The Queensland city of Gympie has been cut off by floodwaters which saw the Mary River peak just above 16m overnight, as storms yet again batter the state.
More than 100mm fell overnight in parts of the south-east, leading to properties being flooded yet again.
Brisbane residents were warned would water flow over roads at high tide on Sunday night and to avoid flooded streets.
They were also warned, along with residents of Ipswich and Logan, to conserve water due to major issues at the Mount Crosby Water Treatment Plant.
Emergency services logged more than 16,000 calls for help due to flooding since February.
Locals inspect a road cut off by floodwater in Laidley, Queensland. Parts of south-east Queensland are on flood watch as heavy rainfall continues
Sediment from the heavy rain reduced the capacity for water treatment plants in the south-east of the state.
The water quality is safe to drink to drink, and full production should resume within days.
Damage assessments in Gympie on Sunday morning found 11 businesses affected by the latest floods to hit the area.
But 30 tourists who were stuck in evacuation centres around the city were told they were free to continue their travels.
They won’t be heading to the famed Gold Coast beaches, though. They all remained closed on Sunday due to high swells.
Much of eastern NSW, including Sydney, also got rainfall on Sunday along with Adelaide, Canberra, and Hobart, but Melbourne is dry.
A woman was forced to give birth in a home on Friday after the Queensland coastal town of Agnes Water was cut off.
Priscilla Uhr delivered a healthy girl just before a rescue helicopter arrived to evacuate her family.
Her original plan was to travel to Bundaberg for the birth but Agnes Water was completely isolated by flooding before she could leave.
The paramedics suggested Ms Uhr give birth at the ambulance station but she wasn’t comfortable with that and instead tried to head home but was stopped by an unpassable road.
Floodwaters in the town of Grantham, Queensland. Flooding was bad in the coastal town of Agnes Water that a woman could not make it to hospital and gave birth in a friend’s home
The main street of Laidley – a historic valley town just off the highway between Brisbane and Toowoomba – more resembled a river
Instead she went to her surf instructor’s home and gave birth in a bedroom there with her partner beside her.
Ms Uhr said the helicopter ride was a ‘bonus’.
‘The sunset was incredible, and it was a really beautiful experience to end everything with,’ she said.
The main street of Laidley – a historic valley town just off the highway between Brisbane and Toowoomba – was also so consumed by floodwater on Friday it more resembled a river.
Though floodwaters will slowly recede across Queensland as the dangerous weather system passes, rain is continuing to fall across the south-east.
Warnings remain in place for Gympie and southern areas.
‘There are still numerous warnings, but generally looking at an easing trend,’ Bureau of Meteorology hazard prevention officer Brooke Pagel said.
‘We expect it to ease off to moderate levels, so slowly easing and slowly receding, especially now that we’re not expecting those heavy falls.’
Between 200mm and 300mm fell across the state over 48 hours into Saturday, with 179mm recorded at Bellthorpe, located between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.
Showers of up to 10mm are forecast for coastal areas and Brisbane city on Sunday.
While the upper trough that triggered the deluge has moved offshore, light showers will hang around during the week before another weather system develops on Friday.
‘The drizzly weather is expected to continue for the rest of the week,’ Ms Paget said.
‘It will be cloudy, but it will be on and off. There is a little bit of drizzle in the morning, and we might see a little bit of sunshine but very spotty to make the most of the sunshine.’
Rough surf, which prompted a widespread closures of beaches, will also begin easing.
Flood warnings remain in place with significant flooding of the Mary River, in the upper creeks and tributaries of the lower Brisbane River, and in the Condamine-Balonne River system.
The Brisbane River (pictured) has again broken its banks after doing so earlier this year
The is a major flood warning for Cooper Creek and the Thomson and Barcoo rivers and an increased risk of falling trees and landslides.
Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Shane Chelepy warned against complacency as residents begin recovery and clean-up efforts.
‘While we’re seeing the rain easing… we still have a number of creeks that are flowing,’ he said.
‘Early assessment in Gympie is that we had approximately 11 businesses affected, but those assessments will continue as we move forward.
Footage taken from a helicopter’s on board camera shows the widespread impact of the heavy rain and flooding in the Southern Downs region, south west of Brisbane
‘We have seen the water significantly reduce in Warwick but we know that we’ve had approximately 26 dwellings impacted to various degrees and about 22 commercial premises and hose clean-ups have already started out there.’
The Queensland Fire and Emergency Services and State Emergency Service volunteers responded to hundreds of call-outs throughout the recent deluge, with more than 16,000 calls for help since February.
The figures include more than 700 swift water incidents – the majority involving drivers entering floodwater.
A flooded river in south-east Queensland as the state is again battered by storms and rain
‘They are really big numbers and it certainly speaks to the point that regardless of the messaging that we’ve been doing, we’ve still got people who are making poor choices,’ QFES command manager Andrew Short said.
In NSW, rainfall has eased with flood warnings cancelled for the Tweed, Brunswick, Richmond and Wilsons rivers.
However, warnings remain including in the Orara and Clarence rivers.
Cloud with a trough over NSW is bringing rain to much of the eastern part of the state, including Sydney.