As sunshine broke through for the first time in days on Wednesday, Queensland's government declared the state was still open for business.
The Easter holidays are three weeks away and usually a busy time for the Sunshine State's tourism industry, bringing more than $2.5 billion to the economy last year.
Tourism Minister Andrew Powell said the state needed to recover quickly after ex-cyclone Alfred hammered southeast Queensland and northern NSW.
"Our message to the rest of Australia and to the world is that Queensland remains open for business," he told parliament on Wednesday.
About 80 per cent of the Gold Coast's renowned beaches had "gone into the ocean", local mayor Tom Tate said.
The environment department was assessing beaches and would look to replenish them with sand from offshore dredges, Mr Powell said.
The former cyclone dumped more than one metre of rain on the Gold Coast hinterland in less than a week.
"We know the work is far from over and we are continuing that work," Queensland Premier David Crisafulli told parliament.
The severe weather led to 13,150 State Emergency Service jobs over nine days with 3676 calls for help on Monday alone.
"That is the most calls ever received in one day," Police Minister Dan Purdie told parliament.
The state government has allowed fuel stations, abattoirs and food processing facilities to trade 24/7 for resupply following the disaster.
Supermarkets had already been approved to resupply around the clock to restock across southeast Queensland after shelves were stripped bare by panic buying.
Meanwhile, personal hardship payments have been expanded for affected parts of Brisbane and the Scenic Rim after previously being activated for the Gold Coast, Logan and Moreton Bay.
The recovery effort was ramping up across the region, with many realising the full extent of Alfred's impact.
Anthony Lay threw away dripping carpets, mattresses, chairs and a waterlogged drum kit after his Oxley property, south of Brisbane, was inundated.
He was overwhelmed by a foul stench seeping out of his possessions as he carried each to the curb for the council to take away.
"It's exhausting - 2022 (floods) took a lot out of me, then this one is a little bit more," he told AAP.
"Thankfully it didn't get up so high."
Brisbane City Council has set up more than 190 temporary waste bin sites across the city where the severe weather has impacted regular kerbside waste collections. Â
More than 50,000 homes and businesses remain without power, down from a peak of 420,000.
Students at more than 100 schools across southeast Queensland will also stay home for another day amid damage assessments.
No further significant rainfall is forecast for the remainder of the week with some light coastal showers possible, the Bureau of Meteorology says.
Several flood warnings have been downgraded but moderate risk remains on the Logan, Richmond, Clarence and Arara rivers spanning Queensland and NSW.
In northern NSW, floodwaters are receding but many suburbs remain isolated including Thora, Yamba, Lawrence and Diggers Camp.
"NSW SES will have teams in the field to support with clearing roads and undertaking damage assessments," the SES said in a statement.
SES crews responded to three flood rescues overnight in NSW after people drove through submerged roads and some required medical treatment.
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