Flash floods sweep away houses, cars in Australian town

Entire buildings have been ripped from their foundations after flash floods swamped a small Australian town, with disaster management officials describing the deluge as a destructive "wall of water".

The town of Eugowra -- about 350 kilometres west of Sydney -- was inundated but it has been impossible to assess the extent of damage under the mud-brown waters.

Australia's east coast has been repeatedly swept by heavy rainfall in the past two years, driven by back-to-back La Nina cycles.

New South Wales State Emergency Service spokesman Steve Hall said a dire picture was emerging as response teams returned to the town of some 800 people.

Stranded residents huddled on roofs as floodwaters peaked in the evening, before they were winched to safety by rescue helicopters.

The town of Forbes -- about 40 kilometres west of Eugowra -- was evacuated as the floodwaters moved down the swollen river system.

It was the second time Forbes was evacuated due to flooding in the past two weeks.

Heavy storms earlier this year caused a widespread flooding disaster on Australia's east coast, in which more than 20 people died.

Tens of thousands of Sydney residents were ordered to evacuate in July when floods again swamped the city's fringe.

Scientists believe climate change could make periods of flooding more extreme because warmer air holds more moisture.