In New South Wales, Australia, floods have already claimed the lives of four people. Although the rains are subsiding, thousands of residents remain cut off from the world. One person is still missing.

Southeastern Australians are being advised to prepare for the strongest cold front of the season, with the Bureau of Meteorology issuing days of extreme weather, damaging winds, and dangerous coastal conditions.

Residents across western New South Wales were woken up to a "significant" earthquake in the early hours of Saturday morning with the impact felt a number of times throughout the day.

Major flooding hit several rural towns in the Hunter and Mid North Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, with most of the Mid North Coast region facing further heavy rainfall through Thursday.

A natural disaster has been declared in Australia after unprecedented floods in New South Wales. Police say there are "grave fears" for three others who are missing - including a 60-year-old woman and two men aged 25 and 49.

Though flood warnings remain in place across New South Wales on Saturday, communities are beginning the clean up and recovery efforts following a record deluge that has wreaked havoc across the state and resulted in tragedy.