St George, Queensland, has seen thousands of residents evacuated as record-high flood waters invade their town, the Australian ABC said on Monday.

The flooding Balonne River was one of many that have burst banks and spilled into towns on plains of inland Queensland and nearby New South Wales.

A record-high flood crest of 14.0 meters was forecast for the Balonne in St George during Monday night, local time.

About 30 homes outside of flood protection were already flooded as of Monday.

Emergency workers had earlier raised a temporary flood barrier at the 14.5-meter level.

Earlier, fears had been that the river would peak near 15.0 meters, resulting in a widespread inundation of the town.

Meanwhile, the town of Mitchell was beginning to assess what the Queensland Premier called a “terrible mess” left by the flooding, the ABC said.

More than 70 percent of the homes in Mitchell, a town of 950, were flooded, some to their roof.

In northern New South Wales, the rampaging Namoi left more than 2,000 people isolated ahead of its expected crest at Wee Waa.

Further record crests are forecasts in the area as runoff in the Darling River basin flows southward and westward during the coming days and weeks.

Exceptionally heavy rain bolstered by tropical moisture since late January sparked the record flooding.

Video credit: YouTube/DownUnderDoug

Kangaroo in flooded waters. Image extracted from YouTube video.