South Australia hit by flooding as residents count the cost of Cyclone Yasi

The tropical system that was Cyclone Yasi, which tore through the north-east earlier last week, was still churning over central Australia and making a series of thunderstorms over the southern city of Melbourne and other large towns in Victoria state much worse.

More than seven inches of rain fell in just a few hours overnight on Friday in some Melbourne neighbourhoods and winds gusting to 80mph knocked down trees.

Drains were overwhelmed, causing flash flooding that covered streets and swamped some homes. The State Emergency Service said 84 people were rescued from cars that stalled in flooded streets, or from inundated properties.

A 26-year-old English tourist was in critical condition in hospital after a branch fell on her tent.

Many parts of Australia have suffered a summer of awful weather, including pounding rains across north-eastern Queensland state that caused the nation's worst flooding in decades, killing 35 people and causing an estimated $5.6 billion damage.

Yasi ripped across the coast in north-east Queensland state on Wednesday night, tearing apart dozens of homes and damaging hundreds more, cutting power to tens of thousands of people and flattening millions of dollars' worth of crops. One death was reported.

Police and army personnel moved through the storm-savaged coastal town of Tully Heads yesterday, going door-to-door accounting for residents.

Officials spray painted "No Go" as a warning on the worst-hit homes. A few houses were reduced to rubble. A layer of brown sludge covered the ground, leaving a sickening smell wafting throughout the community.

The massive surge of water ripped through homes, destroying walls and pushing resident's belongings into other people's houses and yards. Residents spent yesterday sifting through the wreckage and dragging people's possessions back to their owners.

"I'll take my container back when you're done with it!" Ian Barrett, 55, joked to his neighbour. Barrett's huge blue shipping container lay in the man's yard - about 300 feet from where it once stood.

Barrett's beachfront house was still standing, but was nearly empty inside. The waves ripped everything from the home: furniture, toys, appliances.

His 11-year-old daughter Natalie's bed lay a third of a mile down the road. The only thing left on the walls was the family's flat-screen TV. The family fled along with most of the community the day before the storm hit.

"We won't rebuild here," Barrett said. "We'd never be able to go to sleep again at night."