Two bull sharks have been spotted swimming past the McDonald’s restaurant in suburban Ipswich, south-west of Brisbane, 30km from the coast.

A victim found 80km away from where the person went missing in the Lockyer Valley demonstrates the massive search and rescue task ahead, authorities say.

Residents have been evacuated from their homes as torrential rain falls over western Victoria.

No bodies have been found in a mass of cars washed under a Queensland town's rail bridge where authorities feared they would find several people dead.

Experts blame a combination of a La Nina weather pattern and global warming for the magnitude of the Queensland flood disaster.

NZ's Civil Defence team was back on the move in flood-ravaged Queensland today after spending a frustrating day off confined to one of the state's isolated communities.

Flooding has left a valley to the west of Brisbane looking like a war zone, with Australian troops steeling themselves for expected ‘terrible outcomes’ as they move into the devastated area.

The threat of looting is making Queensland flood victims reluctant to evacuate their properties.

Brisbane's mayor has called on residents to 'put the shoulder to the wheel' and help clean up.

Australia's Great Barrier Reef, one of the ecological wonders of the world, may also be severely affected by the Queensland floods.

Find out what people are saying about the Queensland floods in social media.

The Brisbane River peaked at 4.6m this morning with residents warned there would be shocking scenes of devastation.

A flood survivor has described trying to grab people fighting for their lives only to find they were bodies in turbulent water.

A NZ woman watched in horror as a wall of water swept through the tiny town of Murphys Creek, throwing debris around 'like matchsticks'.

Watch livestreaming footage of the flooded Brisbane River, due to peak at 7am New Zealand time.