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Stranded residents on the Fraser Coast north of Brisbane are cautiously awaiting a peak of the Mary River as floodwaters engulf bridges and separate towns.

Major flooding continued in the Gympie and Maryborough regions on Monday after widespread rainfall saturated the area with totals of 200-600 millimetres recorded in the past four days.

Up to 3600 homes in Gympie could be affected by the rainfall as some isolated areas of the region received more than 1000mm over the period.

The Mary River at Gympie is at 19.36 metres and falling with major flooding, but may drop below the major flood level of 17 metres on Monday evening.

In Maryborough, major flooding is still ongoing with business operators bunkering down at home and flooding on the Mary River inundating pedestrian bridges linked to the CBD.

"Everyone's pretty much reluctantly settling into the fact that we're going to go through it again. There's not much we can do about it," Doug Cuzens from the Maryborough Services Memorial Bowls club told AAP.

"Where I am at the moment I can't get out because Schultz's bridge has gone under. It's running over the top of the bridge.

"We're all optimistic. Hopefully we don't go getting an 11-metre flood or an 11-and-a-half metre flood that people think could possibly happen, but you just don't know."

The weather bureau expects Monday evening's peak to reach the level observed when Tropical Cyclone Oswald hit the town in 2013.

The town's levee is withholding the Mary River at 9.8 metres, but Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour said the expectation was that it would rise.

"Right now it's at 9.8 metres and maybe in about 10 hours or less, it will be at 10.7 and perhaps even higher," he told AAP.

Mr Seymour said CBD businesses should be safe as the levee protects up to 11.3m, but many residences would be affected if it gets above 10.7m.

It is the second time in six weeks the town on the Fraser Coast has erected its flood levee after catastrophic flooding forced an evacuation of the CBD in January with as many as 100 businesses affected.

On the Sunshine Coast, Council Mayor Mark Jamieson said residents were well into the recovery stage as the area received more than 1000mm of rainfall in the past week.

In the 24 hours to 9am on Sunday, rainfall totals of 150-350mm were recorded in the Noosa and Maroochy catchments, with a further 20-100mm observed since.

Mr Jamieson said there was significant damage in the hinterland area, with council staff inspecting roads, bridges, sea walls, weirs and community facilities.

He said the number of interstate travellers left stranded on the Sunshine Coast was dwindling as the region's airport was operational again.

But Mr Jamieson said the Sunshine Coast, like large parts of the southeast, would need plenty of recovery assistance.

"The funding that will be required through the federal and state governments will run into the many, many tens of millions of dollars," he told AAP.

On Monday, the federal government announced disaster payments for adults and children accessible through the same services used throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Our payments are $1000 per eligible adult and $400 per eligible child, and that is available through Services Australia Disaster Assistance Phone Line," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

© AAP 2022

The Warriors and Gold Coast won't have another chance to match-test their combinations before the NRL season after Monday's trial was abandoned due to South-East Queensland's extreme weather.

Initially meant to be played in Redcliffe on Saturday night, torrential rain resulted in the pre-season hit-out being rescheduled and moved to Robina's Cbus Super Stadium.

Roads to the venue are reportedly blocked because of Queensland's flood emergency.

Round one doesn't begin until March 10 but the Warriors confirmed the trial won't be moved to another date.

It means halfback Shaun Johnson won't make his anticipated NRL return for the New Zealand club until they officially get their campaign underway against St George Illawarra.

Johnson was listed to partner Kodi Nikorima in the halves in the practice game, suggesting that coach Nathan Brown will overlook playmaking recruit Ash Taylor for round one.

Brown has indicated that Chanel Harris-Tavita will deputise for Reece Walsh at fullback as the youngster serves a two-match suspension.

While the Warriors played most of their big guns in a 30-18 win over Melbourne last weekend, several Titans stars may go into their season-opening clash with Parramatta short of a gallop.

The likes of captain Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, five-eighth AJ Brimson, second-rower David Fifita, prop Moeaki Fotuaika and centre Brian Kelly didn't feature in a 26-all trial draw with Brisbane but were set to face the Warriors.

