Authorities have warned of further flooding and coastal erosion as the weather continues in the coming days. In the state of New South Wales, 23 rivers are at risk of overflowing.
The low pressure system whipped up giant waves of more than 40 feet across the coast, which delighted surfers but left beachside properties in tatters.
Police divers recovered the bodies of two men whose cars were swept off the roads in south-west Sydney and the town of Bowral. A man’s body was also found in floodwaters at a river crossing near Canberra.
The island state of Tasmania suffered its worst flooding in about forty years and required the army to assist with building levees.
Two elderly people remain missing and are believed to have been washed away.
Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has warned Australians to listen to security services as he announced he would postpone a Tasmania electoral campaign stopover as the state battles flooding.