Moree floods ease as threat moves west

The New South Wales State Emergency Service says access to the flooded town of Moree in the state's north could be re-opened later today as floodwaters continue to recede.

But they are warning towns further inland will facing a growing threat from waters flowing down from Queensland.

On Saturday 500 people in North Moree were given the all-clear to return to their properties, but about 1100 locals were forced to spend the night in the town's evacuation centres or with family and friends.

There are still around 16,500 people currently isolated by floodwaters across the state, but Phil Campbell from the SES says this number is expected to drop.

"We're hopeful access to Moree will be be fully restored tomorrow (Sunday), which will bring us down to around 6,500, but in some cases we'll have people who'll be isolated for anything up to 2-3 weeks as they have flooding around their properties that is very slow to fall," he said.

Mr Campbell from says while waters in Moree are dropping, the focus in coming days will shift further inland to the towns of Walgett, Bourke and Brewarrina.

"The record floodwaters coming out of parts of Queensland is certainly a concern for us, it's likely to result in the isolation of communities as well as rural properties downstream in NSW," he said.

Authorities have begun planning to make sure people living in these areas have supplies.

Record floods

The floods represent the worst in 35 years for Moree, with New South Wales Premier Barry O'Farrell on Friday describing the scenes as "extraordinary".

About 300 homes in Moree have been inundated with floodwater.

Debbie Williams from the Moree Chamber of Commerce says residents are frustrated.

"Nobody is being covered for floods and nobody is being insured," she said.

But James McTavish from the SES says residents remain positive despite their concerns for their properties.

"People are, despite the impact in the area, they're actually quite upbeat," he said.

"They are obviously very concerned about their properties. They're very concerned about their community but they're remaining very positive in some very trying circumstances."