Loading "The drop in traffic translates perfectly to an eventual reduction in revenue in Gippsland. People aren't even searching to go there at all," Mr Hales said. James Gurnett owns Gurneys Cider, which is located in the South Gippsland town of Foster. Smoke has settled across the landscape despite fires being a two-hour drive further up the coast. Mr Gurnett said he wasn't sure if the quiet week the business had just experienced was a result of the bushfires, or just a lull after holidaymakers returned to work. "Visibility has been really poor and so has the air quality, and I think that is what has really scared people off," he said.

"We had a big music event here just recently and the atmosphere was completely different to usual. "So it’s a little bit quieter than we’d expected, but it's difficult to say what it would have been like without the fires." South Gippsland's Gurneys Cider is run by the Gurnett family: Bill, Lorraine and sons James and Thomas (not pictured). More than 885,000 hectares of land have been burnt in East Gippsland this fire season. The broader region of Gippsland – which spans from just outside Melbourne's east at the area's westernmost point and up to the NSW border to its north – is more than four times the size of the land so far ravaged by five.

For the coastal town of Loch Sport, which is wedged between Ninety Mile Beach and the Gippsland Lakes, reduced tourism is already starting to bite. Despite being just outside of VicEmergency's advice alerts for the East Gippsland fires, tourism operators are already reporting severe drops in patronage in the last few weeks. "Right now, when tourists think of Gippsland, they see it as one entity," said Wellington Shire Council mayor and publican Alan Hall. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video "So the impact has flowed all the way down the coast. People have just packed up and gone home. Businesses are having some serious concerns."

According to Mr Hales, there is now a trend across the east coast of Australia that people aren't looking to go on holidays while the unprecedented fires rage. But that doesn't mean messaging shouldn't be improve. "There's not enough information right now. Mallacoota is a long way away from other Gippsland areas, but that hasn’t been communicated," he said. Pictures from one of the fire grounds in East Gippsland, provided by a local CFA crewman, close to Mount Taylor. Credit:CFA "People need to go and support the local economy that relies on this trade every year to survive." Touring the bushfire-devastated areas of South Australia's Kangaroo Island on Wednesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the island's tourism sector, along with its primary producers, had been hit especially hard – an issue also being faced in Victoria and New South Wales.

"So, if you booked accommodation and you're now seeking a refund, can you cut them a break," the Prime Minister said. "If you're in a position to do so then why not even let them keep it (the money) or, indeed, arrange for another time when you can take it up and come back and visit." Cr Hall is hoping potential tourists will not avoid Gippsland all together, but says there's an "awful lot to do" when it comes to repositioning the region as a safe destination once more. "If the Gippsland location you wanted to travel to is safe – and there's an awful lot of the region that is safe – take up that booking. Don't walk away from it," he said. "Once we get through this, there is much to do to make sure we rebrand this region so it's seen to be as wonderful and safe as it is."