Roads have been cut and bridges have disappeared under floodwaters in regional New South Wales as Northern Rivers owners brace themselves for a third consecutive La Nina season.
The low-pressure storm system that sparked inland flooding earlier this week followed toward the coast on Thursday and Friday, with flood and storm warnings covering much of the eastern part of the state.
Severe thunderstorms predicted from NSW and the Queensland border to Port Macquarie on Friday will extend into the Blue Mountains on Saturday.
Punters were inundated at the Golden Dog Hotel, the only pub in Glenreagh, a small town in the Northern Rivers between Grafton and Coffs Harbour, after the River Orara reached minor flooding on Friday.
The river was just under five meters on Friday afternoon, flooding Orara Way, covering Bluffs Bridge and blocking the main road to Grafton.
Roads to Coffs Harbor in the north are still accessible and drivers can reach Grafton via longer routes.
Glenreagh’s 900 residents were prepared for flooding, the local bakery’s Lestatt Hammond told AAP.
“They know how much rain it takes to push the river over (its banks),” she said.
Ms Hammond, a lifelong resident of Glenreagh, said the water level was still well below the level of the February floods.