SYDNEY • Just days after bush fires threatened a World Heritage site in Australia, thousands of people braced themselves for floods on the subtropical east coast, with beaches closed and residents being urged to sandbag their homes.

With as much as 475mm of rain in the previous 24 hours, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology yesterday issued a "severe weather warning" for the border area between New South Wales and Queensland states, a heavily populated area that includes the Queensland state capital Brisbane.

A week earlier, nearby Fraser Island was evacuated due to bush fires, dashing hopes that wetter weather would make seasonal fires less catastrophic than last year.

Scientists attribute the erratic weather in the early Australian summer to a La Nina pattern - which features strong rain - combined with climate change.

Fraser Island, the world's largest sand island, is under the flood warning, which includes urging drivers to avoid roads where the water level is already rising.

"These are dynamic weather systems and you should always expect the unexpected," senior flood hydrologist Justin Robinson said.

The warning comes soon after Queensland opened its border to the neighbouring state following months of closure due to Covid-19.

The authorities have urged people travelling for end-of-year holidays to exercise caution since they may not be familiar with flood-prone areas.

Emergency services have already rescued four people, including some from cars trapped on flooded roads, and received about 700 calls for help.

Along the heavily populated Gold Coast, south of Brisbane, the authorities closed beaches due to dangerous surf, while emergency services set up several locations where people could stock up on sandbags.

REUTERS