A woman who drowned on New Year’s Day has been remembered as a dedicated mother of two.

Melissa Austin, 45, was pulled from the water at Dunbogan Beach, on NSW’s Mid-North Coast, about 3pm on Thursday.

Despite the best efforts of paramedics and police, she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Austin owned a popular hairdressing salon in Berowra, North Sydney, called Mel’s Hair and Beauty which confirmed her passing in a social media post on Friday.

“With broken hearts, we share the passing of Mel the beautiful owner of Mel’s Hair and Beauty,” the Facebook post reads.

“We kindly ask for privacy, understanding, and compassion during this incredibly painful time.

“Please be patient and kind with us as we navigate the next steps forward.”

Clients and friends paid tribute to Austin in heartfelt comments under the post.

One said the news was “completely unexpected”.

“I can hardly believe it’s true. She will be so missed by everyone who knew her,” they wrote.

Another added Austin was a “truly beautiful person and will be so deeply missed”.

Her mother-in-law Jo-Anne Bovis told the Daily Telegraph the incident occurred on the first day of a week-long holiday.

Austin was one of four people to have drowned along Australia’s East Coast on New Year’s Day.

Queensland authorities have confirmed two deaths at iconic beaches within hours of each other, while NSW has confirmed one other fatality.

Searches remain ongoing for a 14-year-old boy at Palm Beach, North Sydney, and a 25-year-old man at Coogee Beach, Sydney’s East, after separate incidents over the turn of the New Year.

The incidents were just some of the more than 85 rescues performed by NSW life savers since Christmas Day, sparking an urgent warning for those entering the ocean.

“The conditions are super dangerous right up and down the coastline and that 24-hour period where we saw a big cluster of drownings and massive rescues and CPRs,” Surf Life Saving NSW CEO Steven Pearce told Sunrise.

“It was just so dangerous to go in and just so frustrating to see tragic losses of life that could have been prevented.”

He added all of the incidents occurred at beaches unpatrolled by lifesavers due to the holiday period.

“It was incredibly dangerous to go in there,” Pearce said.

“People are travelling to so many locations, we can’t have lifesavers and lifeguards standing on every beach.

“That’s why we’re just trying to direct and herald people to just go to those locations where the red and yellow flags are because it does show the importance of a patrolled location.”