Armed with high-pressure hoses, water pumps and brooms, mud boot-clad volunteers are rolling up to waterlogged communities in Queensland and the Northern Territory.
Locals are joining forces with the police and State Emergency Services after floodwaters carved a path of destruction from Katherine, NT to southeast Queensland.
Tragically, there has been flood-related fatalities after two backpackers from China drove off a bridge on their way from Brisbane to the rain-hit North Burnett region this week.
Another man is missing after reportedly falling from a houseboat in the Burnett River near Bundaberg on Friday.
Bundaberg, north of Brisbane, is one of the communities in recovery mode after hundreds of homes and businesses were inundated.
Floodwaters are also receding further southwest at Chinchilla after peaking below the predicted high, but 60 homes and businesses were swamped.
Footage has been released of a woman in her 80s eagerly receiving help before being ferried to safety on a tinnie dubbed the HMAS Chinchilla as locals evacuated.
"The last time someone gave me their hand, I married him," the pensioner joked as she was helped aboard.
Attention has turned further west to Longreach, where emergency alerts have been issued ahead of the town's first major flood since 2000.
"Longreach is probably the next significant town that's likely to be impacted by flooding this weekend into early next week, and it can be pretty big floods as well," the Bureau of Meteorology's Dean Narramore told AAP.
"There is a hell of a lot of water upstream from that low that came through last week, and that's going to make its way through the town in the coming days."
Wet weather has also devastated the NT, swamping remote communities and affecting Darwin's water supply this week.
Dramatic footage of water rescues near Katherine has been released including vision of a man clinging to a tree being saved.
An officer wades neck deep into choppy waters to reach the man after a vehicle washed off a causeway before they are winched to safety.
In other footage a woman, man and a dog are airlifted from the roof of a submerged car by helicopter.
Katherine is now in recovery mode after being hit with its worst flooding in almost 30 years, prompting crocodile sightings around town.
"Roads that were closed are starting to open and people that have been isolated for a week now will be able to access Katherine," local mayor Joanna Holden told AAP.
"Those that have been flood affected can start the clean-up."
The final number of homes and businesses affected by the event is still being tallied, but the Insurance Council of Australia has declared it a "significant event".
Thousands of claims have been received with numbers expected to rise over the coming days but it is too early to estimate the insurance damage bill.
"Communities in the NT and along the Queensland coast have long lived with flood risk but the gap between what's been built to protect them and what's needed remains far too wide," Insurance Council CEO Andrew Hall said.
"These events are another reminder that all levels of government must invest in resilience before disaster strikes, not just recovery after the damage is done."
23°C