Gold Coast flood clean-up underway

Six hundred people had to leave their homes overnight in Lismore. Picture / Northern Star

A massive clean-up has started in northern New South Wales today in the wake of the area's worst floods in more than a decade.

About 600 Lismore residents spent the night in emergency accommodation when rising floodwaters forced them out of their homes following drought-breaking torrential rain.

At first light, two young men were rescued after spending the night trapped on a car roof.

The Wilson River, which runs through Lismore, peaked at 10.2 metres late last night -- just below the top of the city's new levee banks.

Downstream from Lismore, the communities of Coraki, Bungawalbyn and Woodburn were bracing for flooding as the peak approached.

The Wilson River is one of ten in flood in NSW, resulting in significant inundation across large areas of the state's northeast.

State Premier Bob Carr will visit Lismore later today and is expected to announce assistance packages for flood-affected residents.

State Emergency Services (SES) spokesman Rick Stone said many Lismore residents will be doing it tough in coming weeks.

"About 600 people had to leave their homes overnight ... most of those will be able to start the process of cleaning up today, but a lot of those homes will be uninhabitable for some days and possibly weeks," Mr Stone said.

"They will be able to start returning to cleanup and that will start to happen today as the waters recede."

SES volunteers were involved in five rescues of people trapped by floodwaters in Lismore and also retrieved a number of race horses from Lismore race course.

A police spokesman said the pair rescued from the car roof were a 17-year-old from Lismore and a 19-year-old from Brisbane.

Police said they are waiting to interview the pair in connection with the alleged theft of a motor vehicle and it was expected they would be charged later today.

SES volunteers have so far received almost 1500 calls for help after fierce winds battered Sydney as well as the Hunter, Illawarra and Shoalhaven regions.

Most reported fallen trees and branches plus roof and structural damage to houses.

Forecasters said the rain would clear from far southeast NSW today. Isolated showers were expected over the southern ranges and slopes with developing showers later in the day over the far southwest.

- AAP