'Oh my God, I'm being swept away, come and get me,' was the last thing a NZ woman heard from her son, phoning from floodwaters.

Bystanders watched in horror as a woman only centimetres from her rescuer lost her grip on a power pole and disappeared under a torrent of dirty water during flash floods in Queensland.

The NZ Civil Defence team helping residents of flood-stricken Queensland has been forced to return to the town of Condamine, as more floods again hit the town they had just left.

At least eight are dead and 72 unaccounted for after a wall of water rushed through the Australian city of Toowoomba.

A quick wrap of how the Queensland media is reporting the devastating effects of the floods across the state.

Nothing could rain on top seed Robin Soderling's parade as he comfortably claimed the Brisbane International title on Sunday.

A nine-year-old Auckland boy survived going over a 20m waterfall in Queensland.

Queensland is suffering a disaster "of biblical proportions" that will set back its economic recovery, state Treasurer Andrew Fraser says.

Rockhampton's airport is closing to commercial flights this afternoon as floodwaters take hold in the Queensland town.

Queensland's flood crisis has affected 200,000 people over an area bigger than France and Germany combined.

The southeast Queensland city is braced for its highest flood peak in 50 years, with 200 people already evacuating their homes.

Mohamed Haneef has reportedly been awarded about A$1 million in compensation for a 2007 detention.

Catch live scoring action of Day Four of the second Ashes test between England and Australia in Adelaide.

Riding the rails up Queensland's coast is a visual feast, writes Jim Eagles.

A Queendland boy came close to dying after swallowing a small battery.

In a worrying sign for Mitchell Johnson, Queensland quick Ryan Harris has received a glowing appraisal from Ricky Ponting.

Alastair Cook scored 235 to highlight an emphatic England second innings as the first Ashes test ended in a draw Monday.

An American woman has become an unwilling focus of the cricketing world's attention during the Ashes series.

Catch live scoring action of Day Two of the first Ashes test between England and Australia in Brisbane.

Working-class hero Peter Siddle's shock hat-trick, on his 26th birthday, dominated day one of the Ashes in Brisbane.

Catch live scoring action of the first Ashes test between England and Australia in Brisbane.