Cyclone Lua has hammered WA's northwest, but no injuries have been reported.

THE Riverina town of Hay was defying the advancing waters of the Murrumbidgee River last night with a large part of the community ignoring State Emergency Service advice to evacuate immediately.

Wagga Wagga has been given the all clear but the NSW country city of Griffith is now being told it could be cut off by flooding as the crisis spreads.

Death cap mushrooms are popping up again in the ACT, prompting warnings to be careful after two people died from eating them in January.

More of Wagga Wagga has been evacuated as the NSW-wide flood crisis shows acts of bravery from emergency crews, who rescued a three-month-old baby.

The mayor of Victoria's flood ravaged Moira Shire says the floods in the area are the worst in at least 50 years.

Patients are being evacuated from the Numurkah Hospital near Shepparton as the flood emergency in northeast Victoria intensifies.

Residents have been evacuated from Cowra, while three other towns are on standby as the heaviest rain in nearly a century drenches parts of the NSW.

Gympie, north of Brisbane, is expecting moderate flooding on Sunday morning as the Mary River continues to rise.

A State Emergency Service volunteer rescuer was the first person on the scene as two-metre high floodwaters trapped 20 people in cars in Sydney.

THE floods inundating northern NSW and Queensland are likely to have been driven in part by human-induced climate change - although the precise extent of this influence won't be known for another decade.

The NSW State Emergency Services have issued an evacuation order for people within the Namoi Village at Walgett in northern NSW.

Flooding rain is likely in south-eastern New South Wales, the ACT and eastern Victoria in the next few days, which has prompted the issue of a flood watch.

The main bridge into the flood damaged town of Mitchell is being urgently inspected, with serious concerns about its structure.

WHEN all else fails, bake scones. That was the rationale of Yvonne Lloyd, who celebrated her 70th birthday yesterday with her house surrounded by floodwaters, two kilometres from Wee Waa, in north-western NSW.

ABOUT 17,000 people across NSW spent the night trapped by floodwaters and, while the rain that has swamped Moree is expected to ease this weekend, the water could take days to drain away.

A flood peak of about 10.6 metres is predicted for the northern NSW town of Moree, with the Mehi River forecast to burst its banks.

More than 2200 people have spent the night in evacuation centres after being asked to leave flood-threatened homes in northern NSW.

Emergency services are telling people to get ready for mass evacuations in Moree, as heavy downpours leads to major flooding on the town's rivers.

Heavy rain has been lashing northern NSW and authorities are preparing for flash flooding.

Rain may be easing but rivers are rising and flooding is causing problems in central Queensland.

AUTHORITIES in flood-hit areas of northern NSW have urged the state and federal governments to declare natural disaster zones.

Residents have been urged to stockpile supplies and disaster management crews are on alert in Queensland as the flood threat spreads across the state.

NORTH coast residents were preparing for a sleepless wait last night as the threat of swollen rivers, further rain and a king tide followed a day of mass evacuations.

Evacuations may be necessary as the Gold Coast continues to be pummelled by heavy rain.

The worst of Tropical Cyclone Heidi is over for many communities as it loses strength and moves further inland.

Tropical Cyclone Heidi is now less than 50 kilometres from Port Hedland as it bears down on Western Australia's Pilbara coast.

Residents in one of Australia's busiest port towns have been given a red alert as Tropical Cyclone Heidi approaches.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has urged Ipswich residents to be bold and faithful amid the ongoing recovery from the city's devastating floods a year ago.

Residents of Queensland's Lockyer Valley should consider January 10 their New Year's Day, Julia Gillard tells commemorative service.