Leave NOW: Residents are told to evacuate immediately as a 'life-threatening' fire that's already destroyed most of one of Australia's most spectacular natural attractions bears down on homes

Residents of a Queensland town have been urged to 'leave immediately' as the devastating Fraser Island bushfire makes a beeline for their homes. 

Most residents of Happy Valley evacuated on Sunday afternoon but 50 people remained to defend their homes from the bushfire on the tourist mecca. 

Queensland Fire Emergency Services made a fifth 'leave immediately' warning at 8am on Monday following four desperate warnings in the last 24 hours.   

'Currently as of 8am on Monday, a large fire is travelling in a south easterly direction towards Happy Valley township on Fraser Island,' the warning read. 

'Conditions are now very dangerous and firefighters may soon be unable to prevent the fire advancing.'  

The island's fires have burned through at least 82,000 hectares of World Heritage-listed bushland since they were sparked by an illegal campfire on October 14. 

The bushfire burning at Rooney Point on Fraser Island on Friday. The fire is now making its way to Happy Valley on the island's east coast, where residents have been told to 'leave immediately' by Queensland Fire and Emergency Services 

QFES commissioner Greg Leach said 'we understand there's about 50 people remaining in Happy Valley'. 

'We put out the emergency warning this afternoon to suggest to people who were in a position to leave Happy Valley to do so via Eastern Beach and we understand that several people may,' Mr Leach said on Sunday. 

'Those that remain behind feel that they are in a position to protect themselves and participate in the firefighting effort.'   

In addition to the 50 locals defending Happy Valley, there are at least 30 QFES firefighters, 11 firefighting trucks and four private vehicles.  

The large fire is travelling in a south-easterly direction towards Happy Valley and was initially expected to hit the township around 7am. 

The change in bushfire conditions was a disappointment for Happy Valley residents who on Sunday night thought they might be out of the woods as favourable weather slowed the fire's speed and intensity.

Another view of the Fraser Island bushfire burning in Rooney Point last week. The large fire is travelling in a south-easterly direction towards Happy Valley and was expected to hit the township around 7am

The NSW Rural Fire Service's large air tanker, The Marie Bashir, ahead of its flight to Queensland on Monday morning. The plane will assist with fighting fires across the state, including Fraser Island

Water-bombing aircraft were working on the fire until last light on Sunday evening and resumed efforts on Monday morning.

Minister for Fire and Emergency Services Mark Ryan said more than 90 personnel in 38 vehicles and 17 aircraft were on Fraser Island, including a large air tanker

'I am also advised as well, that the New South Wales-based large aircraft tanker will be sent to Queensland tomorrow to assist in our firefighting efforts,' he said on Sunday.

The NSW Rural Fire Service posted a picture of their large air tanker ahead of its journey to Queensland on Monday morning. 

'This morning the NSWRFS Large Air Tanker (The Marie Bashir) will travel to Queensland to assist QFES with fires across the state including the fire burning on Fraser Island. We wish her and her crew a safe trip,' the tweet read. 

The air tanker will be used to put gel lines down between the head of the fire and the outskirts of the Happy Valley settlement in an attempt to stop it hitting the town.

There were about 50 people in the Happy Valley area on Sunday night trying to protect their homes and participating in the firefighting effort.

A large air tanker dropped water and fire-retardant gel on the bushfires at Fraser Island on Friday. There is currently one LAT operating on Fraser Island, and it will be joined by a second LAT from NSW on Monday

Firefighting vehicles on the beach at Fraser Island. There are currently more than 90 firefighters in 38 vehicles and 17 aircraft battling the island's blazes 

There are also firefighting resources at Kingfisher Bay Resort, which remains at risk if winds change to the south or southeast.

'We'll continue our firefighting efforts in the coming days and perhaps even weeks ahead of us, but we're not going to put this fire out until we get significant rain across Fraser Island,' Mr Leach said on Sunday.

The bushfire on the World Heritage-listed Fraser Island, off the Queensland coast near Hervey Bay, has been burning since mid-October.

There are separate warnings for residents of the Kingfisher Bay Resort and Village, which is also located on Fraser Island.  

Kingfisher residents were issued a 'prepare to leave' warning on Sunday night but there has been no updated warning since then. 

'You need to be ready to follow your bushfire survival plan. If you do not have a plan, or intend to leave, you should be ready to leave the area because the situation could get worse quickly,' the warning read. 

The QFES was responding to a total of 48 bushfires in Queensland as of Sunday.  

An aerial view of the Fraser Island fire on Wednesday last week. The island's fires have burned through at least 82,000 hectares of World Heritage Listed bushland since they were sparked by an illegal campfire on October 14