There is still no end in sight for the Queensland flood crisis, as the number of swamped towns and cities continues to grow on Monday.
The state's south-east continues to bear the brunt of flooding after being drenched during the weekend and authorities are concerned for the areas of Gympie and Dalby, where rivers are rising fast.
In Gympie, the Mary River is rising rapidly and is expected to reach the major flood level of around 20 metres on Monday night, the ABC reports.
Acting regional mayor Tony Perrett says up to 40 businesses and 40 homes could be inundated if the river reaches 20 metres, as expected, by Tuesday afternoon.
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned the river could go even higher.
Almost 4,500 homes are without power in Gympie, the Mary Valley and the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
Meanwhile, Dalby is enduring its second big flood in three weeks.
On Monday afternoon, the Myall Creek was at 3.4 metres and rising and is expected to exceed the 3.5 metres it reached on 27 December when 100 properties were flooded.
The heavy rain has already half-filled the flood storage component of south-east Queensland's two major dams.
Two dead, others missing in Toowoomba
At least two people are dead and several are missing after a wall of water swept through the south-east city of Toowoomba.
Police say a woman and a child died on Monday after torrential rain in the area.
Rescue services are looking for three pedestrians who have been swept from a roadway at Withcott at the foot of the Toowoomba Range.
Video footage of the city shows vehicles, some with drivers still trapped inside, being swept away and thrown into the sides of other cars and caught up in trees, AAP reports.
In Lockyer Creek, west of Brisbane, flash-flooding has inundated homes and businesses for the third time in the past two weeks.
Brisbane has not been spared either, the ABC says, and residents have been warned to prepare for localised flooding.
Emergency Management Queensland says people in Brisbane, Maryborough, the Sunshine Coast and surrounding areas need to be prepared for heavy rain and possible flooding.
NSW on flood alert
In New South Wales, emergency services crews on the state's north coast are preparing for the threat of major flooding.
Darren Winkler, from the Richmond Tweed State Emergency Service, says 30 volunteers have been called in from outside the region and five helicopters are on stand-by.
Mr Winkler says another 150 millimetres of rain is expected in the next two days and several properties in the west of the region have been cut off by floodwaters, with more under threat.
NZ team helping with clean-up
Members of a New Zealand team helping with the clean-up in flood-hit Queensland are dealing with snakes and spiders while they remove mud and silt from people's homes.
Fifteen volunteers are based in Condamine, north-west of Brisbane, clearing debris from houses and campgrounds where 42 of the township's 60 homes have been flooded.
Ian Wilson, New Zealand's liaison to Emergency Management Queensland, says the houses are in a terrible condition and the nearby river is rising again, but is not forecast to flood the township.