Fa'asuamaleaui has insisted he is fine despite a niggling knee injury while Fifita was cleared of any lasting rib damage after copping a hit playing for the Indigenous All Stars earlier in February.

© AAP 2022

The unrelenting torrential rain that is flooding towns in northern NSW is hampering the emergency response to the crisis as thousands of people flee their homes with many forced to shelter on roofs.

About 15,000 people have been evacuated across the north coast and the entire Lismore CBD is inundated after days of heavy rain that led to the Wilson River breaching its levee overnight.

Many of those who clambered on roofs in the middle of the night have spent hours waiting to be rescued after being caught unawares by the speed of the rapidly rising waters.

The ADF arrived in Lismore on Monday to help the stretched emergency response crews which includes the RFS, NSW Fire and Rescue, police and ambulance, and State Emergency Services volunteers.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters a "crisis situation" was under way in northern NSW, and federal authorities were working closely with the state government to give "every support" to those impacted by the rising waters in Lismore.

The ADF efforts in Lismore had been hampered by the extreme weather causing problems accessing to the town from the air.

"We are somewhat encumbered by the weather system which does frustrate aerial operations for evacuation," Mr Morrison said.

"There are reports of many people on roofs and emergency services who are getting people on roofs, then themselves having to be air evacuated."

He planned to meet on the "very distressing situation" with the government's emergency management authority in Canberra on Monday afternoon, before further discussions with national security committee of cabinet on Tuesday.

Lismore recorded 181mm of rain in 30 minutes on Monday and it remains the focus of the emergency, facing its worst-ever flood crisis that is set to surpass the devastation caused in 1954 and 1974.

The town's Wilsons River is expected to reach around 14.2 metres on Monday afternoon, prompting fears of unparalleled inundation in the area.

The river's previous record high of 12.27 metres occurred in 1954.

Police told AAP they fielded hundreds of calls for help from the area and the search for a man missing in floodwaters has been suspended until conditions allow it to resume.

Dangerous and rapid river-level rises have been observed along the tributaries upstream of Lismore, with heavy rain falling over the Wilsons River catchment that's forecast to continue during the remainder of Monday.

Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg described the situation as "unprecedented", "very dangerous and life-threatening", while federal Labor MP for Lismore Janelle Saffin said she escaped rising waters by swimming out of a house where she was sheltering after sudden flooding left her a "sitting duck".

"It came down to 'We're going to swim' and I don't advise everyone to do that but there was no choice," Ms Saffin told Sydney's 2GB radio.

"I'm worried about people on roofs and all hands are on deck, all our emergency services, everybody."

NSW Emergency Services Minister Stephanie Cooke said Lismore's situation was much more severe than forecast on Sunday, straining the resources of SES.

The government was "throwing everything" it had at the crisis with a "multi-agency response", she said.

Twenty kilometres north of Lismore, at Rocky Creek Dam, the SES is directing people below the dam to evacuate to higher ground as as "uncontrolled water is spilling over", amid fears it could burst its banks.

While the Lismore area is the crisis epicentre, the emergency is spreading with the Bureau of Meteorology issuing multiple major flood warnings that remain current for northeastern NSW including the Tweed, Richmond, Wilsons, Clarence and Brunswick rivers, and Marshall Creek.

The area impacted is vast, with flash-flooding set to continue for parts of the northern rivers and mid-north coast on Monday.

"Rain will continue today and gradually ease in the far north later this afternoon and later this evening for parts of the mid north coast as the low moves a little further south," the BOM said.

The SES also ordered the town of Mullumbimby to evacuate on Monday morning, with the area threatened by rapidly rising floodwaters from the Brunswick River.

Fire and Rescue and the SES have been door knocking to ensure people evacuate.

One man died when his Land Cruiser was carried away by floodwaters on the Central Coast, north of Sydney, on Friday and another remains missing in floodwaters in Lismore.

© AAP 2022