There have been desperate calls for more support in isolated hinterland communities near Mullumbimby in northern New South Wales as the flooding crisis continues.
About 200 people live in Upper Wilsons Creek, Huonbrook and Wanganui communities isolated since Monday after landslides and floodwaters destroyed several main access roads.
Power, phone and internet have also been cut off with only limited communication to a few homes with satellite internet services.
Frustrated residents have been patching roads themselves, and hiking across flooded causeways with loads of fuel and food for their stranded neighbours.
Police said they had access to the isolated communities, while Byron Shire Mayor Michael Lyon said Australian Defence Force (ADF) helicopters had been airlifting people out.
"There are a small number of people still unaccounted for that we're worried about, particularly in the Huonbrook, Upper Wilsons Creek area and we're still getting in there with police, the SES and ADF working together," Mr Lyon said.
"There are landslips everywhere, roads cut off … we're just hopeful we can get to everyone."
Volunteer coordinator Jacqui Lewis, who is working at nearby Mullumbimby, said some had resorted to calling private companies for food drops and welfare checks in the absence of help from authorities.
"We need people being airlifted out, food, fuel and water dropped in and we need phone reception and the internet back up," she said.
Residents take matters into own hands
Upper Wilsons Creek resident Benjamin Brown said his father, who owns an earthmoving business, had been attempting to repair parts of the main road to Upper Wilsons Creek to allow access for emergency services.
"If you can imagine a little goat track going up a gravel road, there are ditches 2 metres deep, massive boulders exposed, it's just mind-blowing," he said.
Mr Brown said there were about 15 causeways across the main road and a massive landslip had completely covered the road near the 10th causeway.
He said, at that point, residents were wading through floodwaters and hiking several kilometres to take fuel and food to people who had also been without power and phone services since Monday.
"There have been checkpoints to give people further up the valley food and we're taking it up in a roster," Mr Brown said.
"One of our neighbours has satellite internet so they've had their place open with a generator on … and people have been able to come to that house and contact their loved ones."
Mr Brown, who has lived in the area for more than 30 years, said it was the biggest flood he had witnessed.
"There are a lot of people rattled, a lot of houses underwater … there's massive devastation up here," he said.
"The water never usually comes down the road but the creek just completely changed course in this flood.
"There were boulders going down the creek at night, you could just hear these massive crashes.
