Sydney’s famous Bondi Icebergs is among the casualties after a wild waves left windows smashed, ripped up roads and houses inundated – with more wild surf to come.

Well-known Sydney beaches Bondi, Bronte, Clovelly and Cronulla were among the areas smashed by huge swells early on Wednesday.

Properties at Dolls Point, in Botany Bay, reportedly began to take in water about midnight. Properties were evacuated and sand-bagging began in the dark as the two-metre king tide lapped at homes.

Daylight brought the full extent of the damage into view. Bondi Icebergs pool sustained significant damage with video from The Daily Telegraph showing it with shattered glass and a mangled railing after it was pounded with a 5.5-metre swell.

A section of the Cronulla esplanade was cordoned off on Wednesday, with parts of the concrete walkway cratering from four-metre waves as civil crews inspected the damage wrought overnight.

Brick walls also buckled under the pressure of powerful waves at Bronte in the east.

Bayside Council said there had been widespread damage to pedestrian areas and roads along its foreshore.

“Council staff is working diligently on site to help with clean up and traffic flow,” it said.

“Carruthers Drive, Dolls Point is currently closed. Where possible, please avoid the area.”

Several beaches in the city’s north that are popular with tourists, such as Dee Why, were also hit. They remained close on Wednesday.

Some adventurous swimmers still braved the conditions on Wednesday morning, dipping into an ocean pool overlooking Cronulla beach.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the immediate threat of coastal hazards had passed and damaging surf conditions had eased, but a hazardous surf warning remained for the entire NSW coast.

“Surf and swell conditions are expected to be hazardous for coastal activities such as rock fishing, boating, and swimming,” it said.

“People should consider staying out of the water and avoid walking near surf-exposed areas.”

Forecaster Weatherzone said the weather was due to a “cyclone bomb” – a term used by meteorologists to describe low-pressure systems outside the tropics that intensify rapidly over a short period of time.

“The powerful Tasman low has caused ferocious winds that have been whipping up massive waves across the Tasman Sea in the last couple of days,” it said on Wednesday.

“Significant wave heights of around six metres were also observed near Eden and Port Kembla on Tuesday and Wednesday morning.”

Qlders count grim flood toll, with more rain on way

Further north, the full extent of devastating livestock losses in Queensland’s record-breaking floods is expected to take weeks to emerge.

Up to 150,000 cattle, sheep and goats have already been confirmed lost in the flooding that has hit the state’s central and western areas.

Helicopter pilots have evacuated entire communities, and remain busy delivering feed and rescuing animals, amid flooding twice the size of Victoria.

It is already considered the worst flood in more than 50 years – with more rain to come.

“There’s been some submissions put in and they’re already over 100,000 losses,” AgForce sheep, wool and goat president Boyd Webb said on Wednesday.

“This is going to have a lasting effect on those businesses for a long period of time.”

Webb said for the losses would equate to “losing your job” for some graziers.

“It’ll be like you’ve been unemployed for 12 months for some people, or longer,” he said.

“For different individuals, it will be very, very tough, in what was already a tough landscape.”

The remnants of ex-tropical cyclone Dianne brought widespread rainfall across three states by Wednesday morning, including flood-hit areas.

There were falls of up to 50 millimetres from north-west to southern Queensland and down to NSW after migrating from the Northern Territory.

Water levels are expected to take days to ease in some areas.

The army is on standby as local helicopter pilots continue to shuttle supplies and livestock fodder across the affected region.

“They’re like bees but they’re doing a great job and we thank them for all the work they’re doing,” Nationals Leader David Littleproud told ABC Radio on Wednesday.

Helicopter pilots have also helped with evacuations. Some entire towns have been rescued, including Adavale in the south-west.

“Locals found out we were being flooded and came to the rescue,” Adavale resident Kirstin Finger said.

A local in a tinnie helped pick up neighbours as the population of Adavale – about 30 people – was evacuated.

“He was going around doing swiftwater rescues, taking people over to one of the nearby hills so they could be taken out by helicopter,” Finger said.

Adavale residents were relocated to nearby Quilpie, where they remained on Wednesday. Water levels have begun to recede at Adavale, providing hope a return is imminent.

“We are looking at a pretty big clean-up,” Finger’s husband Ray said.

A GoFundMe fundraiser has been organised to help Adavale’s recovery, with more than $6000 already raised.

Further south, another entire community has fled their homes due to rising floodwaters. Thargomindah’s population of more than 200 people has been moved to higher ground after floodwaters eclipsed 1974 record levels.

“Our house is completely under. It’s absolutely devastating,” Angel McPherson told the ABC, in tears as she exited a helicopter in Charleville.

“The main thing is that we’re all OK. Things are replaceable, but our lives aren’t.”

-with AAP