: Ian Currie )

They were loaded on buses and taken to the relief centre before making their way home.

An oval behind the relief centre will be used to accommodate some 118 animals, including dogs, cats, a rabbit and a bird, on board the ships.

During the 20-hour voyage, Army staff served approximately 3,500 meals.

Commander Scott Houlihan, the captain of HMAS Choules, said the conditions in Mallacoota were challenging but it was a rewarding task.

"It was one of the worst situations I've seen so to be able to go there, help a fellow Australian … was a really rewarding and uplifting experience," he said.

The MV Sycamore took about 20 hours to get from Mallacoota to Hastings. ( ABC News )

'We just didn't think we were going to survive'

Pakenham woman Chelsea Kent was flown out of Mallacoota early yesterday morning with her husband, six-month-old baby and three-year-old daughter.

She said she did not think she would survive the "absolutely horrendous" conditions as she walked to a relief centre on New Year's Eve.

"We walked with embers flying at us. We could barely breathe," she told ABC Radio Melbourne.

Chelsea Kent and her family were flown from Mallacoota to Sale on Friday morning on a military aircraft. ( Supplied: Chelsea Kent )

"We were so grateful that the Mallacoota caravan park main office saw us and pulled us in and we stayed there for two nights.

"They were amazing. They fed us and they looked after the kids, they let us use their phones because we had no contact … so our family didn't know if we were OK."

She praised the people of Mallacoota for pulling together through the crisis and said the Red Cross even managed to find her some baby formula when she was running out.

"People in the information centre helped me look after the children, because I was obviously very distressed. We just didn't think we were going to survive."