Floodwaters in an inundated city on Australia’s north-eastern coast held steady below their predicted peak today as exhausted residents were warned they would face a long wait before the mud-soaked landscape dries out.

A flooded Australian coastal city braced itself for water levels to peak today as authorities held an emergency meeting to draw up recovery plans for the 200,000 people hit by the deluge.

Flooded communities across eastern Australia could be under water for more than a week, with the clean-up bill expected to hit billions of dollars, officials said today.

The entire population of 300 people was flown out of a town in eastern Australia by military helicopter today as river levels continued to rise after days of pouring rain.