The photos show Tammy Holmes and her five young grandchildren huddling beneath the jetty amid a smoky orange haze at Dunalley, east of Hobart, as flames flicker in the background. .
These images have since become a focal point for global news coverage of the Australian bushfires, with outlets ranging from NBC News in the US to The Guardian in Britain giving the photos prominent exposure.
Tammy's husband Tim Holmes told Australia's ABC News he had taken the photos on his mobile phone after sending Tammy and their five grandchildren, whose ages range from almost 2 to 11, to the jetty to seek refuge from the flames last Friday.
"We saw tornadoes of fire just coming across towards us and the next thing we knew everything was on fire, everywhere all around us," Mr Holmes said.
He said the blaze "raged for three hours" near the shore and destroyed three homes owned by the family.
He sent the jetty photos to his daughter, Bonnie Walker, who had attending a funeral. Her husband was also away that day.
Ms Walker said she was cut off from her family as the fire cut across roads.
"It's still quite an upsetting image," she told the ABC.
"It's of all of my five children underneath the jetty, huddled up to neck deep sea water, which is cold.
"I knew that that would be a challenge to keep three non-swimmers above water and with only my mum, dad and our eldest daughter."
Ms Walker said she had received a phone message at 3.30pm to say her parents had evacuated but that they were still surrounded by fire.
"I braced myself to lose my children and my parents," she said.
The family managed to escape, however, after Mr Holmes recovered his dinghy.
Ms Walker and her husband were reunited with their children the next day.
Today authorities in NSW and Victoria are bracing for another high alert day as temperatures reach into the low 40s in some parts.
Victorian Acting Premier Peter Ryan said everyone should remain vigilant for bushfires.
Mr Ryan yesterday visited Snake Valley, west of Ballarat, which was at the heart of the Chepstowe bushfire that destroyed nine homes and injured 12 people.
Initial estimates are that 1150 hectares were scorched and a number of stock, including some 240 sheep and 600-1000 cattle, were lost.
Total fire bans will also continue across NSW today as the rural fire service prepares for a hot, dry weekend.
In NSW, total fire bans remain in place for the Northern Slopes and North Western regions.
The NSW Rural Fire Service said conditions in the areas would be hot with low humidity, increasing the fire risk.
Meanwhile, fire crews continue to fight up to 135 bushfires burning across the state, 20 of which are not contained.
Police continue to investigate a fire near Lithgow, which has destroyed about 40,000 hectares. It is being treated as suspicious.
So far five people, including three teenagers, have been penalised for breaching the state's total fire bans on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Sources: ABC, AAP, NBC, The Guardian
Author: Erin Tennant, Approving editor: Fiona Willan
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