Authorities are warning floodwaters still remain a danger in parts of Tasmania after record rainfall hit the north of the state over the past few days.
Rivers are rising in some places as floodwaters move downstream, and the Meander River reached a record height of 9.45 metres at Strathbridge, downstream of Deloraine.
An emergency warning to avoid flooded areas is current for surrounding areas and flood watch and act messages are current for 10 waterways, including the River Ouse, the Macquarie River and the South Esk River.
State Emergency Service (SES) acting director Leon Smith said there was now a distinct difference in the situation between the north-west and northern river catchments after "record-breaking rainfall over the previous few days".
"In the north-west, we've already seen the peak. All of the accumulated rainfall at altitude has made its way through the landscape into the riverine systems and is now dissipating," he said.
"However, people in the north-west exposed to those catchments need to remain vigilant.
"In the northern region, we haven't peaked. The river systems of the North Esk and South Esk are still yet to peak.
"Those accumulated rainfalls from the higher areas of the north-east are still making their way into those catchments, and due to the complexity of the catchments, we will see peaks and ebbs during the next 24 hours."
Acting Premier Michael Ferguson said authorities were closely monitoring these two rivers, which in turn feed into the Tamar River, which is subject to tidal fluctuations.
"We'll need to watch those two rivers and the estuary very closely, not just today, but over the next 36 hours," he said.
"We're expecting high tides at 6pm tonight, 6am tomorrow, and tomorrow night at 6pm. They're the three key dates and times in terms of watching the Tamar estuary."
He said polygon mapping predicted up to 500 homes were within "zones subject to potential flooding", but the actual figure was likely to be lower.
"They are being ground-checked by people on the ground as we speak."
Latrobe and Deloraine were two of the hardest-hit towns, and the BOM said flood levels in Deloraine had exceeded those of the 2016 floods.
Some residents have been able to return home to begin the painful process of cleaning up.
Jennifer Davies owns the old flour mill at Deloraine and said up until Thursday, life was normal.
"Then we were told rains were coming, but we wouldn't be affected, because in the floods of 2016, it only came up to the kitchen door. So we had no worries whatsoever."
At around 8:30pm, their front neighbours were forced to evacuate, and at 2am they were getting concerned. At 3am, they saw the water lapping at the doors.
But instead of coming through the doors, they heard a bubbling sound and saw the water had come up under the floorboards.
"We couldn't do anything, we could only watch. And then it all came through the kitchen and continued to come up to knee height, really quickly.
"We ran up the stairs, sat on the stairs, and just watched. There's nothing else we could do."
The next morning they came downstairs and found it "was a real disaster zone".
Although Ms Davies said they were lucky the damage could be fixed, she said she was angry because the nearby dam was overflowing two weeks ago.
"The picnic areas were wet and it was up to the trees, which is unusual. Had they released that water during the biggest drought in 40 years over summer, this wouldn't have happened.
"There would've been a flood ... but I'm positive wouldn't have been to this level of devastation."
Clinton Hobby also lives in Deloraine, and said his house was a "complete mess".
"The amount of water that went through there was unbelievable. It's just heartbreaking more than anything," he said.
"We've got a school bus, and [the floodwater] picked it up like a toothpick, that's how strong and powerful it was coming through there."
Although they have insurance, he and his family had been trying to find rental properties to stay in in the meantime, but there was nothing available.
"We're living in the local pub until Monday at least. After that, who knows?"
He too said water should have been released from the dam to ease flooding.
"How hard is it to let a bit of the water out of the dam? There still might have been a bit of minor flooding, but not to this extent. This was just unbelievable."
When Latrobe resident Ross Bramich got the flood warning, he prepared as best he could, moving things up high and evacuating to stay with family.
When he returned, he found floodwaters had flowed through his home for the second time since 2016.
"It's pretty devastating... everything you work for is here," he said.
"We've got full flood cover, so it's reassuring to know we've got that. Obviously, we're going to be homeless for a bit, but we'll live on-site and do what we can do.
"Obviously, when there's that amount of water, what are you going to do?"
The SES received 193 calls for help on Friday, but acting assistant director David McCambridge said there were only a few overnight requests for help.
"Which we are hoping indicates that people are heading our warnings and staying away from floodwaters and closely monitoring the situation," he continued.
"However, our volunteers and our staff of the regions in the north and north-west have been out hard at work monitoring rivers."
Evacuation centres are open at Newnham and Deloraine, where football club president Don Tracey said on Friday it was devastating to see the impact of the floods.
"We've prepared by putting sandbags at all the entrances to the club above the 2016 level, but I don't think it's going to be enough, because it's way above that now," he said.
"I was expecting a flood, but not to this extent … the flood level has exceeded all expectations."
The major flooding is almost a metre higher than the record peak in 1998.
The SES is urging residents to monitor changing conditions, and authorities expect some flooding to persist into next week.
The state government said emergency payments are now available for those affected by flooding.
Individual adults are eligible for up to $250, with a total of $1,000 available for a family to be used to secure appropriate shelter, food and clothing.
