Beth Lavery and her husband, Dustin, were asleep in their hotel room two blocks from the Mandalay Bay hotel when shooter Stephen Paddock fired upon a nearby music festival crowd. 

The couple arrived in Vegas just hours before the attack, taking time to explore the famed casino strip.

Ms Lavery even saw ill-fated concertgoers gathering for the festival during the drive to her accommodation.

But in a fortuitous twist, the pair decided to turn in early. 

Read more: Aussie booked into room next to Vegas shooter

They awoke during the night to panicked messages from family and friends back home. Their hotel was in lock down and the couple were too nervous to leave their room until morning.   

Despite being safe, Ms Lavery said she felt “out of sorts”. 

“(We’re) safe, but sad about the tragedy, and hard to not think about 'what-ifs',” she said.  

“(We) don’t feel in any danger now, but there is a noticeably increased police presence.”

While there was still plenty of people on the strip, it was a quieter place than at the same time yesterday, Ms Lavery said.

“Everyone seems apprehensive.” 

Electronic billboards usually full of advertisements now bore messages of thanks for first respondents and reaching out to survivors of the tragedy. 

The couple are three weeks into a month-long trip around the United States. They will remain in Las Vegas until Friday.

Police have since unearthed an arsenal of weapons in killer Paddock's home and hotel room, US news outlets are reporting. 

The man took his own life after the massacre.

There is no ongoing threat to the public in Las Vegas, police have said.