• Melissa Austin, 45, was holidaying with her family
• Mother-of-two was pulled unresponsive from water 
• READ MORE: Frantic search resumes for missing swimmers

By MAISY RAE

Published: 01:01 GMT, 2 January 2026 | Updated: 01:01 GMT, 2 January 2026

A Sydney mother-of-two is being remembered as a 'beautiful person' and a loving mother' to her two little boys after she tragically drowned on New Year's Day. 

Melissa Austin, 45, was pulled from the water at Dunbogan Beach on the NSW Mid North Coast just before 3pm on Thursday.

She was treated by paramedics and police at the scene but couldn't be revived.

Her mother-in-law, Jo-Anne Bovis, said Ms Austin had only arrived on the Mid North Coast that day for a week-long holiday, the Daily Telegraph reports. 

It's unclear whether she was with her husband Joel and their two boys at the time. 

Ms Austin, who owned Mel's Hair and Beauty in Berowra Heights in Sydney's north, is being remembered by her colleagues and clients as 'talented', 'kind' and 'full of life'. 

In dozens of tributes shared online, Ms Austin was described as an integral part of the Berowra community. 

'Such a beautiful individual and such a big part of the fabric that is the Berowra community, just tragic,' one local said, while another wrote: 'Mel was such a beautiful person and the salon is an important contributor to the Berowra community'. 

Melissa Austin, 45, was described as a 'loving mother' to her two little boys, pictured here with husband Joel

Another added: 'Berowra will never be the same'.

Her friend of 20 years, Carolyn Douglas, also shared a heartbreaking tribute.

'She is such a beautiful person and the Berowra community will not be the same without her. I cannot stop thinking about her and her beautiful family,' she wrote. 

Sandra Hindman, who said she had known Ms Austin for decades, also commented. 

'I have known this lady since birth and friends with her parents for 55 years,' she said.