Australia Day a wet one for much of NSW, Queensland

The weather has caused many warnings against driving in Queensland and NSW. Photo / APN

As Australia Day dawns, tens of thousands of people across southern Queensland and northern New South Wales are bracing for more rain, storms and flash flooding.

In the past few days emergency services have rescued dozens of people from homes and cars trapped in fast-rising waters, houses and businesses have been evacuated, and holidaymakers have been urged to flee riverside campsites.

Although not on the scale of last summer's disastrous floods, downpours averaging 100mm a day are forecast to continue until the weekend and have created chaos in communities ranging from remote towns to Brisbane, the Sunshine and Gold Coasts, and northern NSW resorts.

Specialist swift water rescue teams have pulled more than 20 people from raging streams, dozens of roads have been cut, thousands of homes have been left without power and evacuation centres have been set up.

The floods have also taken on a political dimension, with Queensland Premier Anna Bligh calling an election for March 24, after extending the inquiry into last year's disaster.

Yesterday flood warnings were in place for the Noosa, Maroochy, Mary and Mooloolah rivers north of Brisbane, and the Logan and Albert rivers to the south.

Late yesterday authorities were preparing to evacuate homes in Chirn Park and Southport on the Gold Coast.

Forecasters say heavy rain will tomorrow spread to Yeppoon on the state's central coast, and across to the Northern Territory border.

Evacuation centres have been set up at Narangba and Deception Bay, north of Brisbane.

Authorities have also repeated warnings against trying to drive, wade or ride through floodwaters, after hauling people from cars trapped in raging waters.

In NSW, more homes and caravan parks near Tweed heads were evacuated yesterday, and other residents told to be ready to flee, as forecasters issued a warning of flash flooding for the northern rivers and tablelands regions, and the mid-north coast.

The Tweed, Richmond, Wilsons, Brunswick, Orara, Nambucca and Clarence rivers were close to breaking their banks. The swollen Bellinger River has already cut Bellingen in two, about 500 people are isolated at Darkwood, near Coffs Harbour.