Heavy rain and floods to batter Queensland as wet weather hits east coast and NSW

Heavy rain and flash flooding will smash parts of Australia for the next nine days with some regions expected to receive up to 10 times their average monthly rainfall. 

Police are warning people to avoid unnecessary travel, including for holidays or work, with the downpours expected to begin in Queensland from Tuesday.

Most of the rain will be dumped along a 700km stretch of coastline from Townsville to Rockhampton and inland to Longreach and Winton. 

The central, central interior and central coast are all set to receive 10 times their monthly average, while the interior and southeast are tipped to get an average month’s worth of rainfall. 

The wet weather will spill over into NSW with rain forecast for parts of the state right up until Sunday.