Parts of eastern Australia drenched by rain are expected to be hit by more of the same as floodwaters cut off a coastal town.
Eastern Victoria and southern NSW are bracing for further downpours after some areas recorded more than 150mm of rain in a day.
Kameruka Estate near Bega copped 200mm in 24 hours to Thursday evening, while Mallacoota over the Victorian border – where a landslide cut off the town – registered 112mm.
The Bureau of Meteorology warns a low pressure system will begin moving inland but rain will continue to fall on waterlogged areas throughout Friday and into the weekend.
The big wet is expected to again hit already soaked parts of Victoria for the next day or two, with some areas of the state’s east likely to record falls of 200mm.
There were 527 calls for assistance in the 24 hours to 4am on Friday and 10 active flood warnings in place in Victoria.
Major alerts have been issued along the Thomson, Genoa, Buchan and Bemm rivers.
Moderate flood warnings are in place for the Cann, Mitchell and Macalister rivers and the Snowy River downstream of McKillops Bridge.
There are four separate landslips on the sole road into Mallacoota and only emergency vehicles are able to get in or out, Victoria’s State Emergency Service told AAP.
Debris is expected to be cleared by Friday afternoon with the town effectively cut off until then.
“I’ve never seen so much water in our water system in the 40 years I’ve lived here ,” SES volunteer Jenny Lloyd told ABC TV.
The town was severely impacted during the Black Summer bushfires in 2019-20 and there are fears this bout of rain could fuel new growth and cause further risks for the upcoming fire season.
“This is the price we pay for living in a little piece of paradise,” Ms Lloyd added.
Several advice-level flood warnings were in place for NSW, with some southeastern parts of the state expected to record up to 300mm of rain by the end of Friday.
A severe weather warning for heavy rainfall for people in parts of the south coast and Snowy Mountains remained in place on Thursday night before conditions were expected to ease.
The bureau warned flooding could persist after rain subsided in NSW and Victoria.
There is also a risk of severe thunderstorms in central, southern and southeast Queensland on Friday, while severe heatwave conditions persist in the north.
