The beaches of the idyllic New South Wales coastal haven of Bendalong attract hordes of visitors every summer, from locals to day-trippers and holidaymakers.

Key points: When the Currowan bushfire hit near Bendalong and Manyana on the NSW south coast, it cut off the only road in and out of town

When the Currowan bushfire hit near Bendalong and Manyana on the NSW south coast, it cut off the only road in and out of town Locals have lost electricity since New Year's Eve, and had inadequate sewerage, fuel and food shortages and no telecommunications for several days

Locals have lost electricity since New Year's Eve, and had inadequate sewerage, fuel and food shortages and no telecommunications for several days The situation turned strangers into friends as the community joined together to pool their resources

But when the South Coast bushfires cut off the only road in and out of the town for almost a week, strangers became friends, cultivating a powerful bond among the community.

While an almost superhuman effort from firefighters spared Manyana and Bendalong from widespread property losses, the small enclave has not had electricity since New Year's Eve, with inadequate sewerage, fuel and food shortages and no telecommunications, although this has since been restored.

Many elderly residents were trapped, left without medications or specialised medical treatment.

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Saturday, January 4, saw extreme fire conditions, with howling north-westerly winds and 40-degree temperatures, pushing the Currowan fire to the doorsteps of many homes.

Adam Richards is a professional firefighter from the Central Coast but was in Manyana on holidays and chose to stay and defend his property.

"I fought fires from a motorbike — it's nothing I've ever done before, it's nothing I've ever imagined before," he said.

Mr Richards was forced to shelter in a building at Bendalong caravan park as the fire hit.

"I have to be honest with you, there was a time when I thought the 40 people in that room were going to be in trouble," he said.

"The firefighting stories are going to go down in history."

Once the fire front had passed, a dedicated team of community-members-turned-crisis-managers mobilised.

Matt Fanning, Simone Carroll-Germech and Adam Richards coordinated the response to the fires. ( ABC Illawarra: Jake Lapham )

Matt Fanning is a Manyana local who coordinated the recovery after the fire hit.

"We've had almost one of all of what we needed — we've had a doctor, we've had a remote area nurse, we've had a crew of local nurses who are here, we've had people who are specialists in disaster management," he said.

Through harnessing individual skills, the Bendalong community sustained themselves for days.

After the New Year's Eve fire closed Bendalong Road, the town was in a race against time to evacuate 3,000 holidaymakers in just one afternoon before yet another wave of extreme fire conditions would arrive on January 4.

"It was all done on a priority basis, a medical priority basis," Mr Fanning said.

Visitors stuck in town welcomed by horrified locals

Sharon Deadman owns Ray White Bendalong and opened up properties that they managed to visitors stuck in the town.

"Within minutes of knowing us all, they had accommodation for two nights, our neighbours across the road [were] accommodated three young families," Ms Deadman said.

"Neighbours have gotten to know each other that didn't even know they were around before."

Ms Deadman's husband Alan is the Deputy Captain of the Manyana Rural Fire Service and spent days defending the town.

Alan and Sharon Deadman made sure everyone trapped in Bendalong had food and shelter. ( ABC Illawarra: Jake Lapham )

Ferrying fuel

With the only road in and out of Bendalong and Manyana cut off for days, Neal Cameron utilised his vintage Meyers Manx beach buggy to ferry fuel between Lake Conjola and Manyana.

"To be able to give back to people who were so kind when I got here it, I find really enjoyable," he said.

Mr Cameron said towns like Bendalong have an innate resilience.

"It's a surfing community here and the interesting things about surfers is that you get tested a lot — you get put in situations which are often life threatening," he said.

"I think that gives you a strength and an ability to deal with adversities that other people wouldn't be able to deal with."

Neal Cameron used this vehicle to transport fuel from one town to another. ( ABC Illawarra: Sarah Moss )

Strength in numbers

Simone Carroll-Germech is an outdoor education teacher who purchased a holiday home in Manyana three years ago, but has already made an indelible impact on the neighbourhood.

She worked for aid organisations after the Banda Aceh earthquake and Hurricane Katrina, honing crisis management skills that would be invaluable in guiding a planned response to the situation in Bendalong.

"This was the way I felt like I could give back to the community, and I sort of fell into that role and it grew and we formed this wonderful team where no member is any less important than the other," she said.

Rather than feeling drained after such a prolonged and stressful ordeal, Ms Carroll-Germech said she feels a tighter affinity with the community.

"I just spoke to my parents and my mum said 'do you feel tired, do you feel exhausted?' and I don't really, I actually feel probably more energised that I've done something positive with my holiday," she said.

"You could write a story about this, it's really powerful."